my morning drink

hey there.  i wanted to share one of the things i started doing in my daily routine that has been really great.  several months ago, i had been thinking of things i could do to help support my immune system in preparation for the cold and flu season (if you don't already know this i am a major norophobe!).  i had seen some stuff floating around about all the benefits of drinking warm lemon water first thing in the morning, on an empty stomach.  when i have a cold i often drink lemon/honey tea (not a tea bag but actual fresh lemon juice in water with honey) and sometimes i add in some apple cider vinegar.  i had read in several different places that drinking warm lemon tea first thing in the morning could help curb one's sugar cravings, help aid in digestion, help cause weight loss, help to fight off cold viruses, keep skin healthy, assist the liver in detoxing, and a myriad of other benefits.

so, i decided to try it.  i wasn't sure that just by drinking lemon tea every morning it would help with all of those things, but i did think it would be a good way to ease my stomach into being ready for breakfast and get an extra dose of vitamin C.

and what i have found out is that it actually has helped with my acid reflux a bit, i feel like that in combination with some other things i'm doing i have been able to ward off having lots of colds like last year.  and perhaps the most noticeable of all is that i have been craving sugar less.  i have a wicked sweet tooth and have been known to take down an entire betty crocker sheet cake by myself over the span of a couple days.  i still enjoy sweets, and if i eat some, then i will crave more.  but, overall, when i am drinking my lemon/honey tea in the mornings, i don't start off craving something sweet.  and i also notice that my skin is more hydrated and clear in combination with my skincare routine, when i drink this concoction every morning.  so far i have been a fan.

just as a a caveat, i didn't take the time personally to go through PubMed to review all of the literature about lemon/citrus benefits on health.  but i did find this post, which links to literature and studies and the benefits shown include: citric acid's ability to help body flush out toxins (enhance body's enzyme function and stimulate liver); improving digestion (citrus flavonoids support the HCl in the stomach during digestion, and also if you add zest of the peel it can help improve the good bacteria in your gut); alkalize your body (reducing the acidity within the body which may have benefits such as an increase in bone and muscle health and reduction in hypertension); appetite suppressant (from the pectin in the lemons, but more research is needed); keep skin healthy (vitamin C is a powerful antioxidant which counteracts the effects of free-radical damage/reverse the collagen breakdown which keeps your skin plump and better able to ward off toxins from absorbing into the skin).  of course, more research is needed in a lot of these cases, but these initial results are promising.  wooohooo!

also, citric acid can be harmful to tooth enamel if you ingest pure citric acid all the time, so you should mix the lemon juice with water, and keep an eye on how your teeth are doing.

but go ahead and try drinking lemon water/tea consistently and see if it makes a difference in your body!  and then let me know what benefits you experience.