Wellness Wednesday: June 9
LEMONS
When life gives you lemons, make lemonade! And in this case, not only are lemons delicious and refreshing on a hot and sunny summer day, but they’re also extremely beneficial to your health when incorporated into your diet!
While the origin of lemons is unknown, they’re believed to have been first grown in either northern India, Burma, or China and spread throughout the Middle East and eventually Italy by Arabian traders. The lemon plant was originally grown as a form of decoration, and it wasn’t until hundreds of years until after it was first cultivated that it became incorporated into cooking. Lemons were first grown in California in 1751 until they made their way to Florida. In the U.S., lemons are now cultivated for lemon oil, lemon juice, and fruity flesh.
Lemons can actually help prevent kidney stones. When waste products build up and crystalize in the body, kidney stones are formed. The citric acid in lemons help to prevent the build-up and formation of kidney stones by increasing the pH and levels of urine in the body, making it a poor environment for these stones to form.
Lemons have also been observed to help prevent anemia. While it’s commonly known that the body absorbs most of its iron from red meat and fish, a body with a diet rich in plants might find it harder to absorb iron. Thus, lemons can help! Both the vitamin C and high citric acid content in lemons aids the body in the non-heme iron absorption process, ensuring you’re getting the most out of the plants you eat.
Additionally, lemons can help promote a healthy weight by either maintaining or helping with weight loss due to their unique plant compounds. The primary theory behind this claim is derived from the fact that soluble pectin fiber expands in your stomach and assists in keeping you fuller for longer, and because lemons are fiber-rich fruits, they can accomplish this, along with the polyphenol compounds. The vitamin C, hesperidin, and diosmin in lemons also helps to keep your heart healthy and protect against high cholesterol levels!
By incorporating lemons into our cold-pressed juices, it not only helps to keep them fresh, but it also boosts their nutritional content by helping your body absorb all of the vitamins and minerals present in fruits and vegetables. Our Lean + Green and Health Kick juices both have lemon present in their blends, and we also use lemon in our Green Goddess and Strawberry Lemonade smoothies!
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