Almost as cunningly simple in its title as ‘green drink’ – lemon water is quite blindingly straightforward in its makeup: it is water with lemon squeezed in. Could it be any easier?
The beauty of lemon water is that it is tasty, refreshing and best of all, alkalising. The lemon juice raises the alkalising effect of the water so even with standard tap water you can make your drink nice and alkalising.
However, for the full lemon water effect: distilled/ionised water with pH drops (or PuripHy ) and lemon creates the ultimate alkaline water. The trick however, is to have the water lukewarm. If the water is too hot or too cold then it will cause the body to expand energy in order to process it. Lukewarm water also has that comforting feeling to it…
I know a lot of you know about lemon water already, through reading/learning about alkalising or through Gillian McKeith (who also recommends lemon water on rising) – but it is always a good thing to reinforce the basics.
So What Are the Benefits of Drinking Lemon Water?
Apart from being an amazing body alkalizer/alkaliser, lemon water also gives the following health benefits:
- Lemons are antiseptic
- Lemon water has excellent digestive properties and can ease heartburn, bloating and other digestion problems
- Lemon water cleanses and stimulates the liver and kidneys
- Lemon juice contains calcium, magnesium and potassium
- Lemon juice has been known to relieve asthma
- Lemon water (hot) offers relief from cold and flu symptoms while providing some much needed Vitamin C
- Lemon juice is a great skin cleanser
So if you do not do anything else – start every single day with a glass of lovely lemon water!
PS – I have noticed that someone just found this page by googling: ‘do not leave lemon in lemon water’ and it reminded me of how true this is! Obviously if you are going to drink the water there and then by all means leave it in, but if you are making a batch up then the water can easily get too lemon-y if you leave the squeezed lemon chunks in.
Also, and more importantly, unless you have REALLY washed the lemons or have bought organic then the pesticides and chemicals could leach out of the rind and into your water if they are left soaking for too long.
PPS – yes, it is fine to add some cayenne (cayene) pepper to your lemon water for a bit of a kick, but PLEASE DO NOT ADD MAPLE SYRUP – this will make it have an acidic effect on the body!
NOTE/UPDATE: given the amount of comments that have been left all saying “I thought lemons are acidic” (or something slightly more forceful than that), I thought I should point out the following:
It is not the relative acidity/alkalinity of the food but rather the effect it has on the body that is important. Seemingly acidic foods such as lemons, limes and tomato are acidic in their basic state, but once metabolized by the body have an alkalising effect. The high alkaline mineral content of these foods means that once consumed and metabolized they increase the alkalinity of the cells of the body.
Here is a video with reknowned nutritionist and blood specialist Gareth Edwards where he explains that lemons are alkalising once consumed.
Extra Update: I’ve received a few emails and comments about tooth enamel and lemon water, and while I’ve been drinking lemon water for years with no trouble on this front here are a few suggestions if you are concerned:
- Clean your teeth after your lemon water. Toothpaste is highly alkaline so neutralises any acids in the mouth – remember the lemon is still acidic until you metabolise it, and at this point it has an alkaline effect on the body
- Drink a glass of (pref alkaline) water – or just rinse your mouth out
- Drink the lemon water through a straw
Further resources:
- Our Energise Alkaline Diet Resources
- Middle Path’s Benefits of Lemon Juice – lists ailments helped by lemon water!
- About.com’s lemon water article
- Mommylife gives some other lemon juice benefits here (about 2/3 of the way down!)
Note: This blog is only my opinion. It is not medical advice or diagnosis. Only opinions based upon our own personal experiences or information detailed in medical/academic journals or other publications is cited. WE DO NOT OFFER MEDICAL ADVICE or prescribe any treatments. Please consult with a medical professional before making any diet or nutrition changes. Refer to our full disclaimer for more information.
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Hi Cindy
First and foremost I have to point you in the direction of our disclaimer:
http://www.energiseforlife.com/disclaimer.php
To highlight that neither myself nor anyone else at Energise is a doctor or physician and we do not and cannot give medical advice or prescribe anything to treat a symptom, disease or illness.
Having said that, based on my own experience and reading here are my answers to your questions:
1) Will it lower cholesterol?
It is said to – but it is not guaranteed of course. Other more influential variables will play more of a role such as your overall diet and exercise. However, lemon water is cleansing and alkalising – it helps to remove toxins. So it can’t hurt in my experience.
