Most of us know that drinking plenty of water each day will help to keep us healthier, but water can get boring and it’s hard for many people to drink half of their bodyweight in ounces of water every day (healthy recommendation of water intake).

Last week I decided to buy bulk lemons and limes from Costco and experiment with high doses of these superfoods in my water. Why, you ask?

Winter feels like it’s dragging on and spring can’t get here soon enough. Many of my clients are sick and despite masking, I want to make sure that I stay healthy.

The main benefits of lemons and limes:

• They’re packed with Vitamin C which naturally boosts our immune system and decreases inflammation.

  • Vitamin C can also help your body to absorb non-heme iron (plant-based iron), and

  • The antioxidants and compounds found in the fruit can help with healthier skin and lower blood sugar levels.

• They make water taste better and are mostly composed of water themselves.

• Despite their acidity, they actually help to alkalize your body, which has been shown to have many health benefits.

• The soluble fiber in the fruit can help with digestion, prevent constipation and make you feel more full.

• They are loaded with potassium which helps maintain healthy blood pressure.

I’ve been squeezing a whole lime and 1/4 of a lemon into a glass of water once a day and 3/4 a lemon into a second glass daily. It does taste pretty acidic initially but after two days, I actually look forward to it.

It just feels like I’m drinking health!

One of my clients mentioned that it looked like I was drinking lemonade and I decided to put a little bit of sweetener in my water to see if it would taste like lemonade (because it didn’t).

Not surprisingly, it did not. I only added a little bit of maple syrup, which wrecked the flavor for me and wasn’t nearly sweet enough. This means there is a LOT of sugar in homemade lemonade and adding sugar to lemon water feels like it defeats the purpose.

As most of my clients know, I can be somewhat extreme in my health choices and too much of anything is not healthy.

You can actually erode the enamel on your teeth if you consume too much acidity in any form and if you have any health conditions, it’s always important to check with your doctor before making any significant changes to your diet.

For most people however, adding a slice of lemon or lime into your water daily, will provide a variety of health benefits.

Action Step:

• Try using lemon or lime to drink more water this week. Put a big slice of each into your water glass and see if it helps.

• You can really put any fruit or vegetable into your water to make it more interesting.

• It’s really about getting more water into your body. Lemons and limes just happen to have many additional health benefits.