Hot Water & Lemon

atamrowski
atamrowski Posts: 417 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Trying a new morning ritual since I've read many health benefits: Upon waking, I'm drinking hot water with juice of half a lemon and letting the lemon sit in the water. I know water and lemon is good for you but not sure I understand the reason behind "hot/warm" water and "first thing in the morning" thing.

Does anyone know why this is? (other than the obvious. I'm more interested in why in the morning and why hot/warm).
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Replies

  • mzjessicaxo
    mzjessicaxo Posts: 330 Member
    Well ice cold water actually burns calories heating it up. The lemon in warm water is like a detox, the acidity will increase your metabolism and jump-start your day :)
  • WinnerVictorious
    WinnerVictorious Posts: 4,733 Member
    hot water + lemon is not any better for you than cold water + lime or warm water + orange or any other combination of water temperature and citrus fruits.

    water is good for you because your body needs it for many metabolic/chemical processes.

    citrus fruits contain nutrients, just like any other food.

    drinking cold water vs. hot water has a negligible affect on your overall daily calorie burn.

    there is no such thing as nor neccessity for a detox (unless you go to a doctor for a life-threatening issue such as heavy metal poisoning). water + lemon will not make your liver and kidneys perform any better.

    you do not need to jump-start your metabolism in the morning and citric acid has no effect on your metabolism.

    drink the hot water and lemon if you like it. maybe add some tea and sugar to it. but it performs no other function than any other beverage, metabolically speaking.
  • TR0berts
    TR0berts Posts: 7,739 Member
    Trying a new morning ritual since I've read many health benefits: Upon waking, I'm drinking hot water with juice of half a lemon and letting the lemon sit in the water. I know water and lemon is good for you but not sure I understand the reason behind "hot/warm" water and "first thing in the morning" thing.

    Does anyone know why this is? (other than the obvious. I'm more interested in why in the morning and why hot/warm).


    Because whomever told you that either lied to you or doesn't know what they're talking about. If you like the taste, great. If not, then don't bother. You don't get enough benefit from that little bit of lemon juice to do any real good.
  • yoshna
    yoshna Posts: 69
    Lemons are actually very alkaline in the body, so they're really good for the ol' digestive system - foods that are acidic in the body (inc. dairy, meat, most grains and so on - in fact, a LOT of what we eat!) cause mucus production, and too much of this will cause mucus build up, so everything slows down and gets a bit sticky and stuck, to put it not too graphically! Putting more alkaline foods into your body (lemons are AWESOME, as are any green vegetables) helps to rebalance acid-alkaline levels and let things move more healthily.

    As far as I'm aware, warm water rather than cold is because it's less of a shock to the system, especially first thing in the morning, so it lets your body wake up nice and gently before you start chucking food into it.
  • MinnieInMaine
    MinnieInMaine Posts: 6,400 Member
    Hot water with lemon is good because it acts as a natural diuretic (helps reduce water retention) and it also aids digestion so if you have a hard time getting things moving in the morning, this can help. There are a lot of claims about helping with weight loss, detoxing the liver, etc but I'm not seeing any reputable sites with more info so I'm not so sure about all that.
  • endoftheside
    endoftheside Posts: 568 Member
    Some people's digestive processes (ahem) are aided by drinking something warm first thing in the morning, and lemon makes it more palatable for those abstaining from caffeine.
  • WinnerVictorious
    WinnerVictorious Posts: 4,733 Member
    Some people's digestive processes (ahem) are aided by drinking something warm first thing in the morning, and lemon makes it more palatable for those abstaining from caffeine.

    surely, you can back up a statement such as that with a scientific explanation, right?
  • atamrowski
    atamrowski Posts: 417 Member
    Some people's digestive processes (ahem) are aided by drinking something warm first thing in the morning, and lemon makes it more palatable for those abstaining from caffeine.

    surely, you can back up a statement such as that with a scientific explanation, right?

    Well, as Yoshna stated, lemons do have alkaline characteristics, which do help aid in digestion and natural detoxing. There's scientific proof in just that: people with highly acidic diets (ahem) suffer from a slew of symptoms from fatigue to gastritis to sensitive teeth, all which I have suffered. Looking back in my diet, and also my bad habits, I'm definately suffering from acidification. You eat more foods, or drink more beverages with a higher alkalinity, it can help stave off some of the symptoms we all suffer from daily from bad choices (which we can control) or the ones we cannot (stress/environmental).