2) Drinking lemon juice on an ongoing basis, will it have any effect on sensitive stomach? I react to anti-inflammatory medicines and some pain killer (ibuprofen).
As above. It is certainly reputed to help with digestion and detoxification – so it could by all means help you in this respect too!
3) Will it help osteoarthritis?
Again (sorry) I think that other factors will have more of an influence – but lemon water IS GOOD FOR YOU! It will assist in your overall health – so why not give it a try!
4) From what you know, how long does it take for one to drink lemon juice to see benefits?
I feel the benefits right away in that I feel cleansed, hydrated and energised – however, it depends on the kind of benefits you are expecting to see. After a couple of days of regular lemon water in the morning I noticed my digestion being a lot better and my skin clearer.
5) Will drinking a cup of warm diluted lemon juice (without sweetner) in the morning and at night be enough?
Depends on what you are after – but yep. Just make sure that you get a good 2-4 litres of decent water every day!
Thanks for contributing here Cindy! Sorry I cant be more conclusive but that is the way of the world these days!
Hope this helps!
Have a great day!
Ross
Hi Patrick
Im afraid so. See here for more info: http://www.energiseforlife.com/wordpress/2202/using-sweeteners-well-i-think-you-are-sweet-enough
Ross
Marcel
I promise I will get back to you VERY soon!
Ross
Thanks Ross! Your answers are certainly helpful. Many thanks again.
Cindy.
Hello Ross,
I hope my question isn’t redundant; I haven’t read all of the posted comments.
I sometimes freeze my freshly squeezed lemons and put the juice into an ice cube tray.
I was wondering if this freezing process might be destroying some of the health
benefits. ……I sometimes add a fresh mint leaf to each cube, too.
-Gwyn
Ross said,
October 5, 2006 @ 3:33 am
Marcel
I promise I will get back to you VERY soon!
Ross
*** Thanks Ross, as you know an answer will lead to other questions, and I feel there is a lot
interesting about ph which is still not been asked about and answered. Would be great, if this place can be an
“information source”
marcel
Hi Marcel
At last – sorry it has taken so long for me to get back to you buddy – I have been total run off my feet these last few weeks with the blog, forum, UPW and everything else!
Here are my answers to your questions as best as I can answer them!
[You asked] when I add ph-drops to lemonjuice , I add something that is a base (ph-drops) to an acid (lemon)
I always learned that a base + an acid = a situation in which they will neutralize eachother, so
I don’t see extra value above taking these 2 separate. Am I wrong?
I am not a scientist myself although and I cannot give you a 100% certain answer on this issue. From what I understand, the lemon juice mixed together with water containing pH drops will not have a neutralising effect. In fact, in The pH Miracle, Dr Young states that in all of his drinking water he adds pH drops and lemon or lime juice ‘to boost its alkalizing effects’.
I will ask the question of Dr Young and Dr Vasey to see if I can get some more clarification on this issue though Marcel as I appreciate that my non-scientific answer might not be enough for you!
[You asked] – further: a question about hydrocloric acid (which is in some ph-drops): I heared that the stomach can make itself hydrocloric acid in situations when needed. What’s the extra value of the ph-drops?
The stomach does indeed make hydrochloric acid on an as needed basis however, the production or not of hydrochloric acid is not the main reason as to why we would use pH drops or try to eat a diet that his high in alkalizing foods. The production of hydrochloric acid is in order to break down the low water content, acidic foods like meats, yeasts, dairy etc. These acid foods, once broken down will still have a very detrimental effect on the body causing the body to leach alkaline minerals in order to neutralise them. You are probably already aware of the many dangers of an overly acidic system and it would take me all night to list them again here. But the point is that the production of hydrochloric acid to break down these foods and make them suitable for digestion does not eliminate the problem of the foods being acidifying.
Does this make sense?
I go into this a bit more here:
http://www.energiseforlife.com/wordpress/0808/what-is-acidosis-the-problem-of-an-acidic-lifestyle
But I also recommend you asking these types of questions at the Energise forum as you will get much quicker and probably more in depth answers there!
http://www.energiseforlife.com/phpbb2
Let me know if there is anything you would like me to elaborate on,
Ross
Gywn
Hi – sorry to you too for the delay!
That is a great idea taste wise, but the freezing might destroy some of the enzymes and benefits of the lemons/limes.
Again – that would have been a great question for the forum: http://www.energiseforlife.com/phpbb2
Have a great weekend
Ross
Thanks Ross for all your efforts!
