The Lemon Diet: Is It Safe?

The Lemon diet is one of the best things you can do to help yourself. Lemon is a strong natural antioxidant that will inhibit free radicals; it also helps to improve the condition of osteoporosis due to lack of calcium. The diet simply advises to eat normal food. Naturally, our colon is supposed to digest, eliminate and self cleanse, but that is not always possible due to the type of foods we eat. When we eat too much processed foods instead of balanced diet rich in fruits and vegetable, we tend to weaken our digestive system by giving it food that is hard to process. Natural sugars and essential salts contained in the syrup, are required for the body’s normal functioning, restoring biochemical and mineral balance in tissues and speeding up cell regeneration. Moreover, the astringent property of vitamin C in lime juice and potassium in sea salt, cause tissues to contract and release toxins contained in them.

Drinking a lot of water throughout the day besides your diet will cleanse your body of toxins. I also recommend a supply of low calorie gum on hand, and also pick up a variety of the tasty decaffeinated teas on the market. Drinking water with a lemon is great for maximum weight loss. Drinking all those liquids makes the lemon diet a great detox also.

It is highly recommended to perform the lemon cleanse during warm months specifically during spring times. It wouldn’t be good to start this diet during cold months for the juice alone cannot sustain the needs of the body.

One week before starting the diet, eliminate or reduce foods such as eggs, sugar, animal meat, fish, alcohol, caffeine, and dairy product. Begin replacing these items with fruits, vegetables or beans instead. Also, the lemon diet cleanse is a good source of vitamins, minerals and antioxidants.

Finally, the lemon diet is especially designed for people willing to take a break from routine food and eating schedule. This particular liquid diet helps to keep the cells, blood vessels, intestine and entire digestive system clean and fresh. Cleansing tea should be also added as another meal that is usually taken in the evening for faster colon flushing out. Ingredients in this lemon diet recipe do have enough vitamins, which is essential for each diet, but the value of calories is very low. Cleanse recipes are recommended based upon traditional wellness beliefs. Rejuvenate your body today.

Lemon Juice and Weight Loss

Here’s how lemon juice helps you lose weight:

Lemon juice has cleansing properties

This deliciously sour beverage helps cleanse and detox the body, preventing toxic build-up in the system. It is especially friendly to the colon and the liver and helps improve their function. This way, the organs can work more efficiently giving you more energy for physical activities such as exercise. Many dieters use lemon juice to cleanse their body and lose weight at the same time. Some consume even the lemon peel which is a good source of pectin. Pectin helps eliminate cravings while on a diet, preventing consumption of restricted foods that can get in the way of your diet. Pectin also reduces the absorption of sugars by turning into gel-like material that sweeps the digestive track.

Lemon juice contains citric acid

The juice of the lemon is a good source of citric acid which speeds up the breakdown of the foods you consume. It also interacts with digestive enzymes promoting healthy metabolism and digestion. Recent research shows that the acidic content of this miracle juice can decrease sugar absorption from foods consumed. This means that more sugar will be transformed into energy you can utilize for physical activities instead of being stored as fat.

Lemon juice contains Vitamin C

Like the juices of other citrus fruits, it contains good amounts of Vitamin C. Vitamin C is an antioxidant that provides the body with plenty of health benefits. A recent study showed the correlation between body mass and the body’s Vitamin C content – high amounts of Vitamin C triggers certain biochemical reactions in the body that helps decrease fat content.

Lemon juice helps the body absorb calcium

Regular consumption of this nutrient-packed drink increases the body’s ability to absorb calcium, an important mineral known for its many health benefits. The calcium absorbed by the body will then be stored in the fat cells, and recent research shows that calcium helps improve the fat-burning ability of fat cells.

So if you want to lose excess pounds and feel great at the same time, this juice is the answer you’re looking for. Of course, regularly eating balanced meals and having a good exercise routine helps. Forget about expensive and bogus weight loss products or going through a diet where you need to starve yourself – make it a habit to drink lemon juice and in the end, you’ll lose weight but gain many health benefits.