    I guess it's just like what you said, it's no different than drinking tea with lemon but tea is very acidic and is counterproductive.
  • Barbsunshine
    Barbsunshine Posts: 398
    http://www.livestrong.com/article/500648-benefit-of-drinking-lemon-water/

    This is a short read listing benefits of lemon water and also lists references.
  • WinnerVictorious
    WinnerVictorious Posts: 4,733 Member
    http://www.livestrong.com/article/500648-benefit-of-drinking-lemon-water/

    This is a short read listing benefits of lemon water and also lists references.

    are you kidding?

    the writer is a chiropractor. and 2 of the 4 references are diet books. 1 is some quackery about detoxes. the final one is titled "Effectiveness of Lemon Juice, Vinegar and Their Mixture in the Elimination of Salmonella Typhimurium on Carrots". that is NOT a study denoting the digestive benefits of lemons.

    i don't mean to be overly harsh with you specifically, but it's exactly this sort of nonsense that clouds peoples' understanding of the basic science of how the body works.

    all of this silliness about alkaline/acidic content of food and how it affects your digestive system is intentional pseudo-scientific nonsense aimed at the gullible by charlatans, such as Mr. Robert Young.

    http://www.quackwatch.org/11Ind/young3.html
  • 3dogsrunning
    3dogsrunning Posts: 27,167 Member
    Some people's digestive processes (ahem) are aided by drinking something warm first thing in the morning, and lemon makes it more palatable for those abstaining from caffeine.

    I always thought it was the caffeine that "aided" not the heat.
  • DavPul
    DavPul Posts: 61,406 Member

    Does anyone know why this is? (other than the obvious. I'm more interested in why in the morning and why hot/warm).

    ummmmm.......











    I got nothing. Sounds like make believe to me. If you like doing it, by all means, continue. Won't hurt.
  • socajam
    socajam Posts: 2,530 Member
    Regardless of what other have said, I do drink warm water and lemon and it does work for me. It is a reliever especially if you are having problems getting rid of bodily waste. Even time I travel from home I have problem going to the bathroom and always use this method, which is far better to use than taking laxatives.
  • jamk1446
    jamk1446 Posts: 5,577 Member
    Some people's digestive processes (ahem) are aided by drinking something warm first thing in the morning, and lemon makes it more palatable for those abstaining from caffeine.

    surely, you can back up a statement such as that with a scientific explanation, right?

    I don't have any scientific evidence but my doctor recommends this to some of her patients with regularity issues. She herself says it doesn't work for everyone but if this works instead of a laxative, more power to you. If I remember, she said the warm water encouraged peristalsis, the lemon was for taste, it's barely any calories and a small shot of vitamin C.
  • BurtHuttz
    BurtHuttz Posts: 3,653 Member
    Alkaline = base. Lemons are acidic.
  • MidwestAngel
    MidwestAngel Posts: 1,897 Member
    This is what I use to cleanse my throat after a BIG LONG





    singing session.
  • TR0berts
    TR0berts Posts: 7,739 Member
    Alkaline = base. Lemons are acidic.


    Science? GTFO.
  • Shetchncn1
    Shetchncn1 Posts: 260 Member
    Hot water with lemon is good because it acts as a natural diuretic (helps reduce water retention) and it also aids digestion so if you have a hard time getting things moving in the morning, this can help. There are a lot of claims about helping with weight loss, detoxing the liver, etc but I'm not seeing any reputable sites with more info so I'm not so sure about all that.

    Yeah my mother has been doing hot water in the morning for over 60 years and it has kept her regular. I just don't want to unless it is flavored like coffee- no wait- it IS coffee.. :)
  • WinnerVictorious
    WinnerVictorious Posts: 4,733 Member
    Some people's digestive processes (ahem) are aided by drinking something warm first thing in the morning, and lemon makes it more palatable for those abstaining from caffeine.

    surely, you can back up a statement such as that with a scientific explanation, right?

    I don't have any scientific evidence but my doctor recommends this to some of her patients with regularity issues. She herself says it doesn't work for everyone but if this works instead of a laxative, more power to you. If I remember, she said the warm water encouraged peristalsis, the lemon was for taste, it's barely any calories and a small shot of vitamin C.

    so the warm water helps push along waste? i suppose there may be something to that. i've never heard of it before and on the face of it, it seemed kind of silly (ingested water actually reaches body temperature pretty quickly after it's ingested), but if you drink enough of it, maybe there is a physiological affect on the muscles along your digestive tract.

    i'm still not buying into the pH balance stuff though.
  • LittleMiss_WillLoseIt
    LittleMiss_WillLoseIt Posts: 1,373 Member
    This is what I use to cleanse my throat after a BIG LONG





    singing session.

    was thinking the same thing by mine is usually after a LONG HARD





    clarinet practice session....all that blowing gets my throat well in need of a cleanse.
  • WinnerVictorious
    WinnerVictorious Posts: 4,733 Member
    Some people's digestive processes (ahem) are aided by drinking something warm first thing in the morning, and lemon makes it more palatable for those abstaining from caffeine.

