This is one of the simplest lifestyle tips that if you start tomorrow, you will be taking an immense step forward to joyous health!
In case you don’t like lemons, apple cider vinegar works just as well as the simple lemon.
EnJOY.
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Thank you for the tip on drinking lemon water. I will start tomorrow.
Your welcome Dorothy!
I’ve been drinking lemon in water a lot more lately just because it makes me feel so clean. I’m going to start just having a glass before breakfast everyday, because I’m so unorganized if I don’t schedule a specific time for it every day I might not do it at all. Thanks for the tip
Your welcome, I agree – that’s a great way of putting it, it does make you feel “clean”. Thanks for the comment.
Love all your tips Joy! Do you have any recommendations for high cholesterol? Would lemon water help?
Thanks for the tip. I don’t currently have lemon in the house but I do have apple cider vinegar. I am willing to give it a try. How much of the apple cider vinegar should I mix with my water?
Well I’m not a fan of apple cider vinegar because I find the taste horrific. But if you don’t mind it, then go for it. You don’t need more than a capful.
Joyous!
Funny I am drinking lemon water right now as I read this note. I love lemon water!
Muah,
Tara
Bella! Nice to hear from u!! Glad you are drinking lemon and water
)
Dear Joy,
I can’t seem to understand why an acidic juice like lemon-juice
(pH 2.5) is considered alkalinising?
Cheers,
Stan
Hi Stan – great question, many foods that are acidic in their normal state have the exact OPPOSITE effect on the body due to the processes they stimulate within your gut. Lemon helps to stimulate HCL which helps you to better break down your “foodstuffs” which could otherwise be leaving undigested food particles in your blood aka leaky gut. Stimulating bile is another benefit for helping eliminate toxins that acidify the body.
Lemon also has an incredible ability to enhance your liver’s detoxifying enzymes similar to how cruciferous veggies do. When your body more efficiently detoxifies, your body can better alkalinize – this is a very general statement, but there’s not enough room to expand here. I encourage you to do your own research. Just remember that many foods have the opposite effect on the body – another great example are dairy products. They are alkaline but have an “acidifying” effect on the body. Check this website for more info: http://www.energiseforlife.com.
One of the most important reasons which I failed to mention Stan … was the MINERAL content.
“Lemons are a perfect example – while they are quite tart and acidic, lemons are actually loaded with minerals and have a net alkalizing effect when you eat them.”
This article from a friend of mine explains it perfectly.
http://www.thatsfit.ca/2008/10/23/acidic-versus-acidifying-an-important-nutrition-distinction/
Hi, Joy! Will drinking lemon juice with decaf tea (unsweetened)have the same benefits?
Hi Karie! I suggest you drink lemon and water on it’s own for the most benefits. Keep the tea separate with your breakfast or morning snack.
Hi Joy,
Would you recommend lemon water once a day only?
Or if you like it can you have it several times a day.
Thanks for posting the article.
Todd
Hi there, it is most beneficial in the morning on an empty stomach. However, you can have it more than once a day and it’s not going to do any harm. Before every meal on an empty stomach is actually a fantastic way to stimulate good digestive juices prior to eating.
Lemon & Water: How Much & Why – the video get stuck after 41 secs was looking forward to learning this.
Try again now
I just checked it. Sorry about that!
Wow.. i din knew the reason behind this. Thanks
How about adding half tsp of honey also? In Ayurveda they recommend luke warm water with honey and lemon. Not sure of the effect so asking.
I recommend just the lemon and water for the medicinal effect of the lemon first thing in the morning. Honey is a wonderful source of antioxidants, so perhaps do the lemon, honey and water later in the day.
What about a small wedge of lemon squeezed and dropped into a large glass of water? I find it easier to drink than half a lemon in a smaller glass of water, are the benefits still applicable?
Sure, that’s enough so long as the water is cloudy – then you know you have enough lemon.
Thanx Joy for the comments – I would appreciate if u reply my below queries-
1) What kinda water do u advise – Cold water, Warm Water (or) Hot Water?
2) I normally take Green Tea + Honey + Lime + Hot Water everymorning – Is this equal to Lemon + Water?
Thanx for ur time!
Hi there!
