Health Benefits of Lemon Juice
Lemon has a lot of nutritional value packed in it. We cannot overemphasize the health benefits of lemon juice and the importance of consuming lemon juice regularly. The citrus can complement your favorite meals with several incredible health benefits. You can also use lemon to make fruit juices, which have remarkable health benefits.
Lemon is a round, vibrant, yellow citrus that belongs to the flowering plant family called Rutaceae, with its scientific name as Citrus limon. It is native to North-Eastern India and has a very peculiar sour taste because the citric acid content in the fruit is very high. The distinctive taste of the fruit makes it a great ingredient in desserts, meals, and drinks.
The uses of lemon vary from medical to culinary. You can use lemons in preparing beverages and desserts. You can also serve lemon as a garnish for meat and fish dishes. Lemon juices are also great stain removers and general cleaners, and you can use the oil extract from this raw fruit to make perfumes, skin creams, and soap.
For several years, many people have consumed lemon juice for medicinal purposes. People have acknowledged that mixing the juice with honey and ginger before consumption can help deal with colds, and people also take it to protect themselves from viruses. The fruit also contains compounds that can help bacteria, and they also contain laxative properties for digestion. The brain behind this article is to understand the importance of consuming lemon juice regularly.
But before that, let us examine the nutritional content of lemon.
Nutrition facts of lemon
Lemon is a fruit with so many health benefits. You could refer to them as a truck of nutrients. Aside from Vitamin C and B complex, lemons contain iron, potassium, calcium, magnesium, and fiber. They contain more potassium contents than grapes or apples.
Lemons contain predominantly 88 – 89 percent of water and 10 percent of carbohydrates but are very low in protein and fat. The medium size of the citrus can only provide about 20 calories. Let’s pay attention to the nutritional content of the fruit in detail below.
If we break down the nutritional value of lemons using 100 grams of raw, peeled lemon, which is approximately ½ cup, the nutrient content would be as follows;
| Nutritional Content | Quantity |
| Calories | 29 |
| Water | 89% |
| Protein | 1.1 grams |
| Carbohydrates | 9.3 grams |
| Sugar | 2.5 grams |
| Fiber | 2.8 grams |
| Fat | 0.3 grams |
The high citric content of lemon makes it highly acidic and, as such, can be hard on human teeth. Because of this, it is advisable to dilute the juice with water. The recommendation is that you use lukewarm water, but you can still use water at any temperature.
Carbohydrates
The primary constituent of carbohydrates in lemons is simple sugars like fructose, glucose, and sucrose. Another principal constituent of carbohydrates is the fruit’s fiber content, which is about 1.6 grams. However, the juicy content of the fruit reduces the quantity of fiber, but the sugar content you would get is almost the same.
Fiber
Lemon is rich in fiber content, and the primary fiber in lemon is pectin. Pectin is a soluble fiber that can lower sugar and blood levels by slowing down starch and sugar digestion in the body. These fibers are vital parts of a healthy diet for an individual, and there is so much connection between them and the numerous health benefits.
Vitamins and minerals
Aside from carbs and fiber, lemon as a fruit provides some vitamin and mineral content, some of which are:
Vitamin C: Lemon is a vital source of vitamin C and provides you with about 30.7mg when you consume them daily. You can also find little quantities of thiamin and folate in the citrus. It is also an essential antioxidant vital for skin health and immune functions.
Potassium: Lemons contain small amounts of potassium. Juice and peel of one lemon contain 156mg. This mineral can lower the body’s blood pressure and, in turn, positively affect human heart health.
Vitamin B6: This is another vitamin the citrus provides, and it is responsible for converting food into energy and helping certain enzymes in the body during digestion.
Benefits of Consuming Lemon Juice
Aside from the fact that the properties lemon contains make it your number one choice of health aid and beauty treatment, there are several other importance of consuming lemon juice. The health benefit associated with taking lemon juice depends on the fruit’s high vitamin C content. Some of the health benefits associated with taking lemon juice regularly include;
Prevention of Vitamin C Deficiency
Throughout history, lemons have been the best option for humans in combating the deficiency from the lack of vitamin C in the body. In the 1700s, the British navy discovered how the consumption of lemons could help cure vitamin C deficiency. Nowadays, scurvy is uncommon in most developed countries because as little as 10mg of vitamin C is enough to deal with scurvy, whereas fruit contains more than 30mg.
Improves Heart Health
As a result of the antioxidant content of lemon, studies show that a higher intake of vitamin C can reduce the risk of cardiovascular diseases, coronary diseases, and stroke. The antioxidant content found in lemon helps to resist oxidative damage to the heart, which can bring about a cardiovascular ailment. The fiber and the plant compound of the citrus can also lower some of the risk factors that can cause heart ailments.
A study showed how eating 24 grams of citrus fiber extract for one month can help reduce blood cholesterol levels. Plant compounds of citrus-like diosmin and hesperidin also play a vital role in reducing cholesterol in the body.
Relieves Sore Throat
You can mix lemon juice with warm water when dealing with a sore throat. It is a perfect home remedy for the sour throat, especially in cold seasons, and can provide a soothing effect for a sore throat. The vitamin C content in lemons is an invaluable substance that can help attain this goal, and this happens when the vitamin C content breaks up mucus and brings about pain relief.
Helps in Digestion
The predominant fiber in lemon, known as pectin, goes a long way to keep digestion smooth by promoting the production of the enzymes responsible for digestion in the liver and helping to eliminate waste from the body. Also, studies have shown that lemon juice’s high citric acid content can help boost the secretion of gastric acid during digestion to hasten and improve the breaking down of food.
Improves Weight Loss
You can mix lemon juice with warm water when dealing with a sore throat. It is a perfect home remedy for the sour throat, especially in cold seasons, and can provide a soothing effect for a sore throat. The vitamin C content in lemons is an invaluable substance that can help attain this goal, and this happens when the vitamin C content breaks up mucus and brings about pain relief.
The pectin content in lemon juice makes your weight loss manageable by making you feel fuller for longer. Some studies show an increase in the intake of fiber can help depreciate weight. That is especially so if the source of the fiber is low-density food like fruits, which results in lower body weight and fats.
Helps prevent and combat cancer
According to a study, lemon’s chemical constituent can help prevent the development of oral tumors. Some other studies have shown that lemons contain anti-cancer benefits. So, if you consume lemon juice, you are at low risk of suffering from cancer or any cancerous growth. There is proof that some of the chemicals in the peels of certain citrus fruits, like lemon, could be potential anti-cancer agents.
Regulates Blood Sugar
When you take lemon juice, the sugar and fiber content in the drink or extract helps keep your blood glucose in check and prevent increased blood sugar. With that, the risk of diabetes is significantly low and can help diabetic patients effectively manage their condition without finding themselves at medical risk. This drink should be the favorite drink of diabetes patients.
Slows down Age-Related Decline
Lemon Juice contains vitamin C, which is a powerful antioxidant that helps to prevent cell damage as a result of oxidative stress. Although there is evidence that the antioxidants in lemon juice can help improve skin health and some specific diseases that come with aging. Currently, research is still ongoing to prove the impact that can be made possible on the aging process with the help of antioxidants.
Conclusion
The health benefits associated with taking lemon juice are very significant. The fruit is very sore, and you might not be able to finish one on your own. However, converting or taking them as drinks can be possible. The same content you would get by consuming the fruit is likewise what you would gain when you take it as a drink. Therefore, we must understand the importance of consuming lemon juice regularly and the health benefits associated with taking it.
