Staying Healthy and Drinking Lemon Water

Well, we are all healthy here...finally!  It was a very long December.  While I got some baking in, my kitchen was a mess 99% of the time and I couldn't bring myself to take any pictures in it.  Besides most of my baking ended up being done over at my mother's house while my sons, nephews, and nieces all played and caused chaos.  Seriously, who is going to remember to be a dedicated food photographer in moments like that.  Most of the time my camera was firmly pointed at the six kids running rough-shod in the living room, not the kitchen (although they did end up in there a couple of times).  It was the first time all six kids - ages 10, 7, 4, 3, 2, and 9 months - were all under one roof.  Needless to say my mother was in heaven.

Now that the holiday chaos is behind us and the Christmas decorations have been put away - or in my case put in a corner waiting for my husband to transfer them into the garage - we can turn our focus on being healthy, and staying that way.

Yesterday I had my very first ever physical.  Yes, I know.  I am 31 years old and have never had a physical.  My doctor already informed me of the health risks of putting off preventative health care.  It was, of course, my "wonderful" gall bladder surgery experience that convinced me to start taking a more proactive approach to my own health.  I am sure my next venture will be to the dentist - it's been 6 years since my last visit there!

Anyway, as my doctor showed me all of my lab results I was amazed by my good fortune at being so healthy.  All of my lab results came back well within the normal levels.  I still need to lose weight, but I have not yet done irreparable damage to my body.  From here on out I only need to worry about staying healthy, or maybe getting healthier.

One of the recent changes I made to our family routine can definitely help to improve our overall health.  I discovered these tips about drinking lemon water every morning through Pinterest.  Honestly, as a non-coffee/non-tea drinker, I was more bemused than intrigued.  I had been using hot lemon water as a cold remedy and vocal therapy since high school, so I knew some of the benefits, but I really had no idea about most of them.

Here is a quick run through of the better known benefits:

1. Boosts your immune system: Lemons are high in vitamin C, which is great for fighting colds.  They’re high in potassium, which stimulates brain and nerve function. Potassium also helps control blood pressure.

2. Balances pH: Drink lemon water everyday and you’ll reduce your body’s overall acidity. Lemon is one of the most alkaline foods around. Yes, lemon has citric acid but it does not create acidity in the body once metabolized.

3. Helps with weight loss:   Lemons are high in pectin fiber, which helps fight hunger cravings. It also has been shown that people who maintain a more alkaline diet (see #2) lose weight faster.

4. Aids digestion:  Lemon juice helps flush out unwanted materials. It encourages the liver to produce bile which is an acid that required for digestion. Efficient digestion reduces heartburn and constipation.

5. Is a diuretic: Lemons increase the rate of urination in the body, which helps purify it. Toxins are, therefore, released at a faster rate which helps keep your urinary tract healthy.

6. Clears skin:  The vitamin C component helps decrease wrinkles and blemishes. Lemon water purges toxins from the blood which helps keep skin clear as well. It can actually be applied directly to scars to help reduce their appearance.

7. Freshens breath: Not only this, but it can help relieve tooth pain and gingivitis. The citric acid can erode tooth enamel, so you should monitor this.

8. Relieves respiratory problems: Warm lemon water helps get rid of chest infections and halt those pesky coughs. It’s thought to be helpful to people with asthma and allergies too.

9. Keeps you zen: Vitamin C is one of the first things depleted when you subject your mind and body to stress. As mentioned previously, lemons are chock full of vitamin C.

10. Helps kick the coffee habit:  It is said that after a cup of hot lemon water in the morning the cravings for coffee are greatly reduced.

So after reading this blog I decided to give it a try.  All of us needed to drink more water anyway, so why not add something new by way of an incentive?  I had just picked up a couple of water pitchers from Cash & Carry - a long story involving 12 broken glasses in five years and a new desire to start using plastic drinkware - and realized that they would be perfect for storing the lemon water.

I simply fill the pitcher with water, slice up a lemon, add it to the water, and store it in the refrigerator.  In the first day of our experiment I refilled the pitcher eight times.  I ended up drinking 12 cups of water that day.  My husband drank at least six cups of water, and each of my boys had their water bottles refilled twice.  It was a definite improvement in the amount of water we were all drinking.  I have also noticed that my energy level is up and my attitude is improved.  These are all things affected by dehydration.

As a funny side note, my husband informed me this morning that he finds tap water disgusting now after drinking the lemon water for almost a week.

Now, there are some other benefits to making lemon water every morning.  Lemons are inexpensive.  I get mine from Safeway at about $0.40 each (Winco sells them for $0.28).  If I know that I am going to be needing lemon zest for anything that day, I zest the lemon before cutting it up and throwing it in the water.

The next morning, I put the old lemon slices aside while I am slicing up the new lemon for the water.  Then I juice the slices into a small cup and store it in the refrigerator.  Fresh lemon juice for cooking!