ARE LEMONS THE FOUNTAIN OF YOUTH?
Good morning. Would you dare start your day with a lemon? How do you start your day? Our kids start their day with a juice or a smoothie. Ideally, I make sure that they have a good supply of granola for their yogurt or sometimes applesauce — a combo that they think they’ve invented themselves — which are then often accompanied by breakfast sandwiches (click here) or more fruit; but, since January, for myself, I’ve begun squeezing a half of a lemon into a cup of hot water, rather than starting my day with coffee; and have breakfast at least 30 minutes later. If you knew how much I love to start my day with coffee, you would hardly believe me; but, this is what I do and I can’t imagine my day without it any more. I thought coffee was my morning armor and have discovered, it isn’t. Hot lemon water is and it’s the best habit that I’ve fallen back in to. I actually get the same kick that I thought I was getting from my coffee (but with less edge), know that I rehydrate better and have been experiencing other real benefits.
So, hot lemon water is supposed to flush your kidneys, 2. alkalize the blood and 3. aid in detoxification — but, honestly, I always wondered, what does that actually mean? Have you, too, been running across oodles of articles and having conversations (like this one with my friend Julie) on the subject? I’m not a medical doctor, a certified nutritionist or yogi master: but what does alkalizing my blood, flushing my kidneys, truly mean in terms of how I feel and look? How could something this simple make an impact?
- Well, for starters: aided digestion — added ZIP!
- Next up, Vitamin C. You’ve seen vitamin C boasted as a promising key ingredient in cosmetics and have read about it being key to improving production of collagen which actually helps your skin repair
itself; but, honestly, does it and does it show? I’ve remained skeptical when buying moisturizers; however, within one week of starting my days with this hot lemon water, my winter skin was looking noticeably more luminous and clear. In fact, if we were actually sitting here, side by side, chatting, rather than putting this out there on a permanent record, I’d tell you that it was within 3 days, I saw a difference in my skin. I’ve honestly had people ask if I had been on vacation or what I was doing with my skin. Answer: hot lemon water, at the start of the day!
- Immunities: Fewer Achoos! Vitamin C comes in and out of fashion as the cold buster, but research does support that vitamin C boosts the immune system. While I didn’t get through our northern winter completely unscathed, I did have minimal illnesses this winter and dodged a series of really bad flus and colds that ran through the kids classrooms into our house. When I did come down with something, I felt just slightly under the weather: more tired than usual and a head ache rather than a full blown virus. I remember my yoga teacher sharing a conversation with us about this same boost to the immune system coming from yoga years ago. Due to her extensive daily practice of yoga and the fact that yoga boosts your immune system, she said that she was just rarely sick and that if she had something, it was almost in perceivable.
So yes: Check: Vitamin C. Now, to stick to a morning practice of yoga. Do you?
How to make a cup of hot lemon water:
Boil one cup of water and then let it cool down to comfortable drinking temperature, with about 1/3 a lemon squeezed in. I actually love lemon and use 1/2 just because I like the flavor. I tend to think that if I use half it’s much less likely to be forgotten and wasted; but, I know not every else feels like I do, and I’ve read that you just need about 1/3 or 2T for the effect. Don’t add the lemon juice to the water when it is piping hot because it destroys the delicate vitamin C and the precious enzymes.
Interesting? Not interesting?
Do you enjoy thinking about nutrition? Not? Have you tried hot lemon water before? If you do now, I’d love to hear back from you and if you experience the same? What are your morning routines? My personal philosophy is to enjoy it all. It’s a bond I share with my husband and family (click here). I truly love my veggies and now, too: a hot cup of lemon water, but, I also love a nice glass of wine, a chocolate, good cheese and a latte… and I’m a baker. I’m not one to follow prescribed or pre-dictated food plans but, starting the day with hot lemon water is here to stay and I have begun to wonder: could hot lemon water in the morning, be a fountain of youth?
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Friday Night Aperitif — kid style
