Lemons - Health Benefits, Vital Nutrients, And Uses

People use lemon to enhance the taste of salads, drinks and sweets.

Lemons are one of the most popular acid citrus fruits. They are full of vitamins, minerals, phytonutrients and antioxidants and They are especially good sources of vitamin C and folate. Not only are lemons a very healthy fruit, but they also have a distinct, pleasant taste and smell that make them a great addition to foods and drinks. Lemon is used in small quantities by people to enhance taste in food. However, people rarely consume them alone due to their intense, sour taste.

Health Benefits, Vital Nutrients, And Uses of Lemons

This article tells you about the nutritional content of lemons, their potential health benefits, how to use them in food.

Lemons - Health benefits

Lemons are a great source of vitamin C and flavonoids, which are antioxidants. Antioxidants help remove free radicals that can damage the body's cells. These nutrients can help preventTrusted Source diseases and boost health and wellbeing.

1. Lemons are support Heart Health

Lemons are a good source of vitamin C. Eating fruits and vegetables rich in vitamin C reduces risk of heart disease and stroke.
One lemon provides about 30 mg of vitamin C, which is 50% of the reference daily intake.
However, it's not only the vitamin C that is thought to be good for your heart. The fiber and plant compounds in lemons could also significantly lower some risk factors for heart disease.

2. Lemons are Prevent Kidney Stones

Lemons contain the most citric acid of any fruits, which makes them beneficial to those suffering from kidney stones. Citric acid deters stone formation and also breaks up small stones that are forming. The more citric acid in your urine, the more protected you are from forming new kidney stones. Half a cup of pure lemon juice every day or 32 ounces of lemonade has the same amount of citric acid as pharmacological therapy.

3. Lemon Prevents Anemia

Iron deficiency anemia is quite common. It occurs when you don't get enough iron from the foods you eat. Lemons contain some iron, but they primarily prevent anemia by improving your absorption of iron from plant foods.
Your gut absorbs iron from meat, chicken, and fish (known as heme iron) very easily, while iron from plant sources (non-heme iron) not as easily. However, this absorption can be improved by consuming vitamin C and citric acid.
Lemons contain both vitamin C and citric acid, they may protect against anemia by ensuring that you absorb as much iron as possible from your diet.

4. Lemon reduces weight

Lemons are often promoted as a weight loss food, and there are a few theories as to why this is.
One common theory is that the soluble pectin fiber in them expands in your stomach, helping you feel full for longer.
Lemons are a great, low-calorie way to flavor drinks and food.

5. Lemon supports the skin system

Sun exposure, pollution, age, and other factors can result in skin damage. Vitamin C plays a vital role in the formation of collagen, the support system of the skin.

6. Lemon prevents Cancer

Lemon juice is a great source of antioxidant vitamin C. Antioxidants may help prevent free radicals from causing cell damage that can lead to cancer. However, exactly how antioxidants can help prevent cancer remains unclear.

Lemons - provides Nutrients

one 58 g lemon contains the following nutrients in grams (g) or milligrams (mg):

• energy: 16.8 calories (kcal)
• carbohydrates: 5.41 g, of which 1.45 g are sugars
• calcium 15.1 milligrams (mg)
• iron: 0.35 mg
• magnesium: 4.6 mg
• phosphorus: 9.3 mg
• potassium: 80 mg
• selenium: 0.2 micrograms (mcg)
• vitamin C: 30.7 mg
• folate: 6.4 mcg
• choline: 3.0 mg
• vitamin A: 0.6 mcg
• lutein + zeaxanthin: 6.4 mcg

Current dietary guidelinesTrusted Source recommend an intake of 75 mg of vitamin C per day for women aged 19 years and older and 90 mg per day for men.
Smokers need 35 mg per day more than nonsmokers.
Lemons also contain small amounts of thiamin, riboflavin, vitamin B-6, pantothenic acid, copper, and manganese.

How to uses ''lemons''

For Health

Use the juice of a lemon to flavor drinking water or squeeze over a salad or fish. Try adding lemon juice to boiling water with a teaspoon of honey to help soothe a sore throat. It is also possible to eat the rind of organic lemons. Some people use the rind in recipes.
After a shampoo, rinse your hair with lemon juice to make it shine. Mix the strained juice of a lemon in an eight-ounce glass of warm water.
Suck on a lemon to settle an upset stomach.

In the Kitchen

Clean discolored utensils with a cloth dipped in lemon juice. Rinse with warm water.
Toss used lemons into your garbage disposal to help keep it clean and smelling fresh.
Use one part lemon juice and two parts salt to scour chinaware to its original luster.
Rub kitchen and bathroom faucets with lemon peel. Wash and dry with a soft cloth to shine and remove spots.
Fresh lemon juice in rinse water removes soap film from interiors of ovens and refrigerators.
Fish or onion odor on your hands can be removed by rubbing them with fresh lemons.
To get odors out of wooden rolling pins, bowls, or cutting boards, rub with a piece of lemon. Don’t rinse: The wood will absorb the lemon juice.
Clean copper pots by cutting a lemon in half and rubbing the cut side with salt until the salt sticks. Rub the lemon onto the metal, rinse with hot water, and polish dry.

Outdoors

Save lemon and orange rinds to deter squirrels and cats from digging in the garden. Store rinds in the freezer during the winter, and then bury them just under the surface of the garden periodically throughout the spring and summer.
A few drops of lemon juice in outdoor house-paint will keep insects away while you are painting and until the paint dries.
Mix one tablespoon of lemon juice with two tablespoons of salt to make a rust-removing scrub.