Health Benefits of Lemon Water

Hello Everyone :)

Lately I've been doing a lot of reading up on lemon water and it's benefits so I'm going to list 10 benefits of drinking lemon water everyday. I've been drinking at least 3 glasses a day for the past week and I can already see improvements. I make myself a fresh jug of it every morning (like the one pictured) so I don't have to cut up lemon and for each glass I drink throughout the day.

Benefits:


1) Clears skin:

Lemon water removes toxins from the blood which helps keep skin clear. This is thanks to the vitamin C component which helps decrease wrinkles and blemishes.

2) Boosts your immune system:

Lemons are high in vitamin C and potassium, which stimulates brain and nerve function. Potassium also helps to control blood pressure.

3) Freshens breath:

Lemon water is often used in dental care. If fresh lemon juice is applied on the areas where there is toothache, it can assist in getting rid of the pain. Massaging lemon juice on gums can stop them from bleeding. It also gives relief from bad smells and other problems related to gums.

4) Relieves respiratory problems:

Warm lemon water helps get rid of chest infections and halt those pesky coughs.

5) Balances pH:

Lemon is one of the most alkaline foods around. Yes, that's right and it'd because even though lemon has citric acid, it does not create acidity in the body once it is metabolised, so you’ll reduce your body’s overall acidity. This is great in the prevention of cancer as cancer thrives in an acidic body!

6) Aids digestion:

It encourages the liver to produce bile, which is an acid that is required for digestion, which reduces heartburn and constipation.

7) Helps with weight loss:

To fight hunger cravings, maintain a more alkaline diet, this is because lemons are high in pectin fibre.

8) Is a diuretic:

Lemons increase the rate of urination in the body, which helps to purify it from toxins, therefore, it helps to keep your urinary tract healthy.

9) Keeps you zen:

Vitamin C is one of the first things depleted when you subject your mind and body to stress so replacing Vitamin C in your body with lemon water will help you feel a lot better during stressful times.

10) Helps kick the coffee habit:

Normally after a glass of hot lemon water, you don’t crave coffee in the morning.

The best time to drink lemon water is first thing in the morning on an empty stomach. Your body will benefit from it the most at this time as it will be able to absorb all the nutrients completely. If you're not crazy about the taste of lemon, add a little honey to the water. Give it a try and see how it can help you :)

Smoothie Tuesday

Hello Everyone

I hope you all had a great weekend and a fun St. Paddy's day :) Today I'm going to give you two good smoothie recipes! Smoothies are an easy way to get some of your fruit and vegetables for the day and a lot of nutrients into your body quickly, as well as they taste great and are so simple to make. I hope you enjoy these :)


Green Smoothie:

 

 

This is a great breakfast smoothie, just blend together:
1 banana
1/2 cup frozen mango
1/2 cup greek yogurt
1/2 cup vanilla almond milk
1 cup spinach
1 tbsp honey

Blueberry Smoothie:

This smoothie is really delicious! Just blend:

500 ml water
1 cup of frozen blueberries
1 fresh banana
2 tbsp almond butter
1/4 cup of oats

Your Metabolism

I just thought I'd give you all a little information on your metabolism that a lot of us don't know. We always get told about our metabolism but not everyone knows what it really is, so if you didn't know, now you do :)

Metabolism

The Scientific Definition: Metabolism is a collection of chemical reactions that take place in the body's cells. These reactions convert the fuel in the food we eat into the energy we need to power everything we do, from moving to thinking to growing.

My Definition: The rate at which you burn the calories you consume

Some Facts

 

Any movement you make speeds up your metabolism, even fidgeting

Any increase in your body temperature increases your metabolism by 14% and eating protein seems to do the same thing

When you sleep, your metabolic rate decreases by 10%

When you fast and deprive your body of food for more than 12 hours, your metabolic rate decreases by 40%!

Some of your metabolism is genetic

Getting enough sleep helps to regulate your metabolism

You can control your metabolic rate by:

• Eating steadily throughout the days
• Exercising
• Staying hydrated

Eating certain foods can help to boost your metabolism. Some good foods to include in your diet everyday are: