Post Updated: 6th January 2010
Since I posted this blog back in March 2006 its received a fair amount of attention and there have been quite a lot of comments left (230+ to date). These comments are a mix of questions, agreement and a whole lot of flaming (some personal) against me. So I thought it would be a fine time to update the post, give you more information and clear up a heap of the questions that keep being asked!
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Since we started blogging about the health benefits of lemon water I have received lots of questions from people wondering if it is ok to put a spoonful of honey into their lemon water to sweeten it up (as recommended on other websites and a few books).
The short answer is no.
Honey is obviously sugar, and although ‘natural’ – the effect on the body is the detrimental whether sugar is natural or not.
Now, this is not to say that you can never have honey ever again, but use it very sparingly. I understand, of course, that there are different types of sugar, and I understand that these metabolise differently, but from the perspective of their effect on the blood and our acid/alkaline balance – all sugar is detrimental.
Sugar is such an issue because it causes the blood to deviate from it’s ideal pH level of 7.365 and when this occurs it causes major stress to the rest of the body. The body has to maintain this pH level and it will go to extreme measures and sacrifice everything else to make sure it stays there.
Why Does The Body Have to Stay At pH 7.365?
Because in an acidic state, red blood cells cannot possibly function as they are supposed to and begin a biological transformation into bacteria and yeast (called pleomorphism) and pollute your internal environment. In addition, the acids that are created and consumed in our modern lifestyle also ferment the blood, and create harmful by-products, toxins and alcohols, which then further destroy our internal environment.
With more acid, more toxins are created, the pH is lowered, the bacteria and yeast grows, becomes mold, and a vicious cycle begins
The unfriendly toxins, yeasts, bacteria and mold created by this acidic environment not only cause your system to become polluted and stressed, but they also feed off your good nutrients (meaning you feel less of the benefit of the good things you do eat) and excrete toxic acid waste, making the blood even more acidic and polluted. This toxic waste is…acid. It also acts as a food to the yeasts and bacteria already there, further fueling the problem.
So:
Acids consumed -> turn healthy red blood cells into bacteria and yeast -> creates mold -> mold eats your good nutrients -> excrete acid wastes -> quickly turns healthy red blood cells into bacteria and yeast -> creates mold etc.
Or in picture format:
Sugar, in all its states and forms is the #1 contributor to the over-acidification of the body
I understand there are other benefits of putting honey in lemon water, but these are instantly and massively outweighed by the negative effect of the sugar.
Even though the natural sugar of honey metabolises slower than white sugar, the effect on the acid/alkaline balance is almost instant and is very strong.
Sorry guys! But hey, lemon water doesnt taste that bad anyway does it?
More Reading
- Video Explanation: Lemons ARE alkaline NOT acid to the body
- Original Lemon Water Blog Post – explaining the benefits of lemon water
- Blog Post: The Acid Alkaline Diet Simplified – If you need a background to the acid alkaline diet then this is a great read
- Blog Post: The Top 10 Acid Alkaline Diet Questions Answered
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.
{ 242 comments… read them below or add one }
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Thank you for running this blog, I am sure that it has touched the lives of many people around the world in positive ways.
I have been drinking lemon water on and off for the past 3 years but I have never really been sure about the amount and I want to maximize the effectiveness.
1) How much lemon should I be squeezing into my water…I need a step-by-step recipe (I know it’s easy but I wanna make sure I’m doing it properly)
2) Can I make a pitcher of lemon water evey few days instead of squeezing it fresh every day (trying to save time)
3) cold or lukewarm or boiling lemon water????
THANKS and I look forward to hearing from you, keep up the great work.
I’d just like to say that although I am a fan of lemon water, it is NOT alkaline!! Lemon juice is clearly an acid- hence citric ACID! Duh!
Hi Jen
Lemons are acid, but they have an alkalising effect on the body.
Cheers
Ross
does the lemon cause ulsers
i just wanted to ask if lemon and honey wud make me loose weight, av tryed everyting and this seems to be safer than anything. i need an answer ASAP. thanks
hey i was just wondreing does honey lemon and cold water really help you lose weight????
Hey Ross,
First of all, I must say this is a great blog and you are doing a coool job.
I was wondering can I take milk immediately before/after taking lemon water?
I have this notion that it will make cheese in my tummy if I do that..Have seen my mom prepare cheese out of milk by squeezing a lemon in it
Hi Ross,
First of all, let me thank you for all the nice work you have done in running a blog like this.
Great Job, mate.
My queries are almost same as what others have asked but I want some more precise answers to my questions if possible to you.
1. What else we can add with lime water in our diet to burn fat more effectively.
2. My weight is 85 Kgs/185 lbs, how much of lemon water is good enough on daily basis.
Thanks.
i want to know how does honey and lemon water help in waight loss
Hi Just an off note little bit of honey in warm water will bring ur weight down it also helps when you have sore throat… but it dosent mean u can have a double wapper from McDonalds with diet coke and expect it to work.
the Honey has to be pure btw. Lime water helps too (not sure of Lemon).
