Health Benefits of Lemon Juice

Lemon Juice Health Benefits for pH Balance, Acne, Skin Conditions, Melasma, Cleansing and Weight Loss.

In my work as a nutritionist, many people often ask me about the health benefits of lemon juice. There are many misconceptions about this citrus fruit, and I decided to write an article to clear them up.

Health Benefits of Lemon Juice for pH Balance

One of the most remarkable health benefits of lemon juice is its ability to balance pH. pH is a measure of acidity. pH ranges from 0 to 14; 0 is the most acidic, 14 is the most alkaline. For the purposes of health, you should eat and drink foods that maintain what is referred to as neutral acidity, 7.

While lemon juice has a pH of 2.3, after being ingested it alkalizes the blood and body tissues. It is a common misperception that because lemon juice has an acidic pH it is acid forming in the body. It actually has the opposite alkalizing effect. What causes pH imbalance? Many people are too acidic from eating diets heavy in meats, refined grains, and dairy products. Often a person doesn't know if their pH balance is off, but they may feel the effects in the form of mystery aches and pains, arthritis or gout. Most fruits and vegetables have an alkalizing effect on the body and lemon juice is one of the best.

The health benefits of lemon juice associated with this alkalizing effect is improving most forms of arthritis. Arthritis pain is due in part to crystallized mineral deposits in joint tissue and uric acid in the blood. Lemon juice dissolves these deposits and helps to rid the body of excess uric acid. The result is less body pain. Lemon juice is particularly good for osteo-arthritis and gout.

Lemon Juice for Weight Loss

Lemons are excellent for weight loss. They contain the nutrient Choline which is a lipotropic. That means it helps your body break down fats. As the Choline in the lemon juice breaks down fats, it converts to energy, removes fats from the liver, and works as a detoxifier.

All of these are hidden but excellent benefits of lemon juice which often result in weight loss as the body is detoxified. Many people use the lemon juice maple syrup diet, also known as the lemon juice detox, to cleanse their bodies, purify the liver, and lose weight in a safe and natural way.

It is an excellent cleanse to do several times a year for detoxification, purification and weight loss. You don't need to do a full lemon detox to get the benefits of weight loss though. Just one lemon a day can also achieve dramatic effects.

Lemon Juice for Melasma and Skin Health

Lemon juice is oftentimes used as a beauty treatment. Lemon juice aids in detoxifying organ systems such as the liver which can improve skin health. Without all those nasty toxins, the body is cleaner. This naturally improves complexion.

More benefits of lemon juice for beauty include lessening blackheads and brightening skin. You can also use lemon juice for Melasma, a skin condition that shows as an area of darker skin that often appears on the face. How to use lemon juice for Melasma or other skin issues? Apply lemon juice to a cotton pad and gently dab it on your face at night as a natural astringent. Then rinse in the morning. This can greatly reduce acne, melasma spots and improve skin complexions.

Nutrients in Lemon Juice

Another one of the health benefits of lemon juice is its extensive nutrition profile. Lemon juice is rich in Vitamin C, Folic acid, Potassium, Vitamin A, and Choline. Lemon juice is also a great source of bioflavonoids. Lemon Bioflavonoids help with bruising by making tiny blood vessels called capillaries stronger. They also reduce allergies, hemorrhoids, and varicose veins.

Many people have heard that sailors of olden times utilized lemon juice for its vitamin C content. They used lemons as a source of vitamin C to prevent scurvy and support healthy immune function. In just one ounce of lemon juice, there are 14 milligrams of Vitamin C, 23% of recommended intake. I figure its hard enough to be a sailor without having a cold or flu. Lemon juice was a welcome addition.

One ounce of lemon juice has around 38 milligrams of Potassium. Potassium is beneficial for heart health and muscles. Potassium reduces muscle aches and cramps. Anyone who has ever gotten a leg cramp knows how painful they can be. The remedy could be as simple as drinking a glass of lemon water every day.

How to Get the Lemon Juice Health Benefits

You can get the health benefits of lemon juicing by adding a lemon to your daily juicing program. It can be juiced with a manual juicer, an electric juicer, or even by hand. Add it to your fruit juice or smoothie. Another way to get the health benefits of lemon juice is to make a glass of lemon water. It's easy and only takes a minute.

To make a glass of lemon water, juice a lemon, ideally organic, and add the juice to 8-12 ounces of water. If you want to make it sweeter, add a teaspoon of raw honey. This combination has a low impact on blood sugar and a great impact on health.

I hope this page helped you realize all the great health benefits of lemon juice. I make a regular habit of drinking a glass of lemon water every day and it makes me feel great. Lemons are naturally juicy. All it takes is one lemon a day to get loads of benefits. Enjoy.

Earlier we mentioned lemon juice benefits for pH balancing.
For a complete pH definition and more information on improving your health through balancing your pH check out: http://www.improving-health-and-energy.com/ph-definition.html.

Related Lemon Juice Pages:

Lemon Juice Overview
Benefits of Lemon Juice
Lemon Juice Detox
Lemon Juice and Tooth Enamel