Metabolism Starter – Hot Lemon Water

Hot Lemon Water is an acquired taste and not something everyone can get on board with but if you can, you should!

I’ve been drinking hot lemon water for years on and off. Usually always when I’m in diet mode as its a great metabolism starter. I find this refreshing, cleansing drink tastes so healthy and really starts my day the right way.

What to do

This is so straight forward which makes it super easy on those busy blurry-eyed mornings. Simply juice one whole lemon (start with half if you’re a newbie) into a mug of hot water, drink and enjoy!

Why?

Lemons are great sources of vitamin C, potassium and calcium. A large juiced lemon whacking you with 88% of your Vitamin C RDA (Recommended Dietary Allowance). If this is the first thing to hit your empty tummy in the morning the benefits are awesome. Hot lemon water has been shown to flush the digestive system and rehydrate the body after sleep. It contains less than 25 kcal a cup, it’s known as a ‘blood purifier’ due to its natural antibacterial properties and it helps to reduce inflammation and pain in joints as it dissolves uric acid.

It has been shown to kick start the metabolism and therefore potentially speed up weight loss. Obviously this won’t be effective if the rest of your diet sucks but if you’re drinking this alongside a healthy, nutrient rich diet it can definitely help. I personally even find this drink curbs my hunger, perhaps due to the pectin fibre content.

Tips

I leave my lemon out of the fridge the night before so its not too hard to squeeze, if I forget I usually pummel the lemon against the worktop to soften the flesh and make the juice more readily available when I squeeze it. Lemon water is great, however it does come with a little tip I must share! Lemons are acidic as we all know, this is actually a great thing for the body as it puts our blood in a more alkaline state but it can wear away tooth enamel. This is unlikely with one cup a day but to be sure, I drink mine through a reusable plastic straw just in case and always follow with a glass of water. The acidity has the potential to slightly wear away the top layer of enamel making you more prone to cavities and sensitivity.

Personally I think the pros of this yummy drink far outweigh this con which is easily avoided with the use of a straw… I may even buy myself those fetching drinking straw glasses to really make my mornings more fun!