Is Lemon Water Good for You?
Written by: Hannah Thompson, RDN, LD, CPT
Are there any benefits to drinking lemon water? Does it actually help with detoxing or weight loss?
Links included in this blog might be affiliate links. If you purchase a product or service with the links that we provide we may receive a small commission with no additional charge to you. Thank you for your support!
Lemon water has been a very popular trend in the wellness world for a long time. This “magical beverage” is claimed to help with detoxing, balancing pH, boosting metabolism, and improving immunity. But are any of these claims true?
What is lemon water?
Lemon water is a beverage that is simply a combination of water and lemon slices or lemon juice. It is served hot or cold and the amount of lemon added is up to the preference of the individual drinking it.
Does lemon water detox you?
Short answer - no.
Long answer - our body is very capable of detoxing on its own thanks to our liver, kidneys, lungs, and intestines. As long as your organs are functioning properly, there is no need to drink lemon water (or use supplements, for that matter) to help you detox. And if your organs aren’t functioning properly, I’d highly suggest seeing a doctor, not just drinking some water with a lemon wedge in it.
Can lemon water help with weight loss?
Many advocates for lemon water in the wellness community state that lemon water will help to “jumpstart your metabolism”, which will lead to weight loss.
First of all, “jumpstarting” your metabolism is not an actual process that can happen in the body (listen to our episode on metabolism to learn more). Drinking water is very important, but it does not have an impact on your metabolic rate.
The only notable way that lemon water may lead to weight loss is simply due to the fact that drinking beverages takes up some space in your stomach and may increase fullness. But this can occur with any beverage - nothing special about lemon water. Plus, I strongly advise against using water to suppress your appetite. If you are hungry, eat food!
Does drinking lemon water change our body’s pH?
Nope, and that’s a very good thing!
Lemon juice has a pH of about 2, meaning it is quite acidic. But once digested and metabolized, lemon juice produces alkaline by products, which may make your urine more alkaline. Some wellness “gurus” believe that eating more alkaline foods will increase the alkaline load on our body, which allegedly helps to prevent various diseases. There are a few issues with this claim.
While it is true that lemon water (or other foods/drinks) can impact the urine pH, urine pH is not a good indicator of your body’s overall pH or your overall health.
Also, the body’s blood pH is very tightly regulated and it is very dangerous if it goes outside the range of 7.35-7.45. The foods and drinks that we consume do not influence our blood pH (at least not without negative consequences). Your urine pH changes to keep your blood pH within a safe range.
Bottom line - is lemon water good for you?
At the end of the day, there is nothing magical about lemon water. It will not fix or cure anything. At best, lemon water will help to hydrate you and provide a little bit of vitamin C.
Want to learn more about Intuitive Eating and how to start your food freedom journey? Join our course to learn how!
