Elaine Vermaas

Five Reasons Why You Should Include Lemons in Your Diet Lemons contain vitamin C, fibre and other nutrients that have been found to protect and support systemic functioning. Listed below are just five of the health benefits you can expect just by adding whole lemons to your diet. Lower Your Risk of Developing Cardio-Vascular Disease If we are honest with ourselves, we would admit that in today’s fast-paced world, our poor eating habits are the reason why cardiovascular disease is on the rise. Convenience foods are often lacking in the nutritional value that our bodies need to remain healthy. Research has shown that additional vitamin C, fibre and plant compounds, all found in a healthy balanced diet, reduces the risk of heart disease and lowers total cholesterol that can lead to plaque build-up in your arteries. Maintaining A Healthy Body Mass Index We often see or hear of people on a weight loss regime, drinking large amounts of lemon juice and water. They say it does aid them in their quest, but researchers are not convinced. Soluble pectin fibre is known to expand in your stomach making you feel full, but whole lemons are not often used when making these drinks. Therefore, using the lemon pulp would be far more beneficial. When you increase your water intake, your body burns more calories, which is the reason for the greater reduction in weight. Either way, a refreshing cold glass of lemon-infused water can only be a good thing. Keeping Your Kidneys Stone Free Your kidneys extract waste from your body and need to be healthy to perform this function. Adding lemons to your diet can reduce the risk of developing kidney stones. Citric acid prevents the build-up of waste products crystallizing and forming these painful stones, by increasing the volume of urine and it’s PH levels. Drinking around 125ml of lemon juice a day can protect against stone formation. Drinking this daily can also prevent recurrent episodes or chronic kidney stones. Assists with Iron Absorption Your red blood cells carry oxygen to every part of your body. These cells need iron to this. If your red cell count is low, you will experience fatigue amongst other health issues. Our intestines absorb iron from meat products with ease, but not from plant-based foods. This is where lemons can help. The citric acid and vitamin C from lemons help your body absorb iron. Consuming enough nutrients from lemons makes sure you are getting full benefits from all iron-rich foods that you consume. The Big C While more research is needed, some scientists have found in animal studies that citrus fruits reduced the growth of cancer cells, which means lemons, together with all the other positive health benefits they offer, are probably also beneficial as a prophylactic against abnormal cell growth. So, stock up on lemons when you do your next grocery shop and save those seeds! You could plant and grow your own supply of juicy lemons. Even if you aren’t the biggest fan of this sour citrus fruit, there are tons of ways to incorporate it into your diet.