Not only are they a tremendously cute and bight addition to any fruit bowl but they are also incredibly therapeutic. You would be surprised to know just how much healing power there is inside a lemon. Lemons are, without question, rockstars in the fruit world!
If you have seen lemons as nothing more than a sweet little garnish, a little color on the side or perhaps a quaint squirt to add variety to water, you are missing out. Inside this little unassuming fruit are fiber, vitamin C and many highly beneficial plant compounds. It is these nutrients that propel the health benefits of lemons.
Here are some of the top ways that lemons can improve your health. After you read this, you won’t look at lemons in the same way again.
Save 39,000 calories per year
Have you found yourself drinking warm lemon water because you have heard that it can help control weight? If so, you are not alone. There are a number of ways that lemons can help with weight loss.
What the research says: Plant compounds in lemon extracts have been found to prevent and reduce weight gain. Mice who were fed a high-calorie diet were also given lemon polyphenols from the lemon peel. A control group did not eat the peel. The group that ate the peel gained less weight and had lower body fat than the group that did not eat the peel.
Get your fix on: Switch out higher calorie and sweetened beverages with a glass of warm lemon water. There are just six calories and no sugar in this tasty beverage. In comparison, a glass of orange juice has 112 calories and 26 grams of sugar. If you are a soda drinker, take heed. If you switched out one cup of soda for one cup of lemon water every day of the year, you would save 39,000 calories. This equals an 11-pound loss without making any other changes to your diet
Gorgeous Glow
Lemons are an anti-aging food and can help give your skin a radiant and youthful glow because of their high antioxidant content. Free radicals are the demons of the aging process, causing things like wrinkles, age spots, dryness, and reduced elasticity.
What the research says: Research supports that antioxidants can effectively slow aging and improve the health and vitality of skin. Patients who struggle with acne may benefit from using antioxidants in combination with conventional therapy as indicated in a study out of Turkey. Other research suggests that lemons are a useful remedy for dark spots, pigmentation, blackheads, and pimples.
Get your fix on: To reap the antioxidant benefits from lemons and leave your face clean, soft, and rejuvenated, try this amazing lemon face mask:
What You Need
- ½ organic lemon
- 1 tbsp organic raw honey
- Mixing bowl
- Spoon
To Make
- Prep your skin before your face mask by pouring boiling water in a bowl and sitting with your face over the bowl to open pores.
- Combine the honey and half a squeezed lemon together.
- Apply to your skin and let sit for 20 minutes.
- Wash the mask off with warm water.
- Close your pores by splashing cold water on your face
Make your ticker happy
Over 92.1 million Americans have some form of heart disease. It is the leading cause of death in America. One of the incredible health benefits of lemon is its impact on the heart. It has a very high vitamin C content. Eating just a few lemons each week can do wonders for your heart.
What research says: The Harvard School of Public Health located in Bostom assessed the diets of 126,399 adults over a period of 8 to 14 years and found that those who ate fruits and veggies had a 4% decreased risk of coronary heart disease. The most significant impact came from leafy green vegetables and veggies and fruits with a lot of vitamin C like lemons. The Journal of Nutrition and Metabolism found that walking and eating lemons helped to decrease blood pressure.
Get your fix on: Ty this garlic and lemon elixir to clear arteries. Garlic is used as a dietary supplement for high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and to remedy the common cold. Take caution with this remedy if you are presently on a blood thinner.
What You Need
- 1.5 cups of garlic
- 6 large organic lemons
- 28 ounces of filtered water
To Make
- Place lemons and garlic in a blender and grind.
- Add the mixture to boiling water and simmer for 15 minutes on low heat
- Let the mixture cool.
- Store in a sealed glass jar.
To Use
- Drink 1.5 ounces daily before breakfast on an empty stomach for 25 days.
- Stop drinking for ten days.
- Repeat with another round if needed.
More Ways to Use Lemons for Health
- Sore throat – Â Combine 2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar with 2 tsp raw honey and 2 tsp lemon juice and mix in warm water. Drink to soothe your throat and boost your immune system.
- Cold sore be gone – Dab a little juice from an organic lemon on your cold sore three times a day until symptoms are gone. It will burn a bit at first and then ease up.
- Poison ivy ender – Dab lemon juice on poison ivy rash to ease the pain, inflammation, and irritation.
- Fever buster – Mix 1 ½ tsp cream of tartar, ½ tsp lemon juice 2 ½ cups warm water and ½ tsp raw honey. Drink slowly to reduce a low-grade fever.
-The Alternative Daily
