How do you start your morning? According to Ayurvedic tradition, starting your day with a glass of warm water flavored with fresh-squeezed lemon juice can give your health and your wellbeing a boost. Let’s take a look at why this simple beverage may be the best way to get your day going.
1. Begin With Hydration
Many of us start off the day with coffee, and leave water for lunchtime or even later in the day. While recent trends in hydration have suggested that coffee works just as well as water when it comes to keeping your body hydrated, you still may not be drinking enough fluids during the day.
Or, you may personally feel more refreshed by water than by other drinks. Either way, starting off with a glass of water and lemon may give you a hydration boost that leaves you feeling awake and healthy.
2. Jump Start Digestive Health
The Ayurvedic philosophy that suggests drinking lukewarm water with lemon juice highlights the effect on the digestive system.
The water and acidity are said to stimulate the intestines and get it going in the morning.
This is, at least in part, supported by Western medicine, as well – dehydration is a factor in constipation, at the very least, so making sure that you start your day well-hydrated is a good way to ensure the proper functioning of your digestive system.
3. Benefits of Vitamin C
Lemons are rich in vitamin C, which has countless positive effects on the body. You use vitamin C to build proteins that keep your skin and connective tissues in working order, as well as to heal cuts, scrapes, and bruises.
Vitamin C is also important for maintaining healthy bones and teeth. While the issue of vitamin C and immune function is one of much contention, there is some evidence that people who take vitamin C supplements on a regular basis have milder symptoms and shorter colds.
4. Antioxidant Effects
Vitamin C is also a powerful antioxidant. Starting your day off with a glass of warm water and lemon can help give your body the materials it needs to fight off free radicals and protect itself from heart disease, cancer, and chronic illness. Antioxidants may also help reduce effects of aging, like wrinkled and blemished skin.
Ready to Try It?
If you’d like to start your day off with a glass of warm water and lemon, start with fresh, purified water.
Heat it until it’s just lukewarm; you’re not making tea, just warming the water slightly.
Add the juice and pulp of a whole lemon, being careful to avoid the seeds. If this is too sour for you, reduce the amount of lemon juice rather than adding a sweetener.
Ayurvedic tradition recommends drinking your warm water and lemon beverage first thing in the morning, on an empty stomach.
Have you tried drinking warm water and lemon juice in the morning? Share your experience in the comments section!
sources:
- https://www.mayoclinic.com/health/caffeinated-drinks/AN01661
- https://www.yogajournal.com/health/859
- https://www.nature.com/ejcn/journal/v57/n2s/full/1601907a.html
- https://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/002404.htm
- https://www.webmd.com/healthy-aging/features/anti-aging-diet