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 Alkalive’s pH booster (or Prime pH or another pH drop) 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!
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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i am not overweight. but i have a fat stomach. i have been suggested by my friend to drink lemon juice with honey in empty stomach.
but after reading the above i understand that lemon juice in warm water without honey or sugar will help me.
Am I correct?
I have been drinking lime water for sometime now and every time I drink it I feel clean inside and out.
Hi Ross, does drinking the lemon with lukewarm water before and after meal matters? Which is more beneficial?
Hi Ross, may i know if drinking lemon with lukewarm water before and after meal/food matters? would if affect it’s benefits?
Hi Ross
being drinking lemon in hot water for 2 weeks now but also take a diet pill is that good or bad as i drink 5 cups aday i have lots of energy..
lesley
Hi Ross
Without becoming too technical, a colleague and I just happened upon this website and thought it quite interesting to know that the lemon water we were drinking on a daily basis helped with all these things. No wonder the men around the office were complimenting us so much. Our skin looks better and we have even lost some weight - thanks for the great tips!!!!
Alouette
Had to read the whole column! I almost died from asthma as a young boy and always wheezed shortly after running.
An old Norwegian lady told my Mom to give me two tablespoons of lemon juice in a glass of water each morning before breakfast when i was about 8. I never wheezed again and have sustained incredible metabolism and health through college. By college I could drink a whole quart of Real Lemon juice with just great results! Of course this is not recommended to initiates. I never used lemons, only the bottled juice, and always the Reallemon variety.
I did have a bad case of acne in high school as it seemed I was allergic to milk or certain kinds of fats. I baked and the grease when frying donuts could have been a problem. On the other hand I never had a cavity or any problem with teeth til out of my teen years.
Some experiences with Reallemon from a believer! Thanks for all the great info here Ross and everyone.
Roy
What if you use bottled lemon juice instead of a fresh squeezed lemon will that work?
Hallo, love the site - please note you haven’t responded to Marty’s comment: “However, I think the underlying reason given here for drinking lemon water is BS. Lemon juice is acidic period! The only reason it appears to have an alkalizing effect is because anytime the body takes in an acid it needs to dump alkaline substances into the blood to maintain the proper alkalinity. Of course, the body overcompensates at first, which is why acids - all acids - seem to cause alkalinity.” -
This is the heart of the matter isn’t it? And if our blood becomes more alkaline because of leeching, is that a bad thing or by all these reverse principles we’re looking at, perhaps a good thing? (i.e. imbibing acidic drinks makes alkaline blood & urine which is only alkaline because the body rushes to counteract the incoming acid…) all rather convoluted, but definately the heart of your entire website!
Please can you get a chemist or physician to comment. Thank you!
I think the reason that most people are sick these days is that they drink tap water. If you test tap water for its pH value, you will find that it is very acidic. Funny when you go to hospital and see that they give patients ‘tap water’ to drink!!
hi i have hurd that this has great effects on sexual performance. am i correct?
hi ross!
i have something different to add!
i have recently started drinking lime juice in water usually 1/2 a mexican lime in about 2 cups of water. the reason i am doing this is to lower my blood sugar! and it works!!!
i also have tried apple cider vinegar which works as well, but i personally prefer using a fruit which is alive so to speak instead of ACV - which though it is alive (in a manner of speaking)is really different IMO than a REAL fruit!
also i use the juice of one lime and a liter of water to wash my hair. this works great for me too!
what i was wondering was this… i take the lime juice and water before lunch and then before dinner to get the blood sugar lowering benefits.
do you think this still works for alkanizing? i’m sure it helps - but was just wondering what your opinion is.
also for some reason the lime juice/water doesn’t bother my teeth as much as the ACV!!! has anyone else noticed this? i do however try and drink it through a straw…
another thing i like to do with lime juice: take one lime and squeeze it into a bowl and then add a little water. i will rub this all over my body until it sinks in and then take a bath! you should see how clean you feel after this. it really softens your skin and removes dead skin and callouses. try it! ACV works well for this too! but it smells much more….
blessings for all
dianna
Hi Ross,
I m having almost 75 gms protien every day.
25 gms in morning during breafast.
50gms in evening afer excersice.
Is it OK to have lime juice with warm water after Lunch & Dinner????
Please suggest………as I m trying hard to reduce my tummy fats.
Thank you,
Prasad
My saliva pH is 6.5, urine is between 6.0 and 6.5, it is 3 hours after lunch. Blood is 7.5 - on the Enzymedica pH paper. What foods would you recommend I eat to get more alkaline? Thank you.
