This blog post was inspired by a text I received from one of my patients while she was out purchasing some lemons after her acupuncture treatment.
(See below)
The way you start each day is incredibly important. Whether you’re a mom, a teacher, a writer, a small business owner, or a rock star, what you do first thing in the morning matters. Choices that you make regarding your daily routine either build up resistance to disease or tear it down. This little morning ritual is easy, and it will improve your health and align your body with its natural rhythm.
Adopting just this one practice of drinking a cup of warm water with lemon in the morning can radically alter your experience of the day. In my experience, when I start the day off right, it is easier to make the best choices for myself for the rest of the day. I drink warm lemon water first thing in the morning and throughout the day.
All you have to do is start the day out with a mug or glass of warm water and the juice of half a lemon.
First and foremost, lemon water aids in digestion. The warm water serves to stimulate the gastrointestinal tract and peristalsis (the waves of muscle contractions within the intestinal walls that keep things moving). Lemons are high in minerals and vitamins and help loosen toxins in the digestive tract. The lemon juice helps flush out unwanted materials. When your digestion is functioning well, you are less likely to experience heartburn or suffer from constipation.
In fact, lemon juice helps with all forms of elimination. It also functions as a diuretic, releasing toxins via a faster rate of urination.
Lemons are high in Vitamin C, which provides many benefits to the body, including boosting your immune system. Lemon water purges toxins from the blood, keeping skin clear of blemishes. Proper vitamin C levels are crucial for helping the body manage stress; you can consider lemon water a natural stress reliever, too. Lemons aren’t just high in Vitamin C; they also contain potassium, which stimulates brain and nerve function and helps control blood pressure.
You may not think of lemon as a “fiber food,” but the fruit is high in pectin fiber, which helps to fight hunger cravings.
Lemons are an incredibly alkaline food, so they balance your pH levels. Lemons are acidic on their own, but inside our bodies, they are alkaline. Citric acid does not create acidity in the body once metabolized. In fact, warm water with lemon is one of the most alkaline beverages you can drink.
This cup of morning goodness will hydrate your lymph system and help prevent dehydration and adrenal fatigue. When your body is dehydrated, it can’t perform all of its proper functions, which leads to toxic buildup.
10 Benefits of Drinking Warm Lemon Water
(i.e., not claimed to be a “cure” for the following conditions)
- Decrease low-density lipoprotein (LDL) or “bad” cholesterol
- Cut through and reduce phlegm congesting the lungs and sinuses, or “phlegm” expressed externally as pus (ex., acne, boils, shingles)
- Cut through adipose (fat) and cellulite tissue to assist weight loss, especially when taken first thing in the morning before breakfast
- Decrease “fatty” liver
- Astringe body fluid to help prevent abnormal fluid discharge (ex., night sweats, spontaneous daytime sweats, seminal leakage, urine incontinence, bed-wetting) — this is based on over 3000 years of traditional Chinese medicine, in which each flavor in food is understood to have a therapeutic purpose, and “sour” flavored foods are used in herbal medicine to help astringe unwanted leakage of body fluids.
- Maintain teeth and mouth health
- Reduce sweet, pastry, and gluten cravings (which all cause acidic environments in the body)
- Detoxify and alkalize acidic conditions seen in many diseases ailing people today (ex., rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis, degenerative arthritis, osteoporosis, obesity, gout, diabetes type II, multiple sclerosis, digestive disorders, allergies, and chronic fatigue)
- Nourish and relax tight fascia tissue – ligaments, tendons, and connective tissue
- Maintain glowing, moisturized, and healthy skin and boost immunity
Why Is It Important for Body Tissue to Be Alkaline Rather Than Acidic?
Long-term acidic environments damage normal cell structure and function. The exception to this is the stomach, where the hydrochloric acid secreted there is intended to aid in the cellular digestion of food. But even the stomach is internally lined with special cells to prevent the acid from burning through the stomach’s layers, which is a condition otherwise known as “gastritis” or stomach ulcer.
Similar to the food we eat, human tissue — muscles, organs, fascia, cells, and blood — simply breaks down faster in acidic conditions. The only difference, however, is that ingested food becomes fuel for life in its metabolized state, whereas broken-down tissue dies and becomes toxic waste.
How Can My Body Become Too Acidic?
Through unbalanced diets too rich in acid-producing or inflammatory foods, repressed or unexpressed negative emotions, persistent negative subconscious thought patterns, and overall wear and tear in human body functions.
General pH Level Indicator
Keep your dosage of lemon juice per 1 cup of water consistent. A simple indicator of whether your body is more acidic or alkaline is whether lemon juice in hot or warm water tastes sour or not. If the sour taste is strong, your body is very acidic. If it’s not sour at all and even tastes like lemonade to you (without the sugar), your body is in a healthier, more alkaline state. Depending on your ratio of lemon juice to water, your body’s level of acidity, and consistency in daily intake, the taste of lemon water should eventually not taste very sour at all.
Exceptions
Those who would not be recommended to take lemon water regularly are those who form kidney stones, have strong acid reflux (heartburn) or ulcers (known or unknown) — mouth, esophageal, or stomach ulcers. In these cases, lemon juice will cause an irritating “burning” sensation because it has not yet been metabolized by the body and is still in its acidic state when passing these areas of the gastrointestinal tract. Therefore, other remedies would be suggested.
