Drinking lemon water, especially the benefit of lemon skin soaked overnight was something I always chalked up to being something that celebrities drank when they went out for lunch in West Hollywood. It’s so simple – freshy squeezed lemon juice in water – but it’s something I never thought to make, or order at a restaurant for that matter, for myself.
Lemon water is popular as it not only tastes so refreshing but some claim that it helps improve energy levels and your mood along with being an immune system booster. While one glass of lemon water usually contains about 1.5 to 2 tablespoons of lemon juice (what one squeezed lemon typically contains) it is high in vitamin C and contains trace amounts of folate and potassium.
While there are several myths around the benefits of drinking lemon water (it helps one lose weight, it alkalizes your body, it fights cancer to name a few) nutritionists do agree that it can help optimize mood and memory, relieve constipation, and can even help improve athletic performance.
Some also claim that drinking lemon water makes skin look plump and radiant. The truth behind this is that putting lemon in your water may help you drink more water throughout the day as we treat it more like a refreshing, low-calorie treat drink. Drinking more water does lead to better looking skin but specifically drinking water with lemon in it is not a huge advantage over plain water.
The vitamin C in lemon water will help you meet your nutritional requirements and here within lies the skin benefit. Vitamin C stimulates collagen production. Collagen, of course, is the protein responsible for the elasticity of your skin. It is also responsible for providing structural support in connective tissue and muscles.
If lemon water gets you drinking more water, then great! Other drinks that are just as good, if not better, include coconut water which also has vitamin C in addition to carbohydrates and electrolytes (sodium and potassium), green tea which contains vitamin B2 and vitamin E, and cucumber juice (good for antioxidants).