There are a ton of myths involving lemon water that pop up everyday. One of the latest is that it is best for you to have a glass of lemon water first thing in the morning. Some say that it will kickstart your metabolism, alkalize your body or be a detox.
Kickstart Your Metabolism with Lemon Water
First off, there is no way to “kickstart” your metabolism. Your metabolism is all of the process occurring in your body that keep you alive and well. During the night all body process slows down while you are asleep. When you wake up it only makes sense that it will speed up as you move and eat.
The second flaw in this thought is that if something were to kickstart your metabolism it would have to have calories. There are no calories in a glass of lemon water.
Having a food with calories means that your body would begin to digest the food in order to absorb the nutrients and calories. This results in the metabolism increasing.
Alkalize Your Body
Another aspect that is often noted in support of lemon water is its ability to alkalize the body. Your blood has a pH of about 7.40. This means that it is slightly basic.
This theory assumes that you need to consume acid in order to balance. Nope. A slight change in pH in the body can lead to massive issues but don’t worry, your body already have mechanisms in place to quickly fix it known as the acid-base balance.
The upside to the acid in the lemon water is that it can aid in breakdown of kidney stones. It is known that water can help prevent kidney stone build up because they are able to produce good amounts of urine. Lemon is also known to aid in kidney stone prevention because of its citric acid that combat the stones forming in the first place. This means that lemon water can only be beneficial is prevention of kidney stones!
If you have a history of kidney stones this means it is more likely for you to develop them again, so maybe having a glass of lemon water first thing in the morning could be a preventative measure for you!
Detox
Lemon water also has a reputation for providing a detox. The first issue with this is that your body doesn’t need a detox (no matter the amount of fried food and alcohol you consumed last weekend). Your liver has got you covered but you can help just by drinking water! No lemons are necessary. The more liquids you consume the more fluid there is for your liver to filter through.
Lemon Water Still Has Benefits!
Lemon water isn’t pointless. If you struggle with drinking water throughout your day it may be a great way to get a jumpstart on your hydration by starting the day with a glass of lemon water. OR if you need a touch of extra flavor the lemon juice may be exactly what you need!
Just because some drink lemon water for the wrong reasons doesn’t mean that they aren’t still retaining some benefits- they’re just not what they think!
Want More Myths?
Does all the information surrounding nutrition confuse you? Are you not able to distinguish fad from fact? Read about The Truth About Late Night Snacks, how carbs are actually needed, or 6 other nutrition myths.
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