I’ve tried the lemon water and it’s great! It helps my digestive problem. I’ll recommend it to all of my friends…
I just started drinking lemon water 5 days ago and my face and chest are totally breaking out now. Is this normal? Is it because my body is detoxing, getting rid of the toxins???
Hey Ross,
thanks for answering my questions.
I have another one however. For almost two months now, I have been drinking lemon juice mixed in plain water, nightly. The first week and a half was really hard: naseous, felt weak, really hungry, morethan usual terrible breath, ect.
But then, the discomfort went away and suprisingly, my breath was really great ! I didn’t know or do it because of this but boy, I was so glad when I “knew” that my breath was clean smelling. I almsot never have bad breath anymore, even in the mornings I skip meals, where I would normally have hunger breath.
Well, fast forward to now. For the past week, I’ve noticed my stomach has been very distended, and I’m not sure if it’s beacause of the lemon juice. I don’t have diarrhea but I notice I’ve got slight constipation and it’s hard to pass my bowels. Sorry to get so graphic. I don’t want to stop drinking it though because I love what it’s doing for my breath but if it’s the cause of my current stomach discomfort, I need to stop or cut back. Most nights, I will squeeze in a whole lemon into about a sixteen ounce water.
So what are your thoughts and opinions?
Thanks !
I am drinking a glass of cold water (not too cold, but not warm either) with sliced lemon in it. I still find it tastey..however, is it still beneficial? Would I still have cleansed kidneys, skin..etc?
Is it okay to drink warm water and fresh lemon juice first thing in the morning - 18 ounces — if you have gastritis….?
I also have liver issues / congestion
Thanks
hey ross
i recently started drinking warm lemon water with 2 teaspoons of honey ( earlymorning) because i heard its very nutritious and helps in weight reduction. but i have also heard that it increases weight too?
so which one is it?
i really wanna lose some weight!
Hey Samreen
See here: http://www.energiseforlife.com/wordpress/3103/honey-in-lemon-or-lime-water
Very short answer - Sugar is highly acid forming in the body and acid causes the body to hang onto fat.
Have a browse around the blog to learn more!
Have a great day
Ross
will eating alkaline foods help treat diverticulosis and prevent or decrease spasms
Hi Ross, not sure if you saw my above question to you yet?
Hey Rosa
Sorry I had a big spam problem and your comment got caught up in that.
Its hard to answer without knowing what the rest of your diet is like. Lemon has an alkalising effect on the body due to its low sugar content and alkaline minerals, so I wouldn’t instantly question it. What else are you eating or drinking regularly?
Ross
Hi Sujata
I can’t legally comment on any diet with respect to treating a medical condition, but look around the site and you might find some answers!
Ross
Hello again Ross,
No problem.
My diet has not changed at all. Ever since the stomach and digestive issues, I have stopped the lemon water routine altogether and I am very slowly getting better but not fast enough. My main concern is that I won’t be able to get back to how I was before starting the lemon thing. I am quite certain my problems are from drinking maybe too much lemon daily because I was never like this before I started.
So I guess now my question really isn’t about how can I keep drinking lemon water but rather, how can I get my stomach lining to it’s state of being as it was before the lemon water cleansing? Although I like the cleansing effects, as evidenced in my much better breath, I don’t enjoy the stomach and digestive problems I am battling almost daily.
I hope to hear from you soon !
Thanks
Your going to need some sea aloe gold and platinum plus to rebuild your stomach
Kiefer and yogurt is soothing too for burning stomach
Take acidophilus
i am drinking the juice of 2 lemons each day, with a bit of water but i prefer it neat. i am also going 2 try apple cidar vinegar aswell , will this harm me??
i am going on holiday in 3 weeks and i have been drinking lemon water and excersising every day , do you think this will make any difference??
does drinking lemon water cause fertility problems in women
Over the last 3 days i’ve started drinking a lot of lemon water (i used to drink it occasionally when i remembered), but since i’ve been drinking it a lot more i’ve started getting slight heartburn. Do you have any idea why? Is it to do with the lemons getting rid of toxin?? thanks
hi is it good to drink lemon water please tell me the truth don’t do that to sell things and get money.
Hi Gaga
I don’t sell lemons or water.
Ross
I started craving lemons when I was expecting my daughter 13 years ago. Since then, regular consumption of lemons have taken me from being someone who caught everything to a person who is rarely, if ever, ill. I also discovered a strange, scaley spot on my forearm which I regularly covered with lemon juice for a couple of weeks. It went away, leaving only a small scar in it’s place. While I understand that some would go to the doctor, I decided to go this route first and in my case, it worked out. One other fantastic result of consuming lemons, is that I have very young looking skin. I am almost 48 and most people think I look a lot younger.
