Farida Abdel Malek 
It was during a week long Yoga course that our Yoga instructor advised us to start our day with lemon water first. I knew and had heard of its benefits before but never really gotten around to it. I feel like most of us have, but are kind of confused as to what really are the benefits of drinking lemon water. The truth is there is not enough research or proof of its benefits and, much like anything else, it won't do anything magical to our skin and bodies, at the end of the day we all function differently. But what most people seem to agree on is that it is a healthy habit that is worth considering. So, in an attempt to bring myself back on track again with drinking lemon water in the morning and to help you learn a little about it, here are some of the possible benefits of lemon water, as well as the side effects...
The benefits of drinking lemon water:
1. As we know lemon has antioxidants.
2. These antioxidants help with inflammation.
3. Lemon also has vitamin c.
4. It also has potassium.
5. Which means it can help preventing or soothing colds.
6. Lemon water is also said to help with constipation.
7. It may help you drink more water, because it tastes more interesting than just plain water.
8. If you have it on the side with your meal, it could allow the iron in your food to be absorbed better.
9. It can help prevent kidney stones because of the citric acid.
10. Because of the vitamin c it could also be a nice bonus for the immunity.
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Lemon water in the morning
11. An unexpected but simple benefit is that it can actually help with the freshness of the breath, not just because water keeps the mouth hydrated, but also because it is said that lemon can stimulate saliva.
12. Drinking water when you wake up is always a good idea to hydrate your body and help you to drink enough water throughout the day.
13. Some also say that drinking lemon water in the morning can improve digestion and stop toxins form building up.
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Benefits of lemon water for skin
14. Our skin needs a much bigger kick of vitamin c, other than just 1 glass of lemon water a day, but its antioxidants could still help the skin on the longterm.
15. It could protect the skin from the dangerous impacts of sun exposure.
16. ...that includes aging.
17. And pigmentation.
18. Vitamin c can also help with collagen production.
19. So, it could make the skin look healthier and brighter.
20. There is no proof, but some lab tests on mice has shown an indication that it may help with weight loss.
Lemon water side effects:
1. Avoid putting the lemon skin in if the lemon's not organic or cleaned properly, because of pesticides, and because, even if so, they could have harmful micro-organisms.
2. For some people it may cause heartburn.
3. It also can cause stomach irritation, because of the acidity, especially when taken on an empty stomach.
4. It can harm your teeth because of the high acidity.
5. Some studies have shown a link between a high consumption of citrus (that is more than one serving a day) and skin cancer.
What I've tried:
I almost always wake up with a sore throat during the winter and so I would look for a quick fix to try and kill any potential illness before it gets bad. Here's what I did...
1. Heat together the juice of 1/2 a lemon, a cinnamon stick and a few slices of peeled ginger, until they boil.
2. Pour or strain into a cup with honey and drink first thing in the morning.
Besides my throat almost instantly feeling better, I did find that every time I felt I was about to get sick, doing this would either stop it, postpone or just minimize the intensity of the cold. It may have not been the cause and had just been a coincidence, I'm not a doctor, but I think I'll give it another go this winter.