In case you know more about my question “ph-drops & lemonjuice” can you come back to it at this place?
Future questions I will ask at the forum, see you there, so long!
k regards, marcel
I just want to say I have been drinking lemon water for about a year.
I am 23 and still do alot of drinking and partying at night. I find since i have been drinking lemon water
I never get hangovers and it’s also nice to know it helps out the ol’ liver.
I love it so much I now mix 3 limes and 3 lemons per one liter of water. very strong, but great.
If i had one peice of advice it would be to drink lemon water every day!
Lemons rule eveything..! YES…
MMmm Lemons….MMmm Limes….MMmm Water…= Wicked…!!!
SWEET LEMONS
If I make a batch (about 2 liters) of lemon water, is it ok to store in the refridgerator? (to drink throughout the work week senario)
Ross, can you make clear which questions are ok to put on this place and which are better for the forum.
I can’t find criteria.
thanks, LL
Hi Marcel!
Heh – you can ask whatever you like wherever you like mate! Or you can ask in both!
The only difference is that here you will only get an answer from me – whereas on the forum you will get and answer from me plus all of the other members.
Hope this helps!
Cheers bud and have a great weekend,
Ross
Hi Ross,
I told my mom that I hadn’t rid of toxin in 12 hours. I worried but mom suggested me, a take warm water with fresh lemon. it will pass out. The same day, I researched internet and find your website that I learned something NEW!!!! As such as good for skin, engery and more!
One thing I want to ask you about is the grapefruit.
Is that the grapefruit as the lemon? I know that the grapefruit has a sweet itself than the lemon but wanting to know.
Thanks! Ross
Hello Ross,
I appreciate the info that I’ve learned here. Are you familiar with True Lemon? I found it at a local grocery store and then checked it out on their website at http://www.truelemon.com. It is crystalized lemon (not reconstituted or from concentrate). Anyway, I tried it in water and couldn’t tell the difference between the True Lemon and the real thing. I also did a taste test with my family (who love to drink lemon water) and they couldn’t tell the difference. Now I keep a box of packets in my office and at home. They don’t appear to spoil and I always am able to have lemon water when I want it – I drink it throughout the day. If you go to their website, there’s a link where you can request some free packets and they’ll send them to you.
If you try it out, I’ll keep an eye out for your opinion.
Thanks.
Gerri
Hi Gerri
Thanks for letting me know – I will check it out now and let you know what I think!
Ross
I have bad complexion and recently pimples have started appearing. I started drinking a glass of fresh lemon juice mixed with hot water in the morning. Besides that I also rubbed lemon on my skin to reduce blemishes. I only started 3 days ago. I hope that this will help improve my complexion.
he production of hydrochloric acid is in order to break down the low water content, acidic foods like meats, yeasts, dairy etc. These acid foods, once broken down will still have a very detrimental effect on the body causing the body to leach alkaline minerals in order to neutralise them. You are probably already aware of the many dangers of an overly acidic system and it would take me all night to list them again here.
Yep – spot on Andrew, thanks for contributing.
Have a great day,
Ross
Would mixing aloe vera juice with lemon water be OK?
Hi John
Aloe vera juice would be absolutely fine, as long as it is unsweetened and pure. In fact, it would be a great addition!
Have a splendid day
Ross
can u tell me if the lemon juice from the shops are the same as using a real lemon??thanks
Hi Ross,
Just came upon this blog while looking up how to create alkalising water and caught Marcel’s comment of Sept 29th. I am a chemist and can perhaps resolve his difficulty. My old chem teacher told me that we teach by the method of diminishing untruth in schools. At GCSE, kids learn that an acid neutralises a base. However, at A’level they learn that even if all of a weak acid is exactly used up by a strong base, the resulting salt solution will not be neutral. Thus, a weak acid such as citric acid will react with a strong base such as sodium hydroxide to produce the salt called sodium citrate. The negative citrate ion will interact with water to produce hydroxide ions. A solution of sodium citrate will therefore be slightly alkaline. Incidentally, this is how weak fruit acids can produce alkaline salt solutions in the body. Lemon juice in water is acidic but, as we’ve seen, the citric acid will produce alkaline salts with positve ions from strong bases (such as sodium or potassium ions). Hope this helps.
Hi John
Many thanks for taking the time to clarify! This makes a fair amount of sense!
It is always good to hear how these things work from a chemist – I mean, who better to explain?!
