5 Health Benefits of Lemon
According to popular belief, lemon has many health benefits for the body as it’s rich in antioxidants. This is why some people regularly add it to their water.
Below, we’ll tell you more about lemon, where it comes from, its nutritional value, and its health contributions.
What are lemons and why should you be consuming them?
Known to all, lemons belong to the citrus family that became popular in Europe and America after voyages of exploration around the 13th century AD.
The lemon tree (citrus × limon) is native to Asia and produces fruit all year round sos you can easily find them in any market.
According to data from the Spanish Nutrition Foundation (FEN), lemons mainly contain vitamin C, organic acids, and flavonoids, and minor amounts of other vitamins and minerals. They also contain soluble fiber like pectin (found mainly in the white layer under the peel).
Its main benefits are associated to its antioxidants, which help the entire body stay healthy, as they reduce oxidative stress.
The experts of the 5-A-Day Association state that “the vitamin C content in lemon as well as its high concentration of antioxidants, and even its possible bactericide properties in certain raw dishes (such as fish) make it a must in any healthy diet.”
The benefits of lemon for your body
Lemons contain an immense amount of vitamins and minerals that’ll make your body stronger and healthier. Below, we’ll show you some of the health benefits of this citrus.
High sources of vitamin C
Citrus fruits are packed with vitamin C, an important antioxidant. This vitamin helps protect your body’s cells from premature aging and degeneration. In addition, it reduces the risk of cardiovascular diseases, common colds, and the flu.
Lemons can improve your skin’s appearance
Vitamin C, and other vitamins, help reduce wrinkles and spots that result from sun exposure. Citric juice helps the body absorb more water, which is why you’ll notice that your skin is more hydrated.
They contribute to weight loss
You can add certain foods to your meals that’ll help shed inches. Thus, the components of lemons and vitamin C can aid fat metabolism. Along with a balanced diet and regular exercise, this could help you lose weight.
As a study in the medical journal Advances in Nutrition states, the flavanols this fruit contains, specifically naringin and naringenin, lead to positive results in the treatment of obesity and other metabolic disorders.
However, not enough evidence has established and verified these effects as of yet. Despite this, consuming lemon as part of your daily diet can be a good way to fight excess weight.
Lemons can improve digestion
Many people drink lemon juice as a laxative or as a preventative measure for constipation. Furthermore, this fruit helps regulate digestion and helps your body function better as a whole.
They give you fresh breath
If you eat lemons after each meal, they’ll help keep your breath fresh and subtle. In fact, lemons remove any kind of odor lingering in your mouth after meals. This is especially true in the cases of heavily spiced dishes.
Visit this article 3 Antioxidant Juices to Combat Premature Aging
The easy way to select lemons
You might already know how hard it can be sometimes to find a juicy lemon that can offer you all the benefits that you want. Below, we’ll leave you some tips on how to choose the right ones:
- Pick heavy lemons as the heaviest ones contain more minerals and sugar, which means that lemons with a thicker skin are lighter (and contain less juice) and have less minerals and flavor.
- Examine the skin before buying lemons as those with smooth skin studded with small ripples are juicier.
- Check the color as yellow lemons tend to be sweeter. Other citrus fruits, such as green limes, are usually more sour.
Some lemon recipes
There are many different ways to enjoy lemon juice and all are good for your body. Furthermore, the properties of lemons barely change in every recipe, which means that the vitamins and minerals stay the same regardless of the cooking method.
- Firstly, warm up one or two cups of water on the stove to a medium temperature. Then, when the water is hot, pour in the lemon juice and let infuse. Finally, for a different touch, add some grated ginger to this beverage. It’ll increase the antioxidants you ingest.
- Also, add ginger and lemon to your dishes for an exotic touch. Thus, add both to your fish and white meats, it’ll greatly improve their flavor and make them more nutritious.
Finally, there’s no scientific evidence that indicates that the consumption of lemon drinks makes a huge difference to your health. However, many people choose to supplement their diet with it.
All cited sources were thoroughly reviewed by our team to ensure their quality, reliability, currency, and validity. The bibliography of this article was considered reliable and of academic or scientific accuracy.
- Del Río, J. A., Fuster, M. D., Gómez, P., Porras, I., García-Lidón, A., & Ortuño, A. (2004). Citrus limon: A source of flavonoids of pharmaceutical interest. Food Chemistry. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0308-8146(03)00272-3
- González-Molina, E., Domínguez-Perles, R., Moreno, D. A., & García-Viguera, C. (2010). Natural bioactive compounds of Citrus limon for food and health. Journal of Pharmaceutical and Biomedical Analysis. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpba.2009.07.027
- Agarwal, M., Kumar, A., Gupta, R., & Upadhyaya, S. (2012). Extraction of polyphenol, flavonoid from emblica officinalis, citrus limon, cucumis sativus and evaluation of their antioxidant activity. Oriental Journal of Chemistry. https://doi.org/10.13005/ojc/280248
