LEMONS – Little bright yellow fruits with tangy juice are the most popular citrus fruits known to mankind. Be it Indian Ayurveda or Italian cuisine, these small fruits are practically a culture themselves.
A native of Asia, uses of lemon are many. It is used extensively to cure physical and mental health conditions. They also are used for culinary purposes across the globe. Although the lemon juice is of prime significance, its pulp and rind are also utilized for various purposes.
Nutritional Value Of Lemon
Lemon is a rich source of various nutrients required by the human body. Its high nutritional value makes it a common ingredient for various remedies.
Nutrients % per 100 gm
- Dietary Fibre – 19%
- Carbohydrates – 4%
- Protein – 2%
- Calories – 1%
Vitamins % per 100 gm
- Vitamin C – 128%
- Vitamin B6 – 5%
- Thiamin – 3%
- Riboflavin – 2%
Mineral % Per 100 gm
- Copper – 13%
- Calcium – 6%
- Iron – 4%
- Potassium – 4%
- Magnesium – 3%
Health Benefits Of Lemon
There are numerous uses of lemon known to manhood since centuries. Some of the benefits have been stated below to help you stay healthier, look more beautiful and simplify certain tasks in your everyday routine.
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Lemon For Health
Regular intake of nutritive value of lemon helps improve overall health; be it physical fitness, mental stability or beauty enhancement.
a) Physical Health
- Helps Digestion: The atomic composition of lemon is same as that of saliva and hydrochloric acid present in digestive juices. Therefore, it enhances the production of bile in the liver, which is required to digest food. It thus flushes out toxins and all the unwanted material from the body, thereby cleansing it. Lemon Juice can treat indigestion, belching, heartburn and bloating naturally.
- Improves Immune System: High content of potassium motivates nerve and brain activities and regulates blood pressure. Vitamin C aids in fighting colds as it contains saponins that exhibit antimicrobial properties. Lemon rind health benefits helps increase iron absorption, thereby increasing immunity. Its anti-inflammatory feature aids in dealing with asthma and various other respiratory problems.
- Stabilizes pH Levels: Lemons though acidic in nature, turn alkaline inside our body. This is because the citric acid and the ascorbic acid present in lemon alkalize the blood once metabolized. Problems occur only when the body pH levels are acidic. Those suffering from acidity problems should drink lemon water daily as it discards acidity and also uric acid from the joints of the body. Thus, resolving pain and swelling of bones. This is one of the best health benefits of lemon water.
- Helps Lose Weight: High percentage of pectin fiber in lemons decreases hunger cravings. As discussed earlier, lemon juice once metabolized turns alkaline in the body. Research has proven that those who adapt a more alkaline diet lose weight faster than the others. Thus, the lemon juice benefits for weight loss is considered to be one of the best.
- Aids Combat Cancer: The presence of vitamin C, a powerful anti-oxidant, in lemons restricts the formation of free radicals that cause cancer.
- Improved Bowel Movement: Increase in peristalsis in the bowels; aids in smooth bowel movement and eliminates waste from the body. Drinking a glass of water with lemon juice increases the peristalsis in the body.
- Gargling with lemon water helps you eradicate bad breath and also acts as a remedy to toothaches and gingivitis.
- Removes Intestinal Worms: Parasites and intestinal worms cannot breed in an alkaline Hence, by drinking lemon juice, you create an inappropriate environment for the worms and hence help our body discard them.
b) Mental Health
- The gentle scent of lemon has a calming effect. Oil with lemon essence is proven to improve concentration and keep individuals alert at work.
- Lemon peel health benefits include remedy to Parkinson’s disease. The skin consists of potent phytonutrient tangeretin that helps cure brain disorders.
c) Beauty
Lemon being a natural antiseptic remedy is an effective cure for various skin related problems. These are some of the lemon juice health benefits.
- Juice of lemon, when applied to the skin acts as a natural remedy to remove tan and relieve sunburn.It also treats bee sting, burns, as it is a cooling agent.
- Lemon juice benefits combined with honey and lukewarm water gives your skin a radiant look
- It also has anti-aging properties and hence can help you get rid of wrinkles and black heads.
- Skin conditions such as Acne and Eczema can easily be resolved with lemon.
- To give your tresses a lustrous look, you could apply lemon juice
- Problems like dandruff, hair loss, etc. can easily be treated with lemon.
- Rub the lemon wedge to brighten your nails
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Lemon For Cooking
- Collect the zest of lemon and freeze it. You can use this in pasta recipes, salad dressings,
- Lemons are preserved by adding salt and added to dishes to give them a tangy flavor.
- Thin strips of lemon rind act as a lovely garnishing ingredient in soups and desserts, such as cheesecakes, ice-creams,
- Lemon rinds and slices are used to garnish various beverages. Dropping a slice of lemon gives your drink a slight tangy flavor.
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Lemon For Everyday Chores
- Lemon being acidic in nature acts as a strong anti-bacterial product. Hence, it is very useful in daily tasks.
- To disinfect a chopping board, you could rub its surface with lemon
- Add few drops of lemon juice to apple pieces or pear pieces. This will avoid the pieces from changing color.
- It helps lighten tea stains on clothes. You just have to drop few drops on the juice on the stain.
- Get all your copperware to shine by rubbing them with a lemon wedge with some salt sprinkled over it.
- Clean your greater with a cut lemon to get rid of sticky food particles such as cheese.
- With lemons, you can make a simple bug spray at home – Simply mix one portion of lemon essential oil to ten portions of carrier oil like the olive oil or sunflower oil. Your bug spray is ready.
Precautions To Be Taken
Although the lemon has plentiful health benefits that can be listed easily, there are a few precautions that one needs to take before consuming this fruit.
- Seeds of citrus fruits are not good and hence should not be consumed. Please remember to discard the seeds of lemon.
- Do not add sugar to lemon juice as it reduces the positive potency of the juice for your health.
- If you do not like the tangy taste lingering in your mouth, you can simply gulp it down in one shot to avoid the feeling.
- Those afraid that lemons might affect their teeth enamel could use a straw to drink lemon juice.
- Lemons should be preserved at room temperature away from direct sunlight
Thus, lemon on the whole, is a blessing for all of us. A glass of water with few drops of lemon juice is an ideal start for a healthy and fit day.
Drink lemon juice daily and share with us how it has improved your health conditions in the box given below.