A micro-nutritionist sheds light on the real effects of this habit shared by many people.
Ultra popular food, lemon”is one of the foods that I can easily recommend” supports micro-nutritionist Angélique Houlbert. It is often recommended to drink the juice in a glass of water to start the day. But what effects on health? Is it really good? For our interlocutor, yes. “Drinking water with lemon juice in the morning helps hydrate people who do not drink enough water.” replies our interlocutor. Dehydration can manifest as dizziness, headaches or even fatigue. Flavor your water with lemon allows you to make these moments ofhydration for people who don’t think about it enough.
Another important benefit, lemon is very rich in vitamin C : a vitamin that acts as a natural defense by stimulating energy, which allows you to better assimilate iron and which promotes skin health by fighting against premature aging since it helps to produce collagen. Lemon also contains phenolic and flavonoid acids giving it properties anti-inflammatoriesantimicrobial and antioxidants : “We use it on apples, bananas, artichokes and even avocados to prevent them from oxidizing in the open air, lemon is therefore an antioxidant that we can also benefit from” argues the micro-nutritionist without forgetting that “The flavonoids present in lemon have antioxidant properties which help protect the cells of our body”.
The right way to drink it
The caloric density of lemon is also very low, it can be consumed as desired without having any impact on weight gain. It even allows you to lower the overall glycemic index of a meal and facilitate digestion : “Lemon has organic acids like citric acid for example. Each time we add acids to our diet, we improve digestion. For people who don’t make enough of them, it’s interesting because the stomach is supposed to produce hydrochloric acid to assimilate proteins”, adds Angélique Houlbert. Drinking lemon juice in the morning will improve digestion of breakfast while giving a good boost to start the day.
Lemon is ideal “to flavor still water or sparkling water, I of course recommend it in the morning but also lunchtime or evening“, specifies Angélique Houlbert. Be careful, however, to drink it cold rather than hot because “vitamin C is thermosensitive. If we take lemon juice in hot water, for example in tea, we will lose vitamin C. On the other hand, organic acids likecitric acid will always be present despite the heat. Finally, it is just as interesting to use it in culinary preparations : “It can be put in a vinaigrette, on raw vegetables, on a fish fillet, in a fruit salad or even on a dessert” concludes the micro-nutritionist.
Thanks to Angélique Houlbert, micro-nutritionist and author of “100 GI foods at will” published by Thierry Souccar.