Lemon
I’ve become a little obsessed with natural ways of boosting my immune system. To be honest, it hadn’t really dawned on me before the pandemic hit how important it is to be preventive and not just reactive about getting sick. So today, I’m going to share one little food hack that is as simple as squeezing a lemon.
Sources
https://www.medicalnewstoday.com
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Transcript
I’ve become a little obsessed with natural ways of boosting my immune system. To be honest, it hadn’t really dawned on me before the pandemic hit how important it is to be preventive and not just reactive about getting sick. So today, I’m going to share one little food hack that is as simple as squeezing a lemon.
I had always heard that drinking hot water with lemon first thing in the morning (before breakfast, coffee or anything else) was one of the best things you can do for your digestion and health.
But for whatever reason, it was a really hard habit for me to get into. A few times a week I’ll make it a point to put on the kettle and drink my lemon water first, but I’ve had to find other ways to incorporate this miracle fruit into my diet.
Okay, but before I get into that, what is so great about lemon?
The most obvious answer is that it’s an amazing source of vitamin C. But the nutritional benefit that I’m more interested in is its source of antioxidants and flavonoids. These are two key nutrients in fighting disease within your body — anything from colon cancer to heart disease.
Let’s look at some of the studies:
- A 2012 study found through data over a 14 year span, that of the 700,000 women studied during this time the women who ate the most citrus fruit had a 19% lower risk of stroke than the women who consumed the least.
- One 2014 study found that women in Japan who walked regularly and consumed lemon every day had lower blood pressure than those who did not.
There is also evidence-based research that ingesting lemon helps with the formation of collagen which creates healthy-looking skin and reduces wrinkles, prevents frequency of asthma attacks, boosts the immune system and increases iron absorption.
The iron absorption benefit is a significant factor that I want to point out because so many women are unknowingly anemic or iron deficient. When you don’t get enough iron, then you often feel tired, weak, get shortness of breath or headaches, cold hands and feet or longer term health effects.
By squeezing lemon on the iron sources in your diet (like salad, green smoothies, beans and lentils), the high concentration of vitamin C in the lemon helps you to better absorb these iron-rich foods. The difference is so significant that I’ve gotten in the habit of not eating a salad, lentil soup or bean curry without squeezing a lemon into the dish first.
Here are a few other ideas for incorporating lemon into your diet:
- Combine fresh lemon juice with olive oil, sea salt and pepper for a salad dressing or drizzle over warm pasta
- Squeeze lemon into soup, stews or curry after cooking is complete and you’re about to serve
- Squeeze lemon on fresh fruit or avocado to prevent browning
- Add into smoothies or green juice
- Combine with seltzer water and a dash of bitters as a mocktail
If you’re worried about the citric acid in lemons wearing down the enamel on your teeth, you can drink beverages containing lemon with a straw or rinse your mouth out with water after drinking.
Incorporating more lemon into my family’s diet is truly one of the easiest and cheapest hacks to get more nutrients out of our food. I don’t leave the grocery store without a bag of lemons in my cart anymore.
Thanks so much for listening to this episode of The Clean Living Podcast — I’m your host Shannon Lohr.
