Lemon with Water; it’s still a thing

Lemon with Water; it’s still a thing

While clearing old files, I stumbled upon notes from a conference. One relating to lemon with water in the morning caught my eye; I wondered if this was still recommended.

As it is with many things health related, was lemon water in the morning a passing fad?

I did a quick search to rediscover the pros and cons to this life hack. It seems people are still talking about lemon water as a good way to start your day.

The following are the search results that seemed non spammy.

** Wellness Mama, who is well-known and ranks at the top of the list, recently wrote about “The Benefits of Lemon Water” detailing the 5 things lemon water can do; including what has been cited in error. Here is the list with abbreviated detail; please read their article for their full descriptions. (There is a lot of good information in her comment section as well)

1. Helps Digestion: Since you could wake dehydrated, warm water assimilates faster.
2. A Natural Flush: Helping to flush out the liver and the toxins it worked to eliminate.
3. Immune System Boost: The vitamins and minerals in the lemon juice give a mini boost.
4. Happier Skin: Again the toxin flush, mixed with vitamins; of course skin plumping hydration can’t hurt.
5. Healthy Weight: Drinking water helps with metabolism; it would take more than a few sips of water to make a huge change however.

What it won’t do is as listed by Wellness Mama:

1. Only balances pH of urine, not blood as detailed by Chris Kresser.
2. Doesn’t prevent cancer
3. Doesn’t increase IQ

Wellness Mama is legit and offers great reading; check her blog out for more excellent updates. While she debunks a few of the claimed benefits of lemon water in the morning, you can get benefit it seems.

Wellness Mama mentioned the one sticking point with my success at trying water first thing; it takes time to for your body adjust to it without feeling a bit off or nauseated.

** Popsugar fitness lists 4 similar reasons with their post on Yahoo.com Lemon with Water mirroring Wellness Mama.

1. It helps you detox every day
2. It wakes up your digestive tract
3. It supports weight loss
4. It soothes an upset tummy

I wanted to include a comparison from various sites, regarding lemon water. Once I started reading, I could see why people are so confused as I found a lot of sensationalism. Many of the articles I started to quote were removed as their claims were outrageous.

There are too many sites with far-fetched claims related to drinking lemon water. Lists that run the gammet from clearing blemishes, smoothing wrinkles,fighting infections, reducing mental conditions, regulating blood pressure, to preventing cancer; even freshening your breath. Many of these claims seem harmful and problematic on so many levels; they give a lot of power to a few tablespoons of lemon juice.

At the end of the day, or in this case the beginning, I’d drink warm lemon water in the morning. Not because I think I’m keeping ahead of the crypt keeper, but to help keep hydrated, especially during dry winter air conditions.

I tend to drink a bit too much coffee during the winter and certainly could use the extra hydration.

What about you, do you drink water, or water with lemon first thing in the morning?

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H2O