This is an age old medicine that we use in India.. We are loosing some of these with the age of modernization.
Hi Ross. I just want to know how many lemon should i squeeze into a glass/cup of water everytime
Lemon juice is acidic, not alkaline (or basic). The only way I can think it might have an alkalizing effect on the body is that it would attempt to neutralize the acid, especially if the acid levels increased in the stomach. The body always goes for balance.
hi…somebody told me..that one shud drink warm water and lemon juice empty to loose weight…is that right?and i wanna increase my breast and decrease my love handles….please help???and also wanna reduse weight??
i mean empty stomach…
Hi Ross,
I had just discovered your website here and was wondering if drinking lemon with water everyday will help me lose weight? or if drinking hot green tea is better? I have been drinking lemon w/water for about a week now and at least one glass each day. I want to lose about 10 pounds…
Please reply as soon as possible…thanks =]
cool blog………….i need to lose 20kgs as well.am trying aerobics, but from now am gonna start lemon honey as well…………thank u for such nice info..
iam 25 years with a 2 year girl baby….after delivery i was diagnosed with thyroid and am really exerting myself to aerobics all the time cuz my weight has gone up from 52kgs to 80 kgs now. i am always on the hunt for home remedies to loose weight and i found this excellent…..
Hi Ross,
I have been drinking lemon with luke warm water for about a month twice a day and now have started adding spoon full of honey to it.will this help me in reducing weight upto 12 pounds?If so how long do i need to drink it?Thanx please reply…
Ross,
please reply back to me as soon as possible! thanks
Hi.
Great info here by the way!
I tried the lemon punishment – no, sorry – “DETOX” as favoured by Miss Knowles last year. I looked excellent for the party I did it for (although I pretty much spent the entire night hogging the buffet I was so hungry), but then noticed I actually put on more weight than I lost in the first place afterwards.
Since this time I have since lost 14llbs since January, but healthily this time. I hit the treadmill for 30 minutes everyday, try to walk to as many places as possible and eat healthily. Feel loads better for it, and knowing I’m getting all the proper nutrients I need and making my heart and body healthier and fitter too is a great feeling.
I also drink lemon water. I drink 1 litre of pure water daily, and then I juice 1 whole lemon, and add that to a litre of water and drink that too (this is all drank throughout the day). It certainly hasn’t done me any harm, and I like to think that it’s doing me some good!
I would recommend it – but also can’t shout enough about the exercise. It really has made me feel good about myself, and I was a proper couch potato who went on every diet going before I had this epiphany.
It’s great to see sites like this giving proper information out rather than “get thin fast” tricks – which never work in the long term.
Thanks
i think honey and lime water works to loss weight. and i also tried honey with coconut water .it works faster. but i am not doing anything now.becos i am suffering from hormone problem.
I drink 1 lemon juiced with a little bit of honey for weight loss and to to help my digestion every morning. I have also noticee that since taking the lemon tea my bowels have seemed to regulate. This is a wonderful and very healthful drink. Honey is the healthiest sweetner in the world, and it is a very good cleasner. I don’t understand why it is said above that you should not use honey.
fresh lemon and honey in water can help with weight but i have a jelly belly will it help pull my belly in
Is honey n lime better OR honey n cinnamon better for losing weight n overall health without any side effects. Is anyone sure of the answer?????
Thanks for the the tips. My body is so screwed up between weight gain, hidradenitis in my groin, very bad ezcema, 3o pages worth of food allergies, high blood pressure, constipation, hemmoroids, …shoot, I’ll try anything to make “Anything” better. I am going to start this morning. Will let you know how things go.
Ross,
Thanks for the tips. They were interesting and sounding beneficial. If u can always mail me tips like this to get slim, I’ll be very grateful to u.
Thanks / Regards,
Armeet
I would await ur special tips through mails
Thanx
how hot should the water be??thnks
Hi Ross,
is it ok to drink the lemon water cold instead of hot? I prefer cold water.
thanks Debbie
Hey guys
Generally, honey does not work if you are trying to alkalise (search this forum for alkaline diet if you don’t know what I mean!). Honey does have some health benefits, but generally the cons outweigh the pro’s I’m afraid!
With regards to water temp – just luke warm or room temperature is best, but don’t worry too much about it. Anything too hot or too cold will require energy from the body to digest so just slightly warmed is recommended. But it is not essential.
Thanks for your kind words and contributions everyone! Makes my day a million times happier!
Ross
Hi Ross,
First of all, let me congratulate you for this nice blog. You are doing a great job!!!
Please tell me whether adding a pinch of salt to the lukewarm lime water instead of honey/sugar has the same positive effect. I have been adding salt and not honey or sugar in the lime water as you have been repeatedly telling that honey has its adverse effects too. Please suggest.
Once again, thank you for your kind effort!!!
Hi Ross,
Ok im trying to lose weight i am traning alot and i drink lemon water but i dring cold water + lemon its different from 2-4 lemons . I drink it 2 times a day .Am im doing something wrong ? And Is cold water + lemon juice help me lose weight
Ross,
DON’T ignore Tom!
Answer his question!
I’m also curious as to why you say lemon is alkaline. Lemon has citric acid! So what are you on about? You’re replying to everyone else. What’s up with that?
Your stomach is full of acid for digestion. Seriously, if you eat something too acidic the worse thing that could happen is you get too much acid in your stomach, and maybe some reflux.
There is no basis for truth in this acid vs alkaline diet.
Mike
Firstly, I run this blog in my own time and have a full time job which is quite demanding on my time. Have some patience – I don’t owe you anything so don’t be so rude.
Secondly, as I have pointed out time and time again – you are right, lemons are acid – but they have an alkalising effect on the body. There is a big difference.
I really haven’t got the time now to answer your comment fully, but when I can, I will.
In fact, it has inspired another blog post about dispelling the common myths about the alkaline approach to health.
Have a great weekend
Ross
Hi Ross,
I have a small question which is already asked here by Rajib…please let us know whether its ok to mix a lil bit of salt in lukewarm limewater ??? and yeh another lil one..:)…can one drink limewater immediately after doin aerobics or anyother sort of excercise or not??? if not then when is it recommended??
Thanks in advace for ur help!!
Wish u a good week ahead….
Manisha
Hi Manisha!
You can definitely drink lemon or lime water after aerobics – that would be great! You can drink it whenever you like!
As for the salt – salt does get a bad rep and the right salts can be incredibly health-giving. I currently am using Dr Young’s pHour Salts which is a mixture of sodium bicarbonate, magnesium bicarbonate, potassium bicarbonate and calcium bicarbonate.
I have only been using it a while and so far the effects are good!
As for a pinch of table salt, I would be wary of this – what is your reason for adding it? Is it taste?
Hope to hear from you soon
Ross
if u stop drinking lemon and honey in water..will we get fat??
Hi Pooja
I absolutely do NOT recommend honey either way, but the simple consumption of lemon water will neither make you lose or gain weight. It is not as straight forward as that.
Weight loss is about your WHOLE diet and lifestyle.
Good luck and have a great day
Ross
I was pleasantly surprised that the number of times I have nausea reduced from about ten times to one time a day after adding one teaspoon of lemon juice into every750 ml of plain water. Is it recommended to have this lemon added water daily?
Does lemon honey combination affect in long term the fertility in men?
hi Ross,
Is honey + lime in warm water good for reducing fats. pls help me. i have put on alot of weight. pls help me ross.
hi Ross,
Is honey + lime in warm water good for reducing fats. pls help me. i have put on alot of weight. pls help me ross.
I am in a fix. I was 68 kilos and 10 kg overweight while I was working until 3 months back. After having taken a hiatus for 3 months, I weighed 75 kg a fortnight ago. I realisd it was time to tone up since my knees began to complain and began a regular and rigourous 1.5 hour exercise routine which included yoga, cardio and aerobics. I began watching my calories, don’t have more than a spoon of sugar a day, drink the lemon- honey mix in water early morning and watch my diet the entire day. I feel better and fitter than ever and can fit in to clothes I couldn’t since some time and I have already been getting compliments after 2 weeks of having joined. But I just happened to weigh myself on the scales today and am devastated. I weigh 76.3 kg. Why?! What’s happening? Help!
Hey Ross!!You are wrong about lemon+water-PLEASE PEOPLE DO NOT DRINK THIS WITHOUT HONEY, OTHERWISE YOU WILL END UP WITH STOMACH ULCER!!!
PLEASE CONSULT WITH YOUR DOCTOR BEFORE YOU WILL LISTEN TO ROSS !!!
GOOD LUCK!
Hi Ross,
Thank you for sparing time to answer most of our questions we appreciate your efforts!
i’ve been takin freshly squezed lime juice with luke warm water for 2 weeks now it has made a diff esp in my weight (i’ve cut a lil weight) ..however i had my baby via a c-section he’s now 2 yrs i hope this will not affect my internal stiches in any way or will it?
lemon does relly weight lose
Hello Ross,
It’s so nice to read all these things you have written. I understand you are busy with life. If possible, can you give reply to a couple of questions?
I’m a young girl of 21 years age. It is usually painful for me during my monthly cycle. I take lemon water on other days, but on my friends and family’s suggestions, I avoid drinking lemon water in those four days. Are they right? Does lemon water do any harm if taken during menstruation?
My second question is, should one drink lemon water in empty stomach? My mother doesn’t like me to drink lemon water after a meal, so the only time get to drink it is before breakfast. I hope drinking it more than once in a day is not harmful.
Wish you the best,
Angel
is lemon water loose weight or lemon water with honey loose the weight
Hi Ross,
Just wanted to check if drinking lime in luke warm water effect getting periods.
Just a quick clarification if it helps…
Lemon is acidic while it is outside of your body… However, once ingested and digested it has an alkalizing effect.
The PRAL index (Potential Renal Acid Load) of foods lists the acidity while ingested whereas other indexes simply measure the values based outside of the human body.
Lemon in your water=alkaline once you drink it.
Lemon in your water=acidic if you stare at it.
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