    I always thought it was the caffeine that "aided" not the heat.

    me too. i know coffee makes you pee (diuretic). i just thought people who pooped in the morning after drinking their coffee were simply on a morning poop cycle.
  • BlackStarDeceiver
    BlackStarDeceiver Posts: 590 Member
    This is what I use to cleanse my throat after a BIG LONG





    singing session.

    was thinking the same thing by mine is usually after a LONG HARD





    clarinet practice session....all that blowing gets my throat well in need of a cleanse.

    I have a clarinet.
  • Briko3
    Briko3 Posts: 266 Member
    Lemons are actually very alkaline in the body, so they're really good for the ol' digestive system - foods that are acidic in the body (inc. dairy, meat, most grains and so on - in fact, a LOT of what we eat!) cause mucus production, and too much of this will cause mucus build up, so everything slows down and gets a bit sticky and stuck, to put it not too graphically! Putting more alkaline foods into your body (lemons are AWESOME, as are any green vegetables) helps to rebalance acid-alkaline levels and let things move more healthily.

    As far as I'm aware, warm water rather than cold is because it's less of a shock to the system, especially first thing in the morning, so it lets your body wake up nice and gently before you start chucking food into it.

    wut?!?@!
  • LittleMiss_WillLoseIt
    LittleMiss_WillLoseIt Posts: 1,373 Member
    This is what I use to cleanse my throat after a BIG LONG





    singing session.

    was thinking the same thing by mine is usually after a LONG HARD





    clarinet practice session....all that blowing gets my throat well in need of a cleanse.

    I have a clarinet.

    and I'm due for a practice session....
  • WinnerVictorious
    WinnerVictorious Posts: 4,733 Member
    This is what I use to cleanse my throat after a BIG LONG





    singing session.

    was thinking the same thing by mine is usually after a LONG HARD





    clarinet practice session....all that blowing gets my throat well in need of a cleanse.

    I have a clarinet.

    and I'm due for a practice session....

    i think this is not really about clarinets. :huh:

    amirite?
  • PomegranatePriestess
    PomegranatePriestess Posts: 2,455 Member
    Alkaline = base. Lemons are acidic.


    Science? GTFO.

    tumblr_m9qix7YZMQ1rq3b5ko1_5001_zps290bfaff.jpg
  • atamrowski
    atamrowski Posts: 417 Member
    This is what I use to cleanse my throat after a BIG LONG





    singing session.

    was thinking the same thing by mine is usually after a LONG HARD





    clarinet practice session....all that blowing gets my throat well in need of a cleanse.

    I have a clarinet.

    and I'm due for a practice session....

    i think this is not really about clarinets. :huh:

    amirite?

    No it's about trumpets. I thought you knew?
  • yoshna
    yoshna Posts: 69
    Alkaline = base. Lemons are acidic.

    Yes, lemons are acidic. But once metabolised, they are base forming. I think how foods act in the body in terms of acid/base is determined by testing the ash/residue that's left when that food is burnt (it's a while since my chemistry days, precise details are hazy!)

    There's an explanation if you scroll down to 'what are acidic and basic foods'

    http://www.precisionnutrition.com/all-about-dietary-acids-and-bases

    ...And just checked with my flatmate, who has a degree in Chemistry and is now in medical school, and he says yes, lemons are base in the body :)
  • atamrowski
    atamrowski Posts: 417 Member
    Alkaline = base. Lemons are acidic.

    Yes, lemons are acidic. But once metabolised, they are base forming. I think how foods act in the body in terms of acid/base is determined by testing the ash/residue that's left when that food is burnt (it's a while since my chemistry days, precise details are hazy!)

    There's an explanation if you scroll down to 'what are acidic and basic foods'

    http://www.precisionnutrition.com/all-about-dietary-acids-and-bases

    ...And just checked with my flatmate, who has a degree in Chemistry and is now in medical school, and he says yes, lemons are base in the body :)

    This is true. That's why it's a misconception that citrus fruits are only acidic. It's all about how it turns in the body. Lemons turn into a base.
  • thisismeraw
    thisismeraw Posts: 1,264 Member
    hot water + lemon is not any better for you than cold water + lime or warm water + orange or any other combination of water temperature and citrus fruits.

    water is good for you because your body needs it for many metabolic/chemical processes.

    citrus fruits contain nutrients, just like any other food.

    drinking cold water vs. hot water has a negligible affect on your overall daily calorie burn.

    there is no such thing as nor neccessity for a detox (unless you go to a doctor for a life-threatening issue such as heavy metal poisoning). water + lemon will not make your liver and kidneys perform any better.

    you do not need to jump-start your metabolism in the morning and citric acid has no effect on your metabolism.

    drink the hot water and lemon if you like it. maybe add some tea and sugar to it. but it performs no other function than any other beverage, metabolically speaking.

    This!

    The only reason I drink hot water with lemon is because I enjoy it... add in green tea and it's great. It unfortunately doesn't do anything special though.

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