When lemons give you life...

It is perhaps the simplest ADD-IN of all, so why don't we all do it?

The ancient healing tradition of Ayurveda has been recommending starting your day with a glass of warm lemon water for thousands of years.  The benefits of this precious little drink are well documented and experienced - are you ready to upgrade your life?

Start with a glass of room temperature or warm filtered (or, even better, spring) water.  Slice a fresh organic lemon and squeeze the juice into your cup, being careful to catch the seeds.  (This daily practice led me to discover one of my top three favorite kitchen tools, my stainless steel citrus squeezer, which now I cannot live without).

So how do lemons give us life?

1. Raw lemon juice is filled with living enzymes that help us digest and assimilate the food and drink we take in throughout the day.  Since we are what we eat, eating raw living foods such as lemon juice makes us feel more alive.

2. Lemons are one of the most alkalizing foods we can put into the body.  While outside of the body, lemons are acidic, once they are metabolized, they actually create alkalinity in the body.  Alkaline-forming foods help to maintain balance.  Most people are too acidic (from eating too much meat, dairy, refined sugar and grains), and drinking warm lemon water helps reduce overall acidity, drawing uric acid from the joints, which in turn, reduces pain and inflammation.

3. Lemons promote detoxification and weight loss. When you drink warm lemon water, the heat of the water causes the permeable intestinal wall to expand, allowing the lemon to pass into the lymph, where it assists in drawing out toxins (often stored in the fat cells) and allowing them to pass out of the body.  Lemon juice also stimulates bile production, improving overall digestion and nutrient assimilation.

4. Lemons boost your immune system. Depending on the size of your lemons, your daily lemon water practice is adding in half to three-quarters of the daily recommended dose of 60 milligrams of vitamin C.  Think of this morning ritual as a winter cold and flu-fighting strategy.  Lemons also have antifungal, antiviral, anticancer, antioxidant, and antiseptic properties.  

5. The mere scent of lemons has a positive, invigorating effect on the body.  Before you discard that lemon rind, take a sniff!  Aromatically, lemons promote upliftment and physical energy.  You can even rub the rind on your wrist and take some of the energizing scent with you throughout the day!