lemon water is the new black (saturday seconds and natural body lovin' combined)

when saturday seconds and natural body lovin' combines, you get health with the added benefits of a bargain! (oh, the dorky humour strikes again!)

i am an avid water drinker. one and a half to two litres a day, no problem. but what goes in, must come out! and let's just say, often. i was talking about this consequence of my love of hydration with a natural foodie friend of mine, and she suggested that i try putting lemon in my water to help my body absorb the water better, as she'd tried this and she had noticed immediate benefits.

so, me being me, i did a bit of research into lemon water, and whether it's worth the benefits.
and this is what i found:

• to begin with, lemon is an antiseptic and an antibacterial (one of the reasons your mum or grandma mixed it with warm water and honey to help relieve a sore throat)
• lemons are full of vitamin c! so consumption boosts your immune system.
• lemons are alkalising: now, this may sound foreign to some people, but the body's ideal pH is just a tiny bit above neutral (in the alkaline direction). however, the majority of people's diets are insanely high in acidic input (think anything high in sugar, or even more specific things like tea and certain fruits) leaving our bodies massively out of balance. this leads to a huge amount of issues because our body can not function properly in an acidic environment.
• lemon relieves heartburn, indigestion and bloating.
• many people say "oh but lemon is acidic". when you first ingest it, yes it is, but as your body processes it, it has an alkaline effect on the inside (where it counts).
• lemon is a detoxifier. drinking lemon water first thing in the morning stimulates the body's natural cleansing process.
• regularly drinking lemon water will help clear your skin. many toxins that build up in your colon find your way out of your body through your skin, resulting in acne breakouts and other allergy skin conditions. lemon water acts as a cleanser for your bowel, washing out toxins before they create any problems.
• lemon water helps with weight loss by acting as a blood sugar stabiliser that keeps your metabolism up (and boosting weight loss).
• lemon water has next to no calories, so it's a no guilt alternative to juice or the evil fizzy drink.
• lemons contain calcium, magnesium and potassium; three essential minerals for your body.
• and lemon juice has been known to relieve the symptoms of asthma.

so, in light of all of that, i went on an op shopping mission to find the following (essential ingredients for making lemon water):

• 1 fruit juicer

• 1 glass pitcher (keep it natural sister, no plastic for me)

• lemons

and what success i had! (i even found a stylised 'good fortune' kanji (japanese character) coaster to put my pitcher on after i've juiced. it was a dollar. i love it)

for one litre of water, juice half a lemon (pick out the seeds, unless you like your juice crunchy) and mix it in. the taste wasn't over powering, but it also wasn't weak enough to put me off (i hate weak drinks, haha).
initially it's a bid odd, but now that i am used to it i really enjoy it!

x