I hope you have a great Christmas and New Year
Ross
Hi Ross,
Thank you for the tip about using lemon juice in water. It’s such an easy thing to do and the taste really appeals to me.
I had read that it’s possible to use a mixture of sodium hydrogencarbonate (sodium bicarb) on its own in water, or mixed with potassium hydrogen carbonate (potassium bicarb), but wondered about the effect of the sodium ions on blood pressure. Any views on that?
Again, thanks for the lemon juice idea – I’d heard it used for weight loss diets and so hadn’t bothered about it but will be using it regularly now since I’ve come to realise the need to balance things up a lot more in my food intake. Through laziness largely, I tend to grab the nearest easiest thing, so often eat fruit but hardly ever raw green veg. I’ve been somewhat taken aback by coming across the view that a lot of acidic fruit isn’t such a good idea.
You have a great Christmas and new year too.
John
Hi,
Beacuse of my continuous sitting in office and irregular shifts, i have started putting on weight.
Someone told me that if we drink lemon water in morning it will help us to reduce weight.
Please advice, how true it is and how will it help and how to consume it.
PLease share other weight reducing tips as well..
Thanks in advance……….
I’m using vinegar to help with acid reflux. If the vinegar helps because it is acid, should drinking the lemon water be a problem. The vinegar and the lemon are both acid so I can’t really tell if the effect.
ps. I’m using the vinegar in tablets so the taste isn’t bad. They really work great.
thank you
I would not worry about the acid in lemons and limes, when you put into proportion with soft drinks, EVen the DIEt variety.
If you put a 500ml bottle of cola into 10 gallons of water, it slashes the pH from 7.4 to 4.0 — very acidic. Your body consists of about 10 gallons of water, which is supposed to be slightly alkaline.
So as you can see its time they started putting health warnings on this stuff.
Geoff
I drank lemon water for a month, I felt the positive effects of it, but my teeth started getting sore. I stopped taking lemon water and the problem stopped. Nothing else in my diet changed. I later learned that citric acid can destroy tooth enamel. -www.dental–health.com/lemonsucking.html. So I am sure the two problems are linked.
I am wondering if you or anyone has expierienced a similar problem? I think you should at least address this issue on the website.
Also I am curious if lemon water improves circulation at all. I found it did.
hello there!
can i use calamansi or dalandan instead?
Regarding Teeth enamel—-
Try using a straw to prevent the water from touching your teeth. This helped me
tremendously.
Hi,
A very interesting question for you :
A friend of mine who used to be a boxer told me that the night before a match if he was a bit over the weight limit, he would drink pure freshly squeezed lemon and immediately after eat a half a sugar lump. And overnight he would lose 2-4 pounds.
Could this be true? I haven’t tried it yet, as i don’t know if it’s true or not.
And also, if it is true, could i do that more often to lose weight a bit quicker?
I do run about 2 miles every day ((only just started on the 1.12007 (new years resolution) The first i’ve ever kept might i add
)
Plus i ONLY eat fresh Veggies and fresh fruit (either juiced or not , depending on how much time i have)
I have lost 12 pounds this month so far, but after these 12 pounds, the weight doesn’t seem to be dropping very fast. Only about 1 pound every week now. Where as the first three weeks i lost 11 pounds straight away.
But i’m still 30 pounds overweight as i was a very heavy crisp eater and beer drinker.
Can i do more than i already am?
Cheers
Kristen
Hello!
heh… what crazy comments!
what do you consider about it?
I drink the juice of a whole lemon mixed with about 8 oz of water twice a day and I really enjoy it and I love the bitterness. Is this too much lemon at once? Am I in danger of becoming too alkaline? I have heard this can cause kidney stones and other ailments.HELP!
How about drinking with spring water?
Also, about artificial sweetners. Patrick asked if they would negate the alkalising effects of the lemon water in the same way sugar would. While you said yes, the link you pointed to did not talk about that aspect at all. It only suggested getting used to not having to sweeten and linked to articles questioning the safety of the sweeteners. I don’t use Splenda but I do use saccharin sometimes. Do you have research about any of the artificial sweeteners and their effects on lemon water (or their effects on acidity in general)?