Answers to your questions:
1. Warm or luke warm water is best = quickest absorption
2. Sounds delicious, but I like to keep is super simple. Just lemon and water on an empty stomach for the medicinal qualities of the lemon to take over is my preference. Then you could follow it with your green tea drink.
Oh – Thanx for ur reply – As per ur advise – I will keep it simple with Lime + Warm Water only! BTW, I am from Southern India and follow u on Twitter. Great Going!
Awesome, hello from afar then. Thanks for writing Manoj!
I’ve been taking warm fresh lemon water everyday for over a year now and it’s great. I also get my clients to do the same.
Just to support your explanation, it’s the resulting pH of the substance once metabolised by the human body that determines whether it is alkaline or acidic. Lemons (and other fruits like limes, grapefruits, tomatoes, avocados, peppers, cucumbers) are alkalising once metabolised. Apple cider vinegar is very acidic even once metabolised, and for that reason I would not use it.
Good info as usual Joy.
Great to hear Scott! Me too, been doing it for years – I swear by it for healthy BM’s
I had not heard that before about apple cider vinegar, assume that’s Dr. Young’s advise? I can’t stand the taste of it but I do think it helps people with low stomach acid to increase acidity in the gut.
hehe no it’s not Dr Young’s advice. It’s just an acidic drink. It does seem to have some benefits, but I’d certainly not use it first thing in the morning on an empty stomach. Stick to lemons I say
I drink a glass of half a lime and a teaspoon of liquid chlorophyll in water in the mornings, should i do the lemon drink as well? by the way, your skin is so clear and bright, im jealous!
Yes liquid chlorophyll is an amazing blood cleanser and alkalinizer. Lemon or lime in water is still a great way to start your day !
Would lime work as well as lemon? I absolutely loves limes and lime juice, but lemons not so much. Thanks!
Yes limes will work too.
I find your suggestion of drinking water with lemon juice first thing in the morning quite interesting. However, i wonder if it would be OK for me since i suffer from acid reflux. What do you think?
Yes definitely okay. Lemons are exceptional at promoting good stomach digestion. Start out with 1/4 of a lemon and go from there. Lemons do not make heartburn, GERD or acid reflux worse.
Hi Joy!
i have a few questions for you. I suffer from severe acid reflux and cannot pinpoint why. Ive been eating a cleaner diet. One of the things I started is green smoothies. Here’s the problem, this morning I had a green smoothie (1/2 banana, 1 scoop amazing grass, handful of kale, 1/2 lime, blueberries, and some frozen papayas). I had the worst acid reflux this morning! Another time i had fresh juice from juicer (with carrots, ginger, lime, apples) and I also had really really bad acid reflux. So i concluded that I can’t take lemon/lime first thing is morning. But after reading all your comments and video, i want to try the lemon water but worried about acid reflux. any advice??
Hi Christy,
Did you try the link on the article to test your HCL levels? Try that and then let me know what your results are. Thanks!
Joy
Hi Joy!
luv your posts because i know you truly just care about our bodies! so, im on day 2 for lime and warm water and guess what?! no acid reflux or whatsoever! im loving it because one, good indication that im not overly producing HCl and two, what a great way to jump start your day! on the other hand, im thinking why did i get stomach acid those times? maybe just too much too early for my inactive stomach? what do you think? Thanks again for your reply, i truly truly appreciate it!
Thanks Christy! I’m happy it helped you. More often then not heartburn is the result of improper food combining, so food starts to digest by fermentation rather than being digested by enzymes and HCl. Please see my heartburn post and you will find a very useful food combining chart.
sounds like a great tip. what if i have the lemon water ist then have a couple cups of coffee. will the lemon water still be as effective thanks
Coffee stimulates your gut to produce HCL (acid) at the wrong times, hence you get heartburn and then have less concentrated digestion when you actually DO eat. So, the lemon and water is getting you on the right track for sure, but if you are drinking a lot of coffee, try substituting one of the coffees for lemon water and see how you feel! Be sure to eat a healthy breakfast, like this one: http://joyoushealth.wordpress.com/2009/08/25/quinoa-for-breakfast-oooooh-ya/ as well. Thanks for writing!
