Beware of These Side Effects Before Drinking Lemon Water Every Morning
Let me start by saying this: I am NOT a morning person.
Anything to boost my morning glow up routine and make it feel somewhat consistent would be a win in itself.
And while there are endless amounts of different opinions on health and wellness trends, one thing seems to be agreed upon by all health gurus:
The benefits of starting your day with lemon water.
Cheap, easy, and beneficial? I’m all for it.
That’s why I decided to do this lil’ lemon challenge for a month and test the results.
Let’s talk about my shocking results.
Side effects of lemon water
Before we dive into my experience, let’s explain the scientific benefits of lemon water.
Lemon water energizes you
Starting your morning with lemon water will not only hydrate your body, but it will also provide you with a kick of nutrients.
Citrus fruits such as lemons, are packed with sodium and potassium which is important to help your body regulate fluid levels.
Adding lemon to your normal water, will give your body a boost of electrolytes first thing in the morning which will keep your energy levels high throughout the day.
Not to mention, the lemon flavor packs a punch of tart flavor that will surely wake you up in the early hours of the day!
Lemon water removes harmful toxins
Drinking lemon water in the morning will kickstart your metabolism.
In fact, a study was conducted in which the results showed that proper hydration was linked to boosted metabolism function.
Staying hydrated showed enhanced function of the mitochondria which is an organelle found in cells which helps generate energy for your body.
However, limited studies are available around the specifics of lemon water. But the extra nutrients surely can help this same result.
Lemon water boosts your immune system
As we know today more than ever: having a strong immune system is essential.
Having a strong immune system allows out body to fight off viruses, bacteria, and other forms of chemicals that try to attack our bodies and cause us to become ill.
Ways to boost your immune system is to make sure you’re ingesting enough vitamins and nutrients.
One of the most important vitamins that is widely used as a means to strengthen immune system is vitamin C. Vitamin C is extremely abundant in lemons and hence, drinking lemon water will help your immune system stay strong.
My lemon water challenge
Let’s get straight into my lemon water reality.
Week 1
Not going to lie, week 1 had modest benefits at best.
I drank the hot lemon water every morning before eating breakfast and actually forgot it in the microwave for a while before drinking it most of the time which turned it from warm to lukewarm.
However, I can say that I felt a bit more energized after drinking it and felt a sense of lightness rather than the usual heavy, sloth-like morning behavior.
Not to mention, I just felt super healthy drinking it.
Throughout the work days, I could say I felt slightly more energetic but nothing crazy to say the least.
Week 2
In week 2 I decided to up the amount of lemon I squeezed into my hot water.
I went from using just a slice of lemon (1/6 the lemon of so) to about 1/4 a lemon.
This changed everything.
I started to notice that I felt way less bloated after eating breakfast and did not feel groggy anymore. I was walking into work feeling on top of the world and ready to be productive.
Throughout the day, my energy levels were quite consistent and I didn’t feel any mid-afternoon brain fog that I usually do.
Week 3
Building on the promising results of week 2, I decided to ditch the morning coffee and just stick to the lemon water to see how effective this practice really was.
To think that this habit would replace my caffeine addition was unthinkable.
But for me, it worked.
Honestly, the first couple days of the week were slightly more sluggish than the last, but this was expected as I cut out my typical cup of coffee in the morning. But I decided to carry on.
By midweek, the sluggishness was gone and I was feeling a new sense of sustained energy throughout the days.
Even by the time work finished, I felt I still had energy and was able to do a workout a few days out of the week.
With the increased productivity and activity, I was able to fall sound asleep every night and experience the restful sleep I needed to be ready for the next day.
I also started to notice my skin clearing up.
Week 4
On my last week of this experiment, I continued with the lemon water in the morning, and also decided to have some lemon water in my water bottle to sip on throughout the work day.
Let me tell you: This. Was. Amazing.
My focus and productivity was definitely at an all-time high.
I experienced less bloating and brain fog which were two issues that I used to deal with regularly.
With my new sense of well-being, all thanks to the lemon water, it’s safe to say this is a practice I plan to continue over time.
I highly recommend anyone to try this on their own and see what kind of results they are able to achieve!
All in all
In brief, I can truly say that this experiment went above and beyond what I was expecting.
Since lemon water is so accessible and cheap, I definitely think you should give it a try and modify the amounts and frequency to fit your schedule.
At the very least, you’ll be providing your body with some extra nutrients and feel like a full-time health guru.
It’s not a guarantee that you’ll experience the exact same results, but it’s worth a try!
Sources
- Kim MJ;Hwang JH;Ko HJ;Na HB;Kim JH; “Lemon Detox DIET Reduced Body Fat, Insulin Resistance, and Serum HS-CRP Level without HEMATOLOGICAL Changes in Overweight Korean Women.” Nutrition Research (New York, N.Y.), U.S. National Library of Medicine, pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25912765/.
- Klimek-Szczykutowicz, Marta, et al. “Citrus Limon (Lemon) Phenomenon-A Review of the CHEMISTRY, Pharmacological Properties, Applications in the MODERN Pharmaceutical, Food, and Cosmetics Industries, and Biotechnological Studies.” Plants (Basel, Switzerland), MDPI, 17 Jan. 2020, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7020168/.
- Shimizu, Chikako, et al. “Effects of LIFELONG Intake of Lemon Polyphenols on Aging and Intestinal Microbiome in THE Senescence-Accelerated Mouse Prone 1 (SAMP1).” Scientific Reports, Nature Publishing Group UK, 6 Mar. 2019, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6403313/.
