13 Refreshing Health Benefits of Lemon Water Detox

Lemon water detox is part of a cleansing diet that has been popular even among celebrities. Due to this fact, controversy also appeared. However, one cannot deny the contribution of lemon water to the overall health.

Despite its high usage as an aid in diets, the lemon water detox can do plenty for your body and mood. Here are 13 refreshing health benefits that it has, together with some interesting studies.

Precautions for Using Lemon Water Detox

Dr. Joy DuBost was quoted in an article for Healthline saying that:

The so-called ‘lemon detox’ or ‘master cleanse’ diets serve no real purpose other than to starve your body of necessary nutrients. The idea of resting your body from digestion is ridiculous.

Health conditions which are not well suited to long periods of fasting, like diabetes, do not do well with this approach. Among the drawbacks and notes of caution are the lack of necessary protein, calories and other nutrients for healthy organ and body function.

In order to reap the benefits of any detox including this lemon detox, you need to be sure that you are still getting your fill of daily vitamins and nutrients into your diet. If you don’t, the whole idea of a detox will be something that is purposeless and not beneficial. 

13 Effects of Hydrating Your Body with Lemon Water Detox

1. Balances pH

One of the lemon water detox benefits that will catch your attention right away is its ability to balance your body’s pH.

What to do:

• Simple lemon infused water includes 2 sliced lemons in ½ gallon of water (64 oz.).
• Allow it to sit overnight and keep it at room temperature throughout the day.
• Consume an 8 to 10 oz. glass of the infused water when you get out of bed.
• Drink another glass before and after each meal.

How it works:

Though lemons contain citric acid, they metabolize as alkaline. Therefore, regular lemon water consumption brings your body’s pH close to a 7 on the pH scale. A balanced pH has been shown to prevent most major health conditions.

It is a good idea to try and drink lemon infused water at least once a day. If you are someone who does not like the taste of water, to begin with, then infusing your water with lemon and carrying it around in a water bottle with you throughout your day is the perfect way to not only detox your body but to keep hydrated as well. 

2. Heals Your Skin

You can obtain healthier skin and skin tissue by mixing lemon water with cucumbers.

What to do:

• Add a sliced cucumber to your lemon infused water in order to get a little different flavor and the added benefits of cucumbers for your skin.
• Drink this infused water before and after meals as well.

How it works:

The vitamin C and antioxidants found in lemons help to revitalize and maintain healthy skin tissue.

Unless your body has water retention issues, one of the best times to drink this solution is usually before and after meals, but right before bed too. By doing so right before that, you will wake up feeling a little bit more refreshed and ready to start your day. After consistently keeping up with this habit, you will be able to pick up on this change in your skin as well. 

3. Improves Digestion

A lemon water detox can also help improve digestion.

What to do:

• Slice a piece of ginger root about ½ the length of your thumb and add it to the lemons and water.
• You might want to add 1 tbsp of honey too.
• Drink this mixture before and after meals.

How it works:

The antioxidants of lemons and their pH balancing function helps to maintain the proper stomach acid balance and the addition of ginger gives the drink a soothing effect.

After repeated use, you will notice that daily tasks such as using the bathroom and bowel movements will be a lot healthier and a lot more beneficial to your body’s system. Over time, you should notice that your stools are a lot healthier in both their appearance and odor as well. 

4. Balances Blood Sugar

Balancing blood sugar is another excellent reason to try the lemon water detox, and enjoy a fruit smoothie.

What to do:

• Consider adding a handful of blueberries, strawberries or raspberries to your infused lemon water.
• Use this as your go to drink in place of an energy drink.

How it works:

Lemons can reduce the glycemic impact of a meal on your blood sugar levels by up to thirty percent. The added berries are very low on the glycemic index as well.

5. Boosts Immunity

Another reason to get excited about a lemon water detox is in the way that it helps boost your immunity.

What to do:

• Add a couple of sticks of cinnamon to your lemon infused water.
• Don’t use ground cinnamon as it has a tendency to clump.

How it works:

Lemons help your body to absorb more iron. This is a major contributor to maintaining a proper immune function. The addition of cinnamon adds a circulatory stimulant that prevents infections.

In addition to that, when your body is able to absorb more iron, you will feel less tired throughout the day. People who deal with anemia will typically be lacking iron in their system. By trying out this method, you help your body not only increase its iron levels, but your body will be able to digest and use the iron more efficiently too. 

6. Lowers Cholesterol

You can hardly beat a lemon water detox when it comes to looking for an aid to lowering your cholesterol.

What to do:

• Add ½ of a moderately spicy chili pepper into your lemon water fusion.
• You can also add powdered cayenne pepper. But it is very difficult to keep it from clumping if you don’t mix it with syrup or honey first.

How it works:

Lemons help to remove the lipids in your liver and blood stream and prevent it from clogging your arteries, which is the real drawback of having high cholesterol. The capsaicin in chili peppers gives cleansing your arteries an extra boost.