Thank you so much for your tip…I am always looking for great tip on healthy lifestyle, so I will be following your tip starting tommorow.
Hi,
I would like to know after we had the lemon water, how many minutes do we have to wait before having our breakfast? 30 minutes?? Or less?
I did try drinking lemon water in the past on an empty stomach and waited 30 minutes before eating, but my stomach felt weird and I would feel very hungry after 15 minutes…is that normal? I stopped doing that then…can you please advise.
The key thing is to drink it on an empty stomach. You can eat right after or wait a bit. I usually wait 10 minutes maybe. Yes it can stimulate your stomach acid, so this is why you would have the sensation of hunger and this is a good thing! Your digestion will be better with more concentrated stomach acid to break down your food, particularly protein.
Does it have to be freshly-squeezed lemon/lime, or would the ones that come in the containers be okay? I know fresh is best, but sometimes it just seems like too much hassle/waste to cut wedges/squeeze juice every morning.
Definitely choose fresh as many of the bottled juices have additives and sugar. You can get lemon juice in glass bottles at the health food store, but it’s quite pricey when you consider how much a fresh lemon costs, but certainly an option for convenience.
Hi Joy,
I too have acid reflex and have been drinking 1-2 cups of coffee per day. I started drinking the lemon water for the last week and a half and eating more dark green veggies. However, I have been experiencing a burning sensation on my tough for the last few days…with a slight white coating on my tough. Do you think that my body is cleansing toxins or alkalizing? Any advice?
Thanks for your help.
Where are you feeling a burning sensation? I didn’t understand your comment entirely….
Well slight white coating is usually a symptom of excess candida but I don’t like to advise over email/comments because I don’t know enough about you. And yes, it can also be that you are detoxing. Sorry I can’t give you more help than that. You are welcome to book a complimentary 15-minute appointment with me. If so, please email me at joy@Joyoushealth.ca Thanks!
Hi, several people asked if it would be beneficial to add lemon to their tea, and you suggested it wouldn’t. In one reply, you suggested this would somehow limit the benefits of the lemon. Could you please clarify which benefits would be limited and how?
You may be unaware but several studies have shown a very substantial benefit when adding lemon to tea, both green and black, in that it allows significantly more of the tea’s antioxidants to be absorbed by the body. Other acidic foods, especially citrus, are also helpful though lemon appears to be the best. I did a quick google and here are some links if you’re interested:
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090909151919.htm
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10846639
http://www.medindia.com/news/Complementing-Green-Tea-With-Lemon-Boosts-Antioxidants-29335-1.htm
First thing in the morning, I recommend keeping it super simple with lemon and water. I drink green tea, at other times throughout the day and your studies are great (I read science daily often), however on an empty stomach the first thing should be water and lemon. Lemon stimulates the liver to produce bile (carrier of toxins) and also stimulates the gut to produce HCL, hence, stronger digestive juices when you do eat. For many, drinking black tea or green tea will have a similar stimulating effect as coffee, so rather than starting out your day with a stimulant, I suggest lemon and water only so you have maximal absorption of the lemons ability to detoxify and alkalinize your liver. As for enhancing the antioxidants, I’ve heard this before and I don’t dispute your findings of lemon enhancing the benefits of the tea, I just don’t suggest it as the first thing you drink, that’s all — not that it wouldn’t be beneficial at other times. If I have said that, what I meant, to be specific, is that the first thing you drink should really be water.
Thanks for your response, Joy. You’ve made it clear that you recommend keeping things super simple with only water and lemon, but my question was whether there was a bonafide health reason to do this that would be reduced or negated with including tea. You stated 2 different issues, but I’m having a hard time reconciling them.
First, you claimed that having only the lemon and water would allow maximal absorption of the lemon’s ability to detoxify and alkalinize the liver. This implies that having tea with the lemon would reduce this effect. How would tea, especially green tea, reduce this effect? Green tea is known to also have a strong alkalizing effect in the body (though not black tea). Are you suggesting it would somehow interfere with the liver’s ability to metabolize the lemon?
