What is your favorite way to start the day? Are you a coffee drinker? Tea? I have gone through phases of both and about a year ago switched it up again and moved to hot lemon water. I was getting tired of coffee and not always ready for tea first thing. I knew how important it was to drink water first thing upon waking up, but didn’t really want to drink a big glass of cold water. About this time, I was starting to hear about people drinking hot lemon water, so thought I would dive in a bit deeper to see what it was all about.
Honestly, I am not a lemon in your water kinda gal, but for whatever reason I like it when it is a hot beverage.
So what is the deal with hot / warm lemon water?
The health and wellness world touts many different benefits.
Lemons
- Are high in a fiber called pectin — a prebiotic that assists good gut health by feeding healthy gut bacteria.
- Contain large amounts of citric acid, which can increase urine output and decrease kidney stones, as well as aid in digestion.
- Contain bioflavonoids, which help with natural antihistamine, antiviral effects and inflammation.
- Are a source of vitamin C which will boost your immune system.
When added to warm water and drinking on a empty stomach, some believe it can help:
- Flush and detoxify (this is an ayurvedic practice and is believed to help clear out toxins that built up over night).
- Jumpstart the digestive system and aid in digestion and elimination.
- Help with indigestion.
- Maintain PH of body.
- Lower blood pressure, boosts energy, aids in weight loss, improves mood, improves skin complexion, protect liver function and oxidative damage.
And of course rehydrate and bottom line is, we all can stand to drink more water. Why not make this the first thing you do in the morning?!
The question I imagine I will get next is – do you see results? There are plenty of things I do where I see measurable results and differences, but I also have the mentality that I don’t have to see obvious results to build things into my routine. If it is free, or close to it and there are reportable benefits I am the person that says ‘why not?!’ It certainly isn’t going to hurt anything and again, we can all drink more water and first thing in the morning is a great time to help flush out your system and get a jump start on your day.
Whether you believe the benefits to be there or not, drinking a glass of water first thing is a great practice to start. Why not add some lemon (and maybe fresh ginger) in for some extra benefits and warm it up because who doesn’t love a nice warm beverage to start their day?!
The one consideration I would recommend is drinking out of a straw. I like these glass straws. Some say the acidic nature of the lemon from the citric acid can damage your teeth, so drinking out of a straw or rinsing your mouth with plain water after will prevent that. (Brushing your teeth will not help and could cause harm to the teeth enamel).
Give it a try and let me know if you notice anything.
Detail for this post obtained from here and here.
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