Facts on Lemons and Weight Loss

Many people ask questions like, “How do lemons and weight loss go together?” and “Can lemons make me lose weight?” Let’s examine what that sour little citrus friend of ours can and cannot do in our battle of the bulge.

Lemons are well-known for containing a lot of Vitamin C. In addition to that, lemons also contain citric acid, which is what gives them the sour taste.

Apart from the lemon juice, there are also the pulp and rind that make up the rest of the lemon.

Not much there that could help one lose weight, one would think? Well, think again.

To lose weight effectively you have to keep your body well hydrated, meaning it is important to drink a few liters of water per day. The water itself does not make you lose weight, but it helps the body perform well and clean itself of waste and toxin.

Drinking lot of water can be rather monotonous. Some people also just do not like the taste of water.

Instead of substituting water with some other liquid, add some lemon juice to the water. That will change the taste and help you drink a little more water.

Lemons are also used in food preparations.

Lemon juice is typically squeezed onto fish dishes to neutralize the taste of amines in the fish.

Fish makes an excellent meal in anyone’s weight loss diet. It’s generally low in fat and very nutritious.

Hence, lemons help us make a very healthy food even better and more tasty, helping us to eat it more regularly.

Now, for weight loss we’re not talking battered fish! We’re talking about “the fish” cooked and served with minimal dressing.

Lemon juice also adds that little extra taste and zest to the best of salads. Once again, it helps us wanting to eat more healthy and low-fat food.

Even though our lemon friend does not contain magical powers to help us lose weight, it plays a very important role in enhancing the taste of many of the foods that help us shed those pounds.

Water and Weight Loss

Water is the single most important catalyst in losing weight and keeping it off. Almost one-half of Canadians are either obese or overweight; in the United States a staggering 70% are overweight. These statistics corroborate other studies, which show that most North Americans do not drink nearly enough water. Proper hydration (8 – 8ounce glasses of water/ day) is critical to any weight loss program. You should also drink an extra glass of water for every 25 pounds of excess weight. Even mild dehydration will slow down the metabolism by as much as 3% causing fat deposits to increase.

Some nutrition counselors and fitness professionals use whole body, bio-impedance, body composition analyzers that can provide accurate readouts of body fat, lean mass and body water as part of their recommendations for a weight loss or fitness program. In order to effectively implement a weight loss program it is critical to accurately monitor these elements in order to achieve long- term results. Many diets will result in loss of body water or a combination of a loss of body water and loss of lean muscle mass. This will lower the metabolism, resulting in a reduced caloric intake requirements for weight loss maintenance.

As it becomes more and more difficult to maintain this lowered caloric intake, the weight is ultimately regained, usually in the form of excess fat. Other health problems may also be experienced due to lack of proper hydration. An effective weight loss program should combine plenty of water, aerobic and anaerobic exercise and a moderate, well-balanced caloric intake that is not less than your basal metabolic rate. This type of regime will result in a gradual loss of fat while building lean mass and maintaining proper hydration. Regular body composition testing during the weight loss program will ensure that fat is being lost, while proper hydration maintained and muscle mass increased.

Water assists weight loss in the following way:

• Suppresses appetite
• Assists the body in metabolizing fat – if the kidneys are overloaded due to insufficient water, the liver, which normally metabolizes fat, must take over the kidney’s job
• Reduces fat deposits in the body
• Relieves fluid retention problems
• Reduces sodium buildup
• Helps maintain muscle tone
• Rids the body of wastes and toxins
• Relieves constipation

When you are dehydrated, the body is forced to draw whatever water it can from the intestines and bowel, causing constipation. In addition, if the kidneys do not have enough water to dissipate waste, the liver will assist in the job. Normally the liver functions to metabolize stored fat. However, when the liver helps the kidneys function, some fat will not metabolize, which then contributes to weight gain. One of water’s most important roles is to aid in the elimination of waste from the body, which is a substantial task during fat metabolism, as toxins tend to accumulate quickly. Ensuring that the body is well hydrated helps the colon function properly, which in turn supports fat loss.

Water is a natural appetite suppressant. Cravings are often misinterpreted as food cravings, when they are really thirst cravings. If you are not drinking enough water over an extended period of time your thirst mechanism shuts down, especially as you grow older. As you increase your regular water intake this thirst signal reactivates and lets you know the difference between a water and a food craving. It will also be easier to drink more water thereafter. In a University of Washington study it was found that a glass of water would suppress hunger pangs for 98% of dieters. It keeps the taste buds cleansed of flavours that could otherwise trigger cravings, and keeps your stomach feeling full.

Cold water, below 60 degrees, is absorbed by the body more quickly than room temperature water. In addition, cold water results in fat calories being burned to bring the water temperature up to internal body temperature of 98.6 degrees F. Your body will burn 31 calories bringing a quart of icy water to body temperature. Some people find that they may experience stomach cramps from this, so experiment to see if your body will adjust to this.

Many dieters do not drink enough water because they fear that it will lead to water retention.

The opposite is actually the case. When the body gets insufficient amounts of water, it senses this as a threat and holds on to every drop. This results in swollen feet, legs and hands. Studies show that when you drink enough water, the body eliminates excess fluids. When your body is breaking down fats it needs even more water to help eliminate the extra waste that is produced.

Water helps to maintain proper muscle tone, which in turn aids proper muscle contraction and prevents dehydration. It also helps to prevent the sagging skin that usually follows weight loss. Shrinking cells are buoyed by water which plumps the skin and leaves it clear, healthy and resilient.

The American College of Sports Medicine notes that drinking an extra 2 liters of water per day while dieting will maximize the loss of fat as a percentage of total weight loss. Drinking more water will prove to be the simplest, least expensive, most powerful and longest lasting key to long-term fat reduction.

How to Lose Water Weight – 5 Tips

Retaining excess water can make you feel bloated. It can also make your wrists, ankles, hands and feet swell and your face look puffy. Sure, you have probably learned that the best way to lose water weight is actually to drink more water. This is absolutely true. In fact, water weight is usually a sign that your body is “scared” to lose any more water and as a countermeasure is retaining it like a camel. The thing is, you are not a camel!

Here are 5 tips for fine-tuning your water weight loss plan:

Tip #1: Get a 32 oz. or 64 oz. refillable container:

You can find these little babies for very cheap at almost any discount or sporting goods store and they come in all kinds of cool designs. Buy them not for their cool designs, however, but rather for their amazing capacity: you can really put a lot of water into these things. And, unlike a conventional cup, their portable design encourages you to carry them wherever you go. If you drink just 1 – 2 of these mega-containers’ worth of water each day, your body will start shedding the excess water that it has been holding onto for dear life for so long.

Tip #2: Add a little lemon or lime:

To your mega-container, add a squeeze or two of lemon or lime. These citrus fruits act as natural diuretics, and their refreshing taste makes the water go down that much easier.

Tip #3: Eat lower sodium foods:

Sodium and water weight go hand-in-hand. When you drink more water, your body is freed to release some of its sodium stores. Conversely, when you switch to a lower sodium diet, your body will tend to store less excess water. Bonus tip: cutting down on diet sodas will cut your sodium intake significantly.

Tip #4: Try a natural diuretic:

Diuretics help your body flush water weight. But prescription diuretics can be rather harsh on your system and often cause intense diarrhea. Try a natural diuretic such as an herbal-based one for a gentler, healthier experience of forcing that excess water out of your body.

Tip #5: Sprinkle in some exercise:

Yes, that weight loss panacea, exercise, comes in handy for helping you to lose water weight, too. Bonus tip: choose exercises that work the areas of your body (e.g., wrists or ankles) that need the most help in losing water.

Drinking more water is the cornerstone to a water weight loss strategy. Adding a bit of citrus to your water, taking natural diuretics, eating a low sodium diet, and doing concentrated exercises can also help you shed that weight. Losing water weight is the first step to looking sexy and feeling great with a comprehensive weight loss plan.