With baseball season beginning I need to ensure that my kids are well hydrated before, during and after games. We try to stay away from Gatorade and Vitamin waters because they have added sugars and artificials colors which the kids don’t need. Sometimes instead of giving the kids plain water in a squirt bottle, we make up a big batch of lemon water. It’s still cool, refreshing and gives their drink a little extra flavor that goes a long way.
Lemons have amazing benefits that many of us might not realize. Lemons are good for hydration and have phytochemicals (nutrition) that our body craves. As you begin drinking it you will find your body begins to crave it. Unlike other citrus fruits, lemon and lime do NOT contain sugar, so while lemons are pre-digestively acidic, they are post digestively alkaline, which will help with your pH balance. It also appears to soften the some of “the gunk” that builds up in your organs and allows it to flush through. Most of our American diets are TOO acidic and we need to bring our PH balance back to normal by adding alkaline foods. (I’ll explain acid vs. alkaline diets in a future blog) A few other interesting facts…
- We are supposed to receive minerals from our food and our water. Today our water is so degraded there has been a decline in the nutrition of water.
- When we drink water our body should hold onto the water, break down the molecular structure as it absorbs the nutrition. If our body is too acidic or not performing as it should water will go straight through, meaning we drink it and less than an hour goes by and we urinate.
- When we add lemon or lime to our water, our body has phytochemical nutrition. During the process of holding onto the water to absorb this nutrition, our body has MORE TIME to break down the molecular structure and hydrate our cells
- We have 20 different cell sizes, if we don’t breakdown our water small enough, our cells cannot hydrate, thus urination right after drinking.
- Dehydration is one of the major reasons of overacidification. (Deficits in hydration, nutrition, and too much incoming acid.)
Lemons Fun Facts
One of the most effectice cold remedies known is made from lemon: Start with a pint of raw honey over very low heat. Chop a whole lemon into a bit of water in a separate pan, warming for two to three minutes. Add that to the honey, warming for about an hour then strain out the lemon bits and seeds. Cool the mixture, seal in a jar with a lid and refrigerate for up to two months.
To soothe a cough: give 1/2 tsp. for a 25 lb. child, 1 tsp. for a 50 lb. child, or 1 Tbsp. for adults, about 4 times a day or as often as needed.
If you are one of those people who are trying to cut the regular or diet soda habit, try switching out one of your normal daily drinks with a glass of water with real lemon. You might just find out how much your body thrives on the nutrition it will be receiving.
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