Starting your day with lemon water is an easy, refreshing way to support your weight loss goals by improving digestion, increasing hydration, boosting vitamin C levels, and more. While research is limited on this topic, there’s no real downside to making lemon water part of your daily routine.
How Morning Lemon Water Supports Weight Loss
It’s proven that drinking lemon water in the morning can help support healthy weight management in a few ways.
Promotes Hydration
An early-morning glass of lemon water contributes to daily hydration levels, which can help you lose weight. Drinking more water is linked to increased fat breakdown and reduced food intake. Studies also show that staying hydrated may lead to a lower body weight, decreased body fat mass, and smaller waist circumference.
Serves as a Zero-Calorie Beverage
Drinking lemon water first thing in the morning may make it less likely that you’ll reach for a sugary coffee or other sweetened beverage since the lemon flavors the water. Choosing water over beverages high in calories is associated with increased weight loss and a lower chance of developing obesity over time.
Keeps You Feeling Full
Drinking water, including lemon water, in the morning or before meals, can help you feel fuller for longer and consume fewer calories. Over time, this practice may support an increase in weight loss.
Keep in mind that the most available research is on water alone, not lemon water specifically. Additional evidence is needed to link lemon water’s impact on weight loss.
6 Benefits of Lemon Water
Staying hydrated by drinking plenty of water is key to keeping your body functioning properly. Adding lemon to water gives you an additional boost of antioxidants, vitamin C, magnesium, vitamin B6, and more.
Along with weight management, lemon and water combined may support your overall health, including:
- Supporting digestion: Lemon juice’s citric acid can trigger digestive fluid secretion, helping the body break down food in the stomach. Drinking lemon water before a meal may also relax the intestines’ muscles, helping food move through the digestive tract.
- Reducing bloating: The potassium in lemons helps regulate the body’s sodium levels, contributing to bloating.
- Improving skin health: Lemon water contains vitamin C, an antioxidant that aids in wound healing, may reduce inflammation, and can increase collagen (a protein that supports the skin’s elasticity), leading to smoother skin.
- Managing appetite control: Drinking a glass of water before a meal can make you feel full, helping curb your appetite. Citrus fruits like lemons can help stabilize blood sugar levels, regulate appetite, and support weight management.
- Increasing energy: Lemons’ vitamin C may increase iron absorption, as low iron levels can lead to fatigue. Vitamin C bolsters iron absorption by as much as 67%. The B vitamins in lemons may contribute to energy production because they allow the body to extract energy from food nutrients.
- Preventing kidney stones: Experts recommend mixing water with 4 ounces (oz) of lemon juice daily. The citric acid prevents calcium stone build-up in the kidneys. Check with a healthcare provider before trying this remedy.
A Word From Verywell
Lemon water can help with weight loss by encouraging you to drink more water, especially if you don’t like plain water. Adding lemon, berries, or cucumber is a great way to add flavor to water while keeping it low in calories and sugar.
Should You Drink It Cold or Hot?
Whether you drink cold or hot lemon water primarily depends on personal preference.
Evidence suggests that drinking cold water increases the body’s internal temperature, which leads to a (small) added calorie burn. Sipping hot water may stimulate digestion and relieve respiratory symptoms like a sore throat.
Drinking cold lemon water in the morning gets your body moving, especially in warmer months, while a cup of warm lemon water in the evening or after dinner could be a calming way to unwind.
Add-Ins to Lemon Water
If lemon water is a bit sour for your taste or if you’re looking for additional health benefits, consider adding ingredients to your lemon water, such as:
- Apple cider vinegar: Splashing this sour liquid into your lemon water could possibly further support weight loss due to its potential blood sugar– and lipid-lowering effects.
- Turmeric: Adding turmeric to lemon water is a great way to get a double dose of antioxidants, which can boost the immune system, combat inflammation, support digestion, and more.
- Chia seeds: These tiny seeds offer fiber, omega-3 fatty acids, protein, essential minerals, and antioxidants to support digestive health, blood pressure, and blood sugar levels.
- Cucumber: Cucumbers are high in water content, so adding them to lemon water provides additional hydration. Cucumbers are also rich in vitamin K, which is beneficial for bone health.
- Ginger: Adding this spice to lemon water helps ease nausea, improve digestion, and potentially support healthy blood sugar and blood pressure levels.
- Honey: Mixing in a teaspoon of raw honey can offer additional antioxidants and anti-inflammatory support.
- Black pepper: Including black pepper and turmeric in lemon water can help your body absorb curcumin, a potent ingredient in turmeric.
Key Takeaways
- Drinking lemon water, especially in the morning, may help support your weight loