Drinking Lemon Juice First Thing in the Morning
No, it doesn’t ruin your stomach
My love story with lemon juice started a few years ago. I heard about it from a friend of mine, while she was extolling its qualities. I can’t remember back then what she told me, but it must have been convincing enough. The day after, I found myself squeezing a lemon under my kitchen’s harsh light with my eyes half-open.
I did it for a few days in a row, then I read something that made me stop. I heard from medical sources that lemon juice in an empty stomach could actually ruin it. I didn’t delve any further into the matter, as I hadn’t felt any difference.
The return of the lemon juice
In October last year, as I was visiting my parents, I saw my father squeezing lemon juice for my mother in the morning. I expressed my surprise, and my mother told me that it was advised to her by her naturopath. Actually she asserted that she felt many benefits from it. I was beginning to be convinced once again, but one thing still worried me. I asked her about the empty stomach problem.
Actually, my mother thought like me before. Her naturopath explained that while everybody thinks that lemon is an acidic fruit, because of its taste, it actually isn’t. It’s an alkaline food. For someone in good general health, it’s totally innocuous. She still advises not to exceed one month of doing so, then to wait for another month before starting again.*
*Please note that I am not in a position to advise anything concerning your health. This article only recounts my own experience, and you should consult a health care professional before attempting anything.
I decided to really give it a try. I waited for November the 1st and committed to sticking to it for exactly one month.
One month trial
The tip is not to simply squeeze the lemon juice and drink it. You have to actually prepare it. Here is my (very complicated!) recipe:
- Roll the lemon under the palm of your hand on a hard surface. It concentrates the juice and makes it easier to squeeze.
- Cut it in half. Take one half, and put the other one back in the fridge for the day after.
- Squeeze the lemon in a glass.
- Add hot water, about 5 volumes of water for 1 volume of lemon juice. Don’t add the lemon juice in the water. Add the water in the lemon juice. It seems the same, but in terms of temperature rising, it isn’t.
- Drink it! Don’t forget to do this first thing in the morning. I even do it before my first glass of water of the day.
As early as after the first days, I started to feel benefits. After the first week, I decided to include this habit in my daily routine, every other month. Here are the benefits I felt:
- Way fewer cravings throughout the day. This is, to me, the most important benefit of all. I am a huge food lover, and I often can’t stop thinking about the next meal I am going to have. Having lemon juice first thing in the morning almost made me lose interest in food. As a result, I ate less and dropped some weight.
- Feeling energized. Even if I was eating less, I still felt energized. I might even have felt more energized than before.
- Best food choices. I don’t encounter many difficulties in eating healthy most of the time. However, experiencing fewer cravings leads to even better food choices and less temptation in junk food. I felt more balanced.
- Some people also notice healthier skin and shinier and softer hair. Honestly, I didn’t really pay attention to this, so I couldn’t tell.
What I didn’t feel were stomach aches. At all. However, I think it is still better to eat after having drunk your lemon juice. So this habit might not suit breakfast skippers.
On the first day of December, that is to say, the first day I stopped this routine, I honestly missed it. Drinking lemon juice first thing in the morning truly made me feel good, and I was craving the benefits of it as I was not having it. I started again in January, and the benefits are back.
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