Lemons: Tart and Nutritious!

We all know about the Vitamin C benefit of lemons, but what else are these golden fruits good for? You’d be surprised; lemons are actually packed full of delicious goodness, which is why they’ve been such an important part of diets all over the world for centuries. The number one reason to include lemons in your daily diet is to aid digestion. Compounds found in citrus fruits help to stimulate your liver and helps to raise acidity levels in the stomach to help digest food more thoroughly for better absorption of nutrients. The Vitamin C content of lemons can also help prevent peptic ulcers. Vitamin C is considered an antioxidant, something we all know is good for a variety of health reasons. Besides helping to support your immune system, it can act as an anti-inflammatory agent and can help people with respiratory issues. Lemons also contain saponins, which may help to boost your immune systems defence against the common cold and flu. The antioxidant effect of lemons is also a benefit to the exterior of the body, primarily by helping to give clearer skin. By combating free radical damage to the skin, such as UV or toxin exposure, lemons can help reduce the signs of aging. You can also apply lemon juice directly to the skin to reduce the appearance of scars and age spots. By also including lemons (or lemon juice) to your diet you can help to remove toxins from the body to promote clearer, blemish-free skin. If you’re prone to kidney stones you’ll be glad to know that the citric acid in lemons can help reduce calcium deposits, which can lead to stones. For those who are keen on getting in shape, lemons offer an abundance of electrolytes to help speed recovery after exercising. Some studies have also indicated that the citrus pectin and limonoids found in lemons can also slow the growth of cancer cells and even promote cell death. So how does one eat lemons? The best way is to brew up a jug of lemon water; slice one or two lemons reasonably thin, then cover with water and leave at room temperature (or refrigerate). Rather than reaching for regular water, grab the lemony version instead! You can also get creative by adding cucumber slices or fresh fruit to your water. Squeeze fresh lemon juice on your salads and other prepared meals. And don’t forget the lemon peel! Use a microplane zester to easily add the yellow peel to many dishes to get a potent lemon flavor without the bitterness of the pith (the white part of the rind). Enjoy!