I dont think spring water will cause me to be less alkaline. Like I said…the issue is that I drink such a concentrated amount of lemon juice in my water….the juice of a whole lemon in an 8 oz glass of water….and I do this twice per day. I have heard that being to alkaline can cause kidney stones….which are terribly painful. How much is too much when it comes to drinking lemon juice? Seems like everyone else dilutes thier juice in a lot more water than I do. Is this just a taste preference? I really like the bitterness when I squeeze a whole lemon into one glass of water. I do drink just plain water throughout the day…..will this negate any negative effects…if there are any?
i have been drinking warm lemon water for about 4 weeks and i love it it has helped me stop smocking as every time i wanted a fag i would suck on the lemon and i can see a difference in my skin
I wasn’t telling you to drink with spring water, Mike. I was asking Ross his thoughts on spring water. I also take a lot of lemon in my water. I like the taste.
I just tested my urine pH out of curiosity and it’s way alkaline (over
even though I’ve been doing everything ‘wrong’ lately, from having coffee every morning to eating red meat and milk chocolate and even having a few smokes this month (though I quit years ago). While I’m not fully sold on the alkaline thing, I’m not condoning my behavior. I just wonder if the two lemons per day is what’s doing making my urine alkaline, plus the veggies and vitamins.
I was saying that my pH was over 8 but for some reason my post got that smiley instead.
Sorry bout the misunderstanding Pam…I thought you were referring to me. A PH of 8 is very high….however it is within the range of 4.5 to 8 which is normal. Your particular sample would be naturally more alkaline because you drink alkalizing lemon juice. One of your kidneys more important functions is to regulate the body’s ph level so excess alkalinity would be expelled in the urine. Test your saliva…it should range from 6.0 to 7.4…prferably on the higher end since you inbibe in lemon water regularly.
Hi Mike,
I actually tested my pH a couple of hours after drinking the lemon water when I got that 8. I recently tested first thing in the morning. Urine pH was 6 or so and it looked like saliva was a solid 7. I think urine pH is supposed to be more acidic in the morning.
When I can’t sqeeze fresh lemons, I use bottled. Though the taste isn’t as good (some brands are better than others), it also alkalizes my urine very well…even the “Real Lemon” brand. I love the taste. With a some Stevia, it’s basically lemonade.
Hi again Pam. I also thought about using the bottled lemon juice until I read about the nitrate content in them. The nitrates are used as a preservative and from what I read can have an adverse affect on your alkilinity. I guess it is just one more substance the liver and kidneys have to filter out so now I stick with fresh. If you have found one that doesnt have anything but “fresh lemon juice” as the only ingredient , let me know.
Hi Mike. I just looked at the “Real Lemon” bottle and it doesn’t have nitrates. Where did you read that? It does have sodium benzoate (pretty safe preservative) and sodium sulfite (sulfites are found in wine). I don’t think it’s so terrible, but of course, I think most of us prefer the real thing.
I did find some excellent bottled lemon juice at the local natural foods supermarket but it was pretty expensive – around $3 for not that much. I don’t remember the name of it but it was in the produce section and came in a small kind of lemon shaped plastic bottle. It has lemon oil at the spout but it didn’t make oily juice. I think you’d be able to find it at Whole Foods.
I i have a REVERSE OSMOSIS water purifier. this is safe?
i hear it make the water acidic?
and i hear lemon in the whater make it alkaline?
can you tell me somes hanswers please?
Should I be leaving the lemon in the water?
I drink about 1.5L of water during my time at work. Usually fill up the bottle in the morning with half a lemon and 1L of water. Then at lunch I will refill the bottle with the same lemon slices in it.
Any advice would be helpful!
dave
OOPS…did I say nitrates? I meant sulphites. While it is a commonly used preservative it does have adverse effects on a segment of the population….athsma..hives…rash nausea and diarrhea to respiratory failure. I have also learned that lemon juice, when exposed outside the lemon for 30 minutes, loses it’s ability to become an alkaline solution in the body. I could be crazy (and probably am lol) but just in case I will stay with fresh…..but damn arent they expensive now!
Hi Mike. Yeah, some people are allergic to sulphites, I know that but I don’t think I’m one of them. I also don’t know that lemon juice loses it’s alkalizing properties when outside the lemon for more than 30 minutes as a rule. If that were true, I probably wouldn’t have such alkaline urine after using the “Real Lemon.” I can’t speak for non-preserved juice. I have never juiced a lemon and stored it for later but even with that, I’d more concerned with drinking oxidized juice first and foremost.
Yes, lemon is pretty expensive now but I can’t live without them. I not only use them for drinking, I squeeze them on salad, fish, vegetables…lemon goes on almost anything!
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