Eating a lemon by itself is definitely too sour for most people to handle. However, lemon water is much more palatable. But there's a right way to make it. What's the best time to drink lemon water? How can you make it taste better? Let's find out!
Benefits and Effects of Lemon Water
1. Promotes Digestion
Drinking lemon water can aid stomach digestion. When your digestive function isn't great, you can drink some lemon water to promote gastric acid secretion, making food easier to digest and absorb.
2. Helps with Hangovers
Another benefit of lemon water is that if you've had a few drinks the night before and your stomach feels irritated, it can help soothe it. Hot water with lemon can act as a preservative to help your body system eliminate toxins.
Lemon and Honey Water
3. Detoxification and Beauty
Drinking water itself helps the body detoxify, and the vitamin C in lemon can further enhance the removal of toxins from the blood, maintain skin radiance, and reduce wrinkles.
4. Balances pH Levels
Although lemon water tastes very sour, it is actually alkaline. Keeping the body in an alkaline state can prevent diseases and stop pathogens from surviving, which is an important benefit of drinking lemon water.
5. Boosts Immunity
The potassium in lemons helps control blood pressure and stimulate the brain's nervous system; vitamin C also helps fight colds. If you're sick, remember to brew a glass of lemon water with some honey!
6. Stimulates the Nervous System
Low potassium levels in the body can lead to feelings of depression, anxiety, forgetfulness, and even a slow reaction time. Lemons are rich in trace elements like potassium and vitamin C, which can help us de-stress.
Related Reading: This is How You Should Drink Lemon Water
What's the Best Time to Drink Lemon Water?
1. Before Bed
Drinking a glass of lemon water before bed can help replenish the water lost during sleep, and your skin will feel soft and supple in the morning.
Expert recommendation: Drink it 15-20 minutes before breakfast in the morning to cleanse the stomach and intestines, which is also good for the skin. Then have another glass between 3-4 PM, followed by an hour of exercise at 5-6 PM. To achieve a slimming effect, you must drink lemon water daily and exercise 3 to 4 times a week, with each session lasting at least an hour.
2. After Waking Up
Drinking a glass of lemon water on an empty stomach after waking up every morning can help with constipation. It's best to add a little honey for beauty benefits. However, don't put too much lemon, as it can be too acidic and irritate the stomach. Using fresh lemons to make water is very beneficial for the body. But if you have an upset stomach or a stomach condition, it's best to avoid or drink very little in the morning. The acid in lemon can stimulate the stomach, potentially causing excessive gastric acid secretion, which can lead to nausea and vomiting. Therefore, people with high stomach acid or stomach ulcers should avoid it.
3. After Meals
Lemon water is best consumed after meals to aid digestion. Experts recommend drinking lemon water 1.5 to 2 hours after a meal. In the evening, you can add a little honey, but it's not advisable to drink too much too late.
Lemon and Coix Seed Water
How to Brew a Better Glass of Lemon Water
1. Water Temperature of 60~70°C is Most Suitable
If the water for brewing lemon is too cold, the aroma won't be easily released. If you use boiling water, more bitter substances, such as hesperidin, will be dissolved. Some worry that high water temperature will cause a loss of vitamin C. In fact, lemon is quite acidic, and vitamin C is more heat-resistant in acidic conditions, so it's not as easily lost. Therefore, the water temperature for brewing lemon is generally most suitable at 60~70°C.
2. Lemon Water Must be Dilute
If you use lemon water to quench your thirst instead of plain water, it must be diluted. One slice of lemon with its skin can be used to brew 1 liter of water, from which you can pour 3-4 small cups. Generally, it can be brewed 2-3 times; just replace the lemon when the flavor is gone. This kind of lemon water is not sour or astringent, has a fresh fragrance, and can be drunk without adding sugar or honey, with the calorie content being almost negligible. If you use more lemon slices, you will need to add sugar or honey to balance the sourness.
