So you rise and shine and probably reach for something to drink first thing in the a.m. Maybe you’re one of many that autopilots right on over to the coffee, but there is something way better to consume for your beauty, health, and eventually your overall energy.
I’m talking about hot water with lemon! And the best time of the day to drink it is first thing in the morning on an empty stomach.
Hot water with lemon has COUNTLESS benefits for your health. The effects of this simple-to-prepare (and affordable) drink go beyond just weight loss, as it supports our overall digestive health and energy.
1. Cleansing properties– Lemon juice is extremely cleansing, as it flushes out toxins from the body and promotes urination. This warm, cleansing drink is the best way to set up your digestive tract for the day of food ahead. If you experience digestive pain at all after meals and start drinking hot lemon water in the mornings, you’ll soon start to find that it aids in your overall processing of meals throughout the day. (You can also drink it throughout the day, of course, to help digest).
2. Alkalizes pH levels– I will be posting later on about the book that taught me this priceless information about the body (“The Beauty Detox Solution” by Kimberly Snyder) but for now, alkalizing the pH level of the body is one of the most important things we can do for our health, weight loss, energy, and more. In short, the goal is to maintain more alkaline than acidic pH levels in the body. Lemon is one of the most alkalizing foods out there. Setting your body up first thing in the morning, before consuming any other foods, with this strong alkaline base is excellent for maintaining a good pH level. Disease cannot live in an alkaline body. When I remind myself of this fact, I am even more inclined to incorporate lemons and all other alkalizing foods into my daily diet. And in the event that you do consume some acidic foods throughout the day, lemon can help bring your pH levels back to where they need to be for optimal health.
>>Quick note about digestive health and why it’s so important: I myself didn’t understand why maintaining a healthy digestive system “mattered.” I just wanted to lose weight and be relatively healthy with the foods I chose. However, from “The Beauty Detox Solution” I learned that digestive health is tied to virtually EVERYTHING in the body. If you are constantly bloated, or experience gas pains after a meal, it means you are not processing your food optimally, and this in itself contributes to weight gain, skin issues, build up of toxins, irregularity, and reduced energy among other things. As more energy is devoted to the digestion and relieving all of these issues, less energy is going to all the things you need and want it for! If you can improve your digestive health, you can affect all of these different aspects of your health, including weight loss, if that is your main focus.<<
And that brings me to my last point: Energy.
3. Energy– As previously stated, hot lemon water first thing in the morning helps with digestion throughout the day. As digestion is improved, less energy is being spent on processing food and more on the rest of the things you need it for in your day! Coffee is acidic to your pH levels and only provides a quick-fix to you
r energy needs. Lemon water can set you up for having more energy overall in your day and provides the much healthier alkaline properties you need in the body. Also the scent of lemon has been known to energize the body. I have a lemon essential oil, and will often breathe it in when I need a boost in energy or mood.
Enjoying my hot water with lemon in my apartment in Milan 🙂
Bonus benefits: clearer skin, mood boosting, liver support, aid in ongoing detoxification of the body, and the many benefits that come along with all vitamin C rich foods!
If you’re wondering how much lemon juice per cup is a good idea, I juice one half of a lemon for medium to large sized lemons, or one whole small lemon. (But I love the taste of lemons and even eat them raw so if you’re more sensitive to it, do some taste tests first!)
I truly believe, as I have seen the long and short term effects myself, that hot lemon water first thing in the morning is one of the best (and easiest!) things you can do for your overall health and weight loss goals.
Thanks for reading,
Ciao loves!
xoxo Amanda
a little behind-the-scenes action with my favorite cup! (it says “give me some sugar” 😀 )
Lemon photo: mahmoud99725, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 2.0
pH scale photo: http://www.balance-ph-diet.com/ph_scale.html
Love the post! Thanks for sharing 🙂
http://www.fortheloveofblonde.com
I keep telling myself I’m going to do this (because I’m the one on autopilot going directly to my coffee each am) and it never fails that I forget to do it. I need to start setting an alarm for myself that says “DRINK YOUR LEMON WATER!” so that I have no more excuses. I keep hearing so many great things about it!
Author
Yess!! Do it girl! Starting tomorrow! Best change to my daily diet I ever made and so easy to do! Xoxo
That is something I have done for a number of years
I love drinking hot water with lemon, I just discovered all the benefits it had and now I am drinking a few times a week <3
Author
Yay! Glad to hear you incorporate it too! So worth it! Xx
Love how informative your blog is, looking forward to reading more 💜
Author
thank you so much! <3
Nice and lovely.
Author
Thank you 😊
Hello, read this post with interest especially the part about disease not being able to live in an alkaline body. Thanks for sharing.
Author
Yeah! Isn’t that amazing? Talk about motivation to eat more alkaline foods 🙂
I just recently heard about hot water with lemon. I usually go with ginger tea or water. Will definitely try hot water with lemon.
Can you use cold water on a hot day? Are the benefits the same? 🙂
Author
Lemon with water is always great for you! Our bodies are most easily able to metabolize room temperature liquids so room temp water or warmer water with lemon is a little easier to process than cold. 🙂
Thx girl
Great post! The fact that disease cannot live in an alkaline body is so motivating! I have almost only and always known to wake up to a cup of tea in the mornings but I want to change this habit come the new year and switch to hot water with lemon first thing in the morning 🙂
Author
Tea is great too! But I think you’ll see some different benefits with lemon 🙂 Let me know how you do with it! 🙂
Reblogged this on MontanaTraveller and commented:
I add some ginger to mine, too! Lovely post by this lady.
Author
Thank you lovely 😊❤️
The doctors say, that it is very useful to drink a glass of water, before having breakfast. According to my experience, I must say that it works.