Second you mentioned that, for many people, green or black tea would have a similar stimulating effect as coffee. Wouldn’t it be considerably less stimulating since tea has only about one third the caffeine? Unless I’m missing something from the previous point, this seems to be your only actual argument against including tea with the lemon first thing in the morning, despite the documented benefits of combining the two. I’d welcome any clarification.
Thanks!
Hi Tom, green tea does not leave an alkaline residue in the body. I drink it, but not for the purpose of alkalizing my body – for it’s antioxidant quality. You are right I reco for simplicity and further if the purpose is it alkalinize your body then drinking black or green tea is not the best first thing in the morning. http://www.energiseforlife.com/list_of_alkaline_foods.php Check out this list of foods I refer my clients to (acid vs alkaline).
Actually, green or black tea can be extremely stimulating for many people especially if they have weakened adrenals, over-production of cortisol and generally do not detox caffiene from their liver efficiently.
My blog is merely a way for me to share information (free of charge) to people interested in health. If you want to come to one of my seminars in person, you are more than welcome and we can chat in person! I am doing one this coming Tuesday: http://inspiredcanoe.wordpress.com/inspired-canoe-events/b-e-healthy-natural-immunity-boosters-tuesday-november-17th-7pm-free/ Thank you for your comment and best of health to you
Joy
Thanks Joy.
I appreciate you taking the time to share information on your blog and hope I didn’t inconvenience you with my questions. I was simply trying to understand whether the reasons behind your recommendation to not include green tea were based on scientifically known factors or simply your personal preference in the absence of additional information.
A quick google search will find green tea listed as alkalizing on numerous sites, but I’ve since discovered other sites that list it as “not yet determined” as far as its alkaline/acid effect. So maybe I was mistaken and the jury is still out.
Couldn’t attend your seminar as I’m in Vancouver, but I hope it went well and appreciate the invite.
Best wishes
Is there a super drink that you could reccomend for the best anti oxident/anti inflammatory diet……I was thinking acai berry what do you think?
Hi Donna, the acai berry is definitely very high in antioxidants but kale, blackberries, spinach, cherries are as well and for a much cheaper cost. I believe in an overall dietary approach when addressing inflammation. However, there is a great berry drink made by Living Fuel that you could check out – the website is http://www.livingfuel.ca and I think it’s called SuperBerry.
Drinking Lemon water right now! Thanks for the reminder.
Nice one Joy! Great advice.
Hi Joy,
I had started drinking lemon water a couple of weeks ago but read it should be done before bed b/cthe body cleanses itself at night. Is there any truth to that? Or are there better reasons to drink it in the morning?
The best time to drink it is when you have an empty stomach, so I find the morning easiest. However there’s nothing wrong with doing it at night too.
When I cut back on coffee, I started drinking lemon juice and hot water in the AM, because I really like a hot drink. Is the fact that I’m using boiling water hurting the effect of the lemon?
Sandy
The best water is room temp, but if you like a hot drink you probably know that boiling hot water is really not good for your esophagus and stomach. Hot water that’s cooled a bit is totally fine, but not boiling water. Hope that helps!
I’m enjoying your video blogs Joy! I really love it.
We ate in a restaurant once. The water they serve has a thin slice of lemon on the water pitcher. I was wondering why and you just explained it to me. I bought lemons so I can put lemons on the water pitcher too to drink the whole day
You can link your lemon blog here. Just add the foodista widget.
Thx a lot!! Do you drink it during the day as well? What about putting a piece of lemon in a water jar?
how long due i have to wait to eat after drinking the lemon and water in the morning on an empty stomach?
Not long… just make sure it’s on an empty stomach. Ideally is anywhere from 10-20 minutes. But if you are in a rush in the morning that’s fine… so long as your stomach is empty.
Hi Joy,
I started doing the lemon water about 2 weeks ago and I do like how it makes me feel. I have noticed since then though that I do get really bad heart burn….not right after drinking it but usually later on in the day. I have never gotten heartburn before (except for very occasionally) and haven’t really changed my diet except to eat a bit healthier (thanks to your blog!). Any ideas or suggestions about why this may be happening and what I can do about it? I read the food combining thing however I never had to do any of that before the lemon water and didn’t have the heartburn??…I just don’t get it! Thanks!
