Originally published on January 27, 2016 | Last updated on July 25, 2025
Drinking lemon water is very beneficial for your health and helps you stay hydrated. This healthy, antioxidant-packed drink is a very healthy way to start off your day. Read on to find out why you should kick-start your day with a glass of warm lemon water.
How to Make Lemon Water
Squeeze half a lemon into lukewarm purified water and drink it first thing in the morning. It is thought that drinking lemon water when it’s lukewarm provides you with the most health benefits.
Although I like to start off my morning with warm lemon water, sometimes I also drink cold lemon water throughout the day (especially in the summer months!).
For an extra boost, you can add some freshly grated ginger, mint leaf, honey, turmeric, a pinch of cayenne or other ingredients to the drink.
The Benefits of Drinking Lemon Water
1) Helps digestion – Drinking lemon water before meals may improve digestion. This is due to the citric acid found in lemon juice, which has been shown to boost gastric acid secretion in the stomach, enabling your body to break down and digest food.
2) Boosts your immune system – Lemons are very high in vitamin C. Just one lemon provides about 20% of the daily recommended amount. Vitamin C is great for your health as it helps boost your immune system. If you regularly drink lemon water, you may find that you have an easier time fighting off colds, flus and illnesses.
3) Cleanses your system – As lemon juice is a diuretic, it encourages urine production. This leads to toxins being released at a faster rate, which helps to purify the body and keep the urinary tract healthy. It also promotes healthy bowel movements.
4) Balances pH levels – Despite the acidity level of lemons, they have a strong alkaline effect on the body when ingested and metabolised by the body. Therefore, drinking lemon water may help reduce acidity in the body.
5) Promotes healing – Vitamin C promotes wound healing in the body. The vitamin C lemon water contains is necessary to make collagen, the protein required for wound healing. Vitamin C is also very important for maintaining healthy bones, tissue and cartilage.
6) Clears your skin – The fact that lemon water flushes out and detoxes your body leads to clearer, brighter skin. Lemons are also great for reducing skin ageing; the vitamin C is needed for the production of collagen, which results in smoother and plumper skin.
7) Gives you an energy boost and improves mood – Lemon water also gives your body a boost of energy when it enters your digestive tract. It is also thought to improve your mood and help reduce anxiety and depression.
8) Aids in weight loss – If you’re trying to lose weight, then drinking lemon water could help you. The pectin fibre it contains assists in fighting hunger cravings. This is because the fibre creates a feeling of fullness.
9) Prevents Kidney Stones – Lemon water helps prevent kidney stones. Lemons contain citrate, which helps prevent calcium from building up and forming stones in your kidneys. The increased fluids help prevent dehydration, which is a common cause of kidney stones.
So, as you can see, lemon water is a refreshing drink with a host of health benefits. Have you tried drinking lemon water in the morning? What are your favourite benefits?
Love, Telina
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Lemon water (and sometimes with honey too) has been all over my newsfeed over the past couple of weeks. I need to get with the program because the health benefits are too good to pass over but all I seem to think about first thing in the morning is coffee. And more coffee. I’m really going to try though! ~Lucy
You definitely won’t regret adding lemon water to your morning routine – good luck!
i drink this everyday and i love it! ive started to add lime as well
Adding lime is a great idea 🙂
I drink water everyday usually with fruit and then I save water with lemon for going out to eat. The health benefits are awesome and it tastes good too!
I agree – I love the taste!
I really need to start doing this, but like Amy all I want in the morning in coffee! I’m going to make a real effort to do this. Great post x
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[…] will definitely give you healthy, glowing skin. The best way to do this is to drink a glass of warm lemon water first thing in the morning – it’s a very healthy way to start your day and is great […]
Love this post! Totally going to start this tomorrow! Stopping by to let you know you are being featured on Friday’s P3 Party post! Have a great week! Thanks for pinning!
Best,
Kim
I’m so glad you enjoyed this post. Thanks so much for featuring it! 🙂
[…] plain water, then a great option is lime or lemon water. I love starting my day this way! Check out this post I wrote about the benefits of lemon […]