Can Drinking Lemon Water Really Help You Lose Weight?
Do you enjoy drinking water with lemon? The Instagram and “wellness experts” swear it boosts metabolism, eliminate toxins and help you lose weight.
Although lemon is great at helping you achieve your health goals, it’s not a substitute for working out or losing weight. “It’s not going to burn fat by any stretch of the imagination,” mentions Karen Ansel, R.D.N., author of Healing Superfoods for Anti-Aging: Stay Younger, Live Longer.
Although lemon by itself, won’t make a significant impact on your life, it’s a great step in the right direction. Making a slight change to your daily life will help improve your overall health. There is a little glimmer of hope that on its own, the water part of the equation may indirectly help your pounds-off efforts. “Drinking 16 ounces of water or more before a meal has shown to help with weight loss,” Ansel says.
One study done by the Obesity journal found that obese adults who drank that much before a meal lost 2.8 pounds over the course of 12 weeks than those that did not. It’s possible that the water made the participates more full before they ate, which equates to eating less. However, adding lemon won’t make a significant impact by itself, however, paired with consuming more water, you’ll have a better chance at living a healthier lifestyle.
Lemon is a Kickstarter for a Healthy Lifestyle
A healthy lifestyle starts with better life habits. By putting lemon in your water, you’re probably consciously aware of what you’re consuming each day. True, lemons have nutrients in them, like vitamin c. But even half a lemon in water won’t really change your body’s vitamin status much. It takes small steps to get to your overall goal.
So if you aren’t too particular with the taste of water, use lemon to help boost your daily intake. Just be sure to chase your morning glass with a water rise because lemon is very acidic and can eat away at your tooth enamel. Erosive foods and drinks can weaken tooth enamel. It’s important to brush within 30 minutes to remove some of the acid in your mouth. Otherwise, enjoy all the lemon and water you want!