The correct way of consuming lemons
The biggest mistake we all make is while consuming lemons. Most people intake lemon in the form of lemonade or lemon juice. It contains sugar, salt, lemon and ice. Lemon is definitely good for health, but only if it is taken in the right way.
Why lemons
- Lemon is not acidic. As soon as it enters the body it turns into alkaline.
- Lemon helps flush out uric acid from the body.
- Lemon water dissolves the fat in liver and helps cure fatty liver condition.
- It aids in digestion and works as a great combo with apple cider vinegar.
- Two lemons a day gives you sufficient Vitamin C.
You also need to know that bottled lemon juice is treated with chemicals and processed in such a way that the vitamin content is almost destroyed. So do have fresh lemons everyday.
Consuming lemons
If mixed with water and sugar, your body will absorb the sugar from the lemonade and leave the lemon part aside. It will leave as waste without getting into your body. So have plain lemon juice, freshly extracted with a pinch of salt.
Best time to have lemon water is immediately after dinner since it is known to aid digestion.
Detailed review of lemons and what is the exact benefit
Reduces intake of other drinks
One of the best known and immediate benefit in your healthy lifestyle journey is your decision to replace social drinking with lemon water. In the urbanised world of today, social drinking has become a compulsion. If you are part of a family function or with a group of friends, there is always the fear of being left out. With a little bit of convincing you might succumb to the temptation of anticipation of a night of fun. However if you are determined enough to stand out from the crowd, then lemon water will definitely work as an all weather alternative to any packed or carbonated drink. Just remember to drink it without sugar and with a pinch of himalayan salts.
Healthy gall bladder aids digestion by releasing bile
Bile is produced by the gall bladder and released in the small intestine during digestion. Bile is essential for digesting fats and proteins. However the gall bladder might release bile in less amount or may not release it at all. This leads to a situation where either the gall bladder gets sluggish or it begins storing bile within itself making it toxic and stagnant.
Citric acid in lemon induces the releases the CCK peptite hormone. This hormone is produced by the small intestine when food reaches the duodenum which is the beginning of small intestine.
Cells in the lining of duodenum detect the presence of fats and proteins in the food which triggers the release of CCK. This important hormone plays a vital role in the digestive process in the following ways.
- CCK induces gall bladder to contract and release all the bile it has stored inside. This way the gall bladder also gets empty where fresh bile can be produced and stored.
- CCK induces the pancreas to release digestive enzymes.
- CCK activates the vagal nerves in the stomach making the stomach feel full. This aids in appetite suppression.
- It triggers muscle contractions to move the food forward in the small intestine.
- It helps hold food in stomach and duodenum till the digestive process is over. Holding food in batches in various sections.
Due to the induced release of CCK, these are the indirect benefits of consuming lemons during or after a meal.
Finally bile is important to digest fats. Once the gall bladder is empty, the production of fresh bile begins. Cholesterol is used for creating bile. So this way the cholesterol stored in the body is also consumed regularly which helps keeping cholesterol levels in control.
Citric Acid and Kidney stones
Here is how daily consumption of lemon directly helps in controlling kidney stones.
A kidney stone consists of calcium and oxalate. Citric acid in lemon binds with oxalate and helps removal from the kidneys. A word of caution here. This should not be the only plan of action for tackling kidney stones. For this to work you need to consume large amount of raw lemon juice, freshly extracted.
Oxalate is found in many healthy food which we eat everyday like cruciferous vegetables like cauliflower, nuts, beans, palak and so on.
Liver detox
These days anything having the word detox immediately catches the attention of urban city dwellers. So this one is the real deal.
It is the job of the liver to detoxify things in the body. The liver takes fat soluble toxins and converts them to water soluble version. Then it send them to the bile for storage. When CCK hormone forces the gall bladder to contract, all those toxins are released along with the bile into the small intestine for discarding.
Regular consumption of lemon repeats the process everyday. That means the liver gets new space to release the toxins. If the gall bladder never releases bile, this process cannot be executed.
Citric Acid reduces acidosis
This point is crucial to people who are trying to reduce weight by either following one or all. Keto diet, too much exercising, low carb diet and fasting. Alcohol and medication also causes acidosis.
Citric Acid turns alkaline in the stomach and helps counter acidosis.
Citric Acid controls uric acid
Uric acid in joints causes inflammation. Citric acid is known to counter uric acid thus bringing the overall levels of uric acid under control.
Slows down the digestion of carbs
If for some reason you need to consume carbs, here is a counter for the quick digestion of carbs by the body and induced spike in blood sugar.
Salivary amylase in saliva mixes with food. It is an enzyme which quickly digests carbs in stomach.
Citric acid neutralises salivary amylase slowing down carb digestion. This way glucose slowing enters the blood stream rather than rushing in.
Lemons and weight loss
All these above factors directly or indirectly aid insulin sensitivity and metabolism. This helps with diabetes reversal and reversing insulin resistance.
Importance of Vitamin C for immunity
During the COVID pandemic people realised that it is Vitamin C that helps boost immunity. Deficiency of Vitamin C will lead to lower immunity, bleeding gums, fatigue and so on. Vitamin C helps prevent micro haemorrhaging of arteries. During normal wear and tear, the walls of the arteries develop a slight tear. To heal or fill up the tear, cholesterol and calcium deposits in the tear. This leads to clogging of arteries. Intake of Vitamin C helps strengthen the artery walls and reduce the risk of these tears.
Lemon and insulin sensitivity
There are two ways which lemon helps in insulin sensitivity and diabetes control. This is apart from the bile factor which we have already seen above.
Lemon consumed after a meal along with apple cider vinegar lowers the PH level in the stomach. This induces the release of HCL and also increases the acidity inside the stomach. Food gets digested faster and better.
Lemon is an important aid in increasing insulin sensitivity. As we keep emphasising on the fact that insulin resistance is the root cause of all lifestyle ailments, lemon now becomes part of your life.
Other points to keep in mind while consuming lemons
- Some people put a whole lemon in a blender and drink the mix. That is also a good idea to benefit from the nutrients in the peel and seeds.
- Pre-mixed lemon juice packs or powders are a strict NO. They have tons of sugars and artificial carbs to mess you up for the day.
- Fresh lemon bought from the market is the best choice. If you are to get your hands on organically grown lemons, that is the best choice.
Here is a great article covering the basic benefits of lemons.