It’s possible you are using too much lemon and you already have very good stomach acid production. The average person (most ppl) don’t produce enough stomach acid though and get heartburn because of it (more here: http://joyoushealth.wordpress.com/2010/05/02/heartburn-heres-a-solution-instead-of-pill-popping/)
Food combining is definitely worthy of a shot if you have tummy troubles because carbs/sugars will digest by fermenting and rotting in the gut causing gas (ie. heartburn) as a byproduct of digestion if you are eating them along with proteins or on a fully belly. It’s hard for me to give more advice without knowing more about you and your diet.
Thank you for reading my blog and commenting!
(ps. you have ridiculously adorable handsome boys
If you are the Karoline Sheppard I think you are.
Hi Joy,
Yes, I thought of maybe trying to use a bit less lemon..thanks I will try that! And yes you have the right Karoline Sheppard and thank you!! Ted got me hooked on your blog…it is great!! Thanks!
Try that and let me know how it goes. Basically you want the water to be cloudy, that’s how you know you’ve got enough.
Okay good, glad I know who I’m talking to here
hi joy is it ok to boil the lemon and lime as a whole been chopped into half with the wedges in water
Not really… just squeeze the lemon into the water, FRESH IS BEST.
Hi Joy! I run a “green” B&B called Vivenda da Saudade on the island of Terceira in the Azores and I’m always looking for healthy items to offer our guests for breakfast. I brought up the idea to my husband of having a pitcher of lemon water available to our guests and he asked me how healthy I thought that was for our tooth enamel…so now I’m passing that question on to you. How does the acidity of lemon water drunk daily effect our tooth enamel?
Hi Gena!
Great question and it’s one that people often ask me. Unless you are literally sucking on a lemon there’s absolutely no harm whatsoever to your teeth. Of MUCH greater concern to your teeth health is coffee consumption, sugar and smoking. Lemon’s are SO incredibly alkalinizing, cleansing and detoxifying for the body. The diluted amount of lemon water that will come in contact with your teeth is negligible and not something to be concerned about at all. Hope that helps!
Joy you frequently suggest drinking lemon and water which I think is a great suggestion.
I have just recently been coming across more articles that discuss the negative effects of chlorine, fluoride etc that is found in our city water. I am someone who drinks a lot of water and frequently drinks water straight from the tap.
What kind of water do you use or would you suggest using? tap water (city), bottled water filtered water or other.
Hi Jen! Yes I definitely recommend at the bare minimum you use a carbon filter like Mavea or Brita to remove most of the chlorine. It doesn’t remove fluoride though. You would need to get a reverse osmosis filter for that. Thanks for writing!
Hi joy,
! )
I’M trying to be more healthy and to have a more healthy life style since a month (thanks to you! You inspired me so much!)
One thing is really difficult for me; eating breakfast!
I’m trying to get use to it but often feel nauseus after (but that another subject
Do you think having this drink in the morning without eating could upset my stomac?
And sometime when I drink this at night I also feel nauseus…
How much lemon are you using? Be cautious, if you have a stomach ulcer than the lemon will irritate it. However, most digestive issues can benefit from lemon. It should not make your nauseous, but if it does, then I suggest you stop.
The quick option to make your tummy reduce now
I have to take thyroid medicine on an empty stomach first thing in the morning. I love the idea of drinking the lemon but I am concerned that it would void the effects of the medicine. Would it? Thanks!
Definitely treat it like you would food with thyroid meds, so you will have to wait before you have it.
wow!! who would ever thought using two simple ingredients can be SUPER beneficial to our health
greetings from CALIFORNIA!!
When I initially commented I seem to have clicked the -Notify me when new comments are added- checkbox and now whenever a comment is added I get four emails with the exact same comment. Is there a means you are able to remove me from that service? Kudos!
Oh dear. I am not sure but I think so. When you get a message in your inbox there should be a link to allow you to unsubscribe to the comments.
Oh my goodness! Incredible article dude! Thank you so much, However I am encountering difficulties with your RSS. I don’t know the reason why I cannot subscribe to it. Is there anyone else getting the same RSS problems? Anybody who knows the solution will you kindly respond? Thanx!!
I will ask my web guy. Sorry about that and thank you for letting me know. I really appreciate it!