3. It's Best to Choose Fresh Lemons
Fresh lemons have a rich aroma, while dried lemons have lost some of their aromatic components and vitamin C. Fresh lemons must be sliced thinly with the skin on. The peel part contains higher levels of flavonoids, such as hesperidin and naringin, which are beneficial health components. Lemon essential oil is also mainly in the peel, and slicing thinly helps release the aromatic components from the lemon peel. Flavonoids have a light bitterness, which, combined with the natural sourness of lemon, is more thirst-quenching in hot weather. The remaining lemon can be coated with honey on the cut surface, wrapped in plastic wrap, and stored in the refrigerator for three days.
4. Adding a Little Honey or Sugar Makes Lemon Water Taste Better
However, a lightly sweetened lemon water contains about 5% sugar. A 200-gram glass of honey-sweetened lemon water contains 40 calories. If you drink two glasses, it's equivalent to eating a quarter bowl of rice, so people who need to control their weight should limit their intake. Furthermore, people with excessive stomach acid can drink lemon water as long as it is brewed very lightly, as a small amount of citric acid is beneficial for repairing the gastric mucosa. For those with indigestion, adding a thin slice of ginger to light lemon water when dining can help promote the secretion of digestive juices. Unsweetened light lemon water has no sodium, almost no calories, and contains potassium, a small amount of vitamin C, and a small amount of flavonoids, making it very suitable for daily consumption by patients with chronic diseases such as hypertension, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and gout.
Related Reading: This is How You Should Drink Lemon Water
How to Make Lemon Water
Drinking lemon water often can reduce the chance of dark spots and freckles, making your skin fair and radiant. Let me introduce you to the method of making lemon water:
1. Choose fresh lemons, slice them, and place them in an airtight container to prevent oxidation.
2. Then add an appropriate amount of honey and pure water to submerge the lemons.
3. Seal the container tightly and place it in the refrigerator.
4. Take out two slices to brew water each day. This can release the rich vitamin C from the lemon. One lemon can last for about a week.
Kind Reminder: It's worth noting that no matter how good a food is, you shouldn't overindulge. Lemons are no exception. Many women, in pursuit of beauty, drink large amounts of lemon water and end up damaging their stomachs. Therefore, drinking lemon water should also be in moderation; it should not exceed 1000 milliliters per day.
Misconceptions About Drinking Lemon Water
People with Stomach Problems Should Avoid Lemons?
Some people believe that people with stomach problems cannot drink lemon water because its acidity is too strong and will irritate the stomach. This is especially true for those with excessive stomach acid.
In reality, using one slice of lemon to brew a large bottle of water results in very dilute lemon water, which isn't as sour as sugary drinks like cola and is unlikely to cause a stomach ulcer—we're not drinking pure lemon juice (pure lemon juice has a pH of around 2.5, similar to cola). People with excessive stomach acid can drink lemon water as long as it is brewed very lightly, as a small amount of citric acid is beneficial for repairing the gastric mucosa. Westerners like to squeeze lemon juice on their food, believing it aids digestion. For those with indigestion, adding a thin slice of ginger to light lemon water can help promote the secretion of digestive juices.
Does Drinking Lemon Water Cause Kidney Stones?
Some people believe that lemon water cannot be consumed with high-calcium foods because calcium and citric acid will combine and precipitate, even forming kidney stones. This is a rumor.
Calcium citrate is slightly soluble in water, with a solubility of about 0.02 grams/100 grams of water. However, calcium citrate is actually a great material for making calcium supplements because it can be absorbed by the body without the help of stomach acid. In fact, citric acid does not promote kidney stones like oxalic acid does; on the contrary, it is beneficial for the absorption of various minerals such as calcium, magnesium, iron, and zinc in food. Research has shown that citric acid is also beneficial for preventing kidney stones, and citrate potassium is even used in the treatment of kidney stones.
To brew lemon water correctly, don't forget the points above.
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