Must be all of that collagen that the lemons cause my body to produce! I’m not bragging, I just can’t help touting lemon’s benefits. For anyone who is considering trying lemons, I say go ahead. Just start slowly, throughly wash the lemons and drink the lemon water with a straw. I think you’ll be impressed with the results.
Blessings!
Hey Liza!
Thanks for sharing - it’s amazing to hear your experience!
Have a great weekend
Ross
Hi Ross,
Have you had a chance to read my latest respone to what you wrote me?
Well, my stomach does feel a little better since the last time I wrote, but there is still considerably a lot of gas and the bloated feeling. It seems all I have to do is eat or drink a little and my stomach pops out a mile and I feel so bloaty.
In addition to that, my bowel movements have increased although I am not eating anymore than usual. Before my lemon regime, (since which I have stopped as I had indicated in my previous posting), I was very regular. I usually had 1 a day but now, it seems I have about 2 or 3, although they are slightly in smaller volume than one large one when I only had to go once. And they are “normal” as far as consistency.
I know you can’t give medical advice but do you, in your opinion, think I have IBS or gastritis, or ulcer colitis?
Your input would be very appreciated.
Thank you
Hi, the comments entered were really intereting and knowledgiable. Appreciate the person who has created this blog and Ross for answering the queries.
Hey visitor
They’re the same person, so I’ll take double thanks!
Ross
Hi,
I thought I posted something but it hasn’t shown up…
Rosa
It’s great to see that the late, great Edgar Cayce is finally getting recognised. He said all of these things more than 75 years ago!
Hello everyone
Doing my everynowandthen check of this post. Rosa - apologies for the delay.
FIrstly though - Kevin, thanks for stopping by. My girlfriend’s dad is a huge fan of Edgar Cayce and I really should give his book some attention! I first heard about lemon water from Dr McKeith a few years back and I’m sure she probably got the idea from Cayce! Isn’t it a shame that communication platforms like this didn’t exist all of those years ago. There are so many legends from our past that I really feel we could have benefited from having these tools that we enjoy today. Imagine the spread of information from some of those guys?
Rosa - it would be impossible for me to say. Have you looked into any other areas of alkalising apart from this post? If you’re interested I will drop you an email of a pdf I have put together for our alkaline diet course. It contains a really easy to understand breakdown of this approach to health. Might be worth a read because I really think it could help with your digestive problems.
Have a great day one and all and remember to smile.
Ross
Hey Ross! Is it ok to use the lemon juice that you buy in the bottle or is that a no?
Is Honey good for losing weight
Hey Ross please could you answer my question is honey bad for you quick thank you bye
Hi Ross,
I drink lemon water the first thing in the morning and thru out the day i sip on 4 ltrs of lemon water (only one lemon squeezed in 4 ltrs of water). Someone told me that sipping of so much of lemon water can be dangerous for the libido and i may suffer from Erection Dysfunction.
Pls help me i am in a dilemma whether i should continue with sipping of lemon water as i feel it helps me in reducing fat, as i am very over weight.
Pls do write back.
Thanks and Regards,
Manish.
sudha
you are advising us to drink warm lemon water but what difference does temperature of water make since the temperature in the stomach is any way very hot and it only takes moments before it reaches the stomach? please reply
Man, the researcher has some bad information. Lemon Juice DOES NOT raise the alkalinity of water at all. In fact, adding lemon juice to water lowers it’s pH, making it acidic. It is how lemon juice is metabolized that creates alkalinity within the body. In fact, if you want to really alkalize your body, eat lemons plain(if you can). If you must add a sweetener, add an alkalizing one such as stevia.
And another thing. If you are going to do the lemon water or lemon, be sure to rinse with water afterwards. This will reduce acid errosion of your tooth enamel.
Hi Ross,
Wanted to know if we want to lose weight then should we drink lemon water only in the morning empty stomach or drinking it after meals are also helpful…..?
I’ve done organic coffee enima’s for years They helpt rebuild my liver Now I do a distilled water enema ones a week Could I do an
distilled water with lemion juice enima ?
It hit the bloodstream more direct Would it have a better alkaline effect then by just drinking it ?
I also use the distilled water enema when I look tired and didn’t drin k enough water in the last couple of days
Anna
in rergards to sweetening the lemon water…. i use equal in mine and drink it almost all day without craving other sweet calorie filled drinks.
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