7. Gets Rid of Puffy Eyes

No one likes puffiness around the eyes. A lemon water detox gets you rid of puffy eyes with this recipe you can prepare within minutes.

What to do:

• Just as you did with its cousin above, add sliced turmeric root to your lemon water infusion.
• Powdered turmeric (curry) really doesn’t mix well without clumping.

How it works:

Lemons help your body to cleanse itself of retained fluids and waters which cause edema and also puffy eyes. Turmeric is an excellent anti-inflammatory agent.

After repeated use, you can look forward to your eyes losing their general puffiness in the morning. If you are someone who does not deal with water retention, then drinking this mix before you go to bed can be a great way to help improve the puffiness under your eyes.

8. Helps Get Rid of Urinary Tract Infections (UTI’s)

You can get rid of the burning, inflammation and pain of a UTI or prevent them with a lemon water detox.

What to do:

• Add 1 tsp of whole cloves into your lemon water infusion.
• Again, powdered cloves tend to clump.
• You can use star anise instead if you like the flavor of licorice.

How it works:

Lemons act as a diuretic and help to flush toxins from your body. That includes your bladder and urinary tract. Additionally, the pH balancing properties we mentioned earlier help discourage bacterial growth. Either of the two added spices work to give bacteria killing a boost.

9. Liver Protector

A lemon water detox can also improve liver function and prevent fatty liver disease.

What to do:

• Besides your lemons infused in water, you might consider adding 2 to 3 tbsp of apple cider vinegar.
• With the addition of the vinegar, you’ll probably also want to add a couple of tbsp of honey as well.

How it works:

As we just mentioned, because lemons act as a diuretic and help flush toxins out of your body, they do wonders for your liver, especially to get rid of lipids which build up and cause fatty liver disease. Apple cider vinegar gives lemon an added boost.

10. Freshens Breath

The lemon water detox ensures you with fresh breath and eliminates mouth bacteria.

What to do:

• Add 8 to 10 whole mint leaves to your lemon water infusion.
• Throw in a couple of sliced black cherries as well.

How it works:

Lemons help kill the bacteria that cause bad breath, tooth decay and gum disease. So you’re not just getting fresher breath, you’re getting a cleaner mouth.

11. Boosts Energy

Lemon water detox has a unique ability to give you a sustained energy boost.

What to do:

• Add 2 tbsp of aloe vera gel to your lemon infusion mixture.
• You can slice the broken off shoot of an aloe vera plant long-wise and push the gel out of it with your thumb.

How it works:

The zip of lemon water helps encourage hydration, which is an energy booster on its own. But the added electrolytes from the lemons add a little extra pep as well. Aloe vera is well known as an energy boosting aid.

12. Fights Wrinkles

You can enjoy an anti-aging diet just by including this lemon water detox in it.

What to do:

• Another great addition to your lemon infused water are 2 to 3 green tea bags.

How it works:

Lemons help encourage collagen production and make your skin more elastic. But it also helps to get rid of the free radicals in your blood that tend to slow your body’s organs down. Green tea adds some additional antioxidants which prevent some of the diseases common with aging.

13. Aids in Weight Loss

A lemon water detox is an effective weight loss aid as well.

What to do:

• Choose a few mixtures or recipes that you like and alternate them in order to stay encouraged.
• Drink your infused lemon water 10 to 15 minutes before moderate meals and after them as well.
• If you incorporate a fasting component, avoid going more than 24 hours at a time without eating any food.

How it works:

Drinking warm lemon water before and after meals helps you stay satiated and curbs your appetite. Additionally, flushing out toxins and getting the most out of the nutrients you consume helps control cravings.

So, What Is the Lemon Water Detox?

The lemon water or master cleanse detox, was a specifically designed recipe and a liquid diet fad made popular by such celebrities as Beyonce and Jared Leto, a few years ago.

The recipe included a mixture of:

• 2 tbsp of lemon juice;
• 2 tbsp of Grade B Maple syrup;
• 1/10 tsp of cayenne pepper;
• All in an 8 oz. glass of warm water.

This mixture was consumed 6 to 12 times per day for ten days without eating any other food during that time. Different versions with time variations were added later. But the general idea was still the liquid detoxification dieting model.

We are not promoting this master cleanse diet plan. But we are looking at the benefits of drinking four to six glasses (8-10 oz.) of lemon water on a daily basis as a way to help detox your body. It should be in conjunction with a diet of moderation and exercise.

Detox Thoughts

These 13 refreshing lemon water detox benefits are nothing to sneeze at. When you consider the simplicity of what you’re doing by infusing lemons in water and consuming it on a regular basis, it makes you wonder why you didn’t think to start this treatment years ago.

Try out the variety of the recipes to help improve your health. Don’t forget to comment about the lemon water detox you’ve experienced in the comments below.

Images from depositphotos.com.