Go Suck A Lemon... Seriously!
I talk about the health benefits of lemons regularly and wanted to share with all of you why adding lemons, ideally whole pieces not just the juice, is so good for you. Lemons are an amazing source of vitamin C which helps ward of winter germs but has also been shown to reduce risk of heart disease and stroke. By consuming the pulpy part of the lemon and not just the juice you also get the added benefit of the soluble fiber. Citrus fiber extract has been linked with reducing cholesterol levels and two plant compounds specifically in lemons, hesperidin and diosmin, have also been found to lower cholesterol.
Lemons have an interesting alkalinizing effect on internal ph which contributes positively to overall health and disease production but specifically has been shown to reduce the risk of kidney stones. Just 1/2 cup of lemon juice daily may provide enough citric acid to help prevent kidney stone formation. The citric acid in lemon juice also helps increase the stomach's ability to absorb other nutrients from plants including iron. It is one of the reasons I often suggest adding concentrated lemon juice (squeezed lemons) to water before breakfast. It is like adding some great digestive fuel to your body before you begin food consumption for the day. The benefits of juicing before breakfast is that your breakfast and then tooth brushing, will cleanse away any oral acidity to ensure tooth enamel stays strong!
To make the most of your lemon love affair, squeeze the concentrated lemon juice into water and drink. Take the remaining lemon pulp and consider adding it to a smoothie, baking it into healthy lemon muffins or cook it into a fruit compote that can be used like a no sugar added jam.
Lemons are cleansing, refreshing, great for your health.. so get squeezing :)