“There is confusion between saying a food is alkaline/acidic or alkalizing/acidifying.”
Lemon juice is essential for health. “Source of vitamin C, lemon can help strengthen the immune system and help fight infections” immediately recalls Oriane Diguet, naturopath, reflexologist in Paris and member of the Medoucine network. “It also provides pigments with strong antioxidant powers which provide us with an anti-aging effect and a fresh complexion” without forgetting that it helps digest fats “but “does not prevent the body from storing them”.
Lemon is one of the most acidic fruits commonly found, with a pH typically between 2 and 3. It contains a relatively high concentration ofcitric acid, which gives it its characteristic taste and tangy flavor. Despite this, lemon has alkalizing properties. “On the palate, lemon is acidic, that’s undeniable”recognizes Oriane Diguet but “There is confusion between saying that this food is alkaline/acidic or alkalizing/acidifying. A food can be acidic, like lemon, and have an acidifying or alkalizing end result. It will depend on what your body is manages to do it.”
This is because once metabolized in the body, lemon has an alkalizing effect, meaning it produces alkaline substances that help balance the body’s pH. This is why it is often recommended in alkaline diets to maintain the body’s acid-base balance. “Acid-forming foods generate acidic metabolites which disrupt the performance of certain physiological reactions, notably the production of energy” continues the naturopath. “Alkalizing foods generate neutral compounds (carbonates and bicarbonates). The body can then draw on these resources to neutralize acidity.”
To understand better, let’s put ourselves in the place of a lemon. Lemon contains a lot of citric acid (acidic element) 50g/L and minerals 0.1g/L (alkaline element). “At the level of the digestive system, the intake of a large quantity of citric acid into the intestine generates temporary metabolic acidosis. If you have good energetic, physiological capacity and sufficient mineral reserves your body will manage it easily.” We will then have a slightly alkalizing effect. “But if a person is weakened (stress, fatigue, etc.), the body will encounter difficulty in quickly compensating for metabolic acidosis.” As a result, we will move from an alkalizing food to an acidifying food!
In the morning on an empty stomach
“Preferably use an organic lemon and squeeze half of it, suggests the therapist. It is advisable to drink it in the morning on an empty stomach because its effect is almost non-existent in the middle of the day on a full stomach. Take water at room temperature so that the body does not have to transform it Finally, to enhance the lemon juice, you can add ginger, spices (pepper, turmeric, chili pepper) to stimulate digestion or mint leaves. bring freshness in summer!” However, it is important to note that lemon, due to its acidity, “can become irritating to the digestive sphere, particularly when you have gastric or intestinal sensitivity. The idea is to do 1-month cures, to be repeated twice a year, once in summer and once in autumn, or occasionally on the day after holidays.