I am one of those people who always orders lemon with my water when I am dining at a restaurant. I like the little extra zing it gives to my water, but lemons also have a lot of health benefits. When we think of Vitamin C, the first thought that probably pops into your head is orange juice or grapefruit juice. But lemons are loaded with Vitamin C which helps prevent cellular damage and cholesterol build up. The limonene in lemons helps detoxify carcinogens in your body and it stimulates the healthy flow of lymph fluids. There are some studies that have shown that this can help shrink cancerous tumors. Lemon juice (from real lemons) aid in digestion and also helps liquify fat so that it can be flushed out of your body.
Drinking lemon juice in hot water aids as a mild diuretic. Lemons are quite sour for some people but adding sugar will negate some of the health benefits because sugar interferes with digestion and pulls vitamins and minerals from the body. One study I read on lemons suggested consuming the juice of at least one lemon per day. That is about 2-3 tablespoons for an average lemon.
If you add a little to a large glass of water, you may not need the sugar to sweeten it. I like to order lemon with my water when eating at a restaurant. But here is an important tip: Do NOT put the whole lemon wedge into your water glass – only squeeze the lemon juice out, then set the rind aside. We hope the restaurant washes everything thoroughly, but you can’t be sure.
I really like lemon olive oil but sometimes that contains artificial flavor so I like to mix lemon juice with olive oil for my salad dressing. The link below will give you more benefits of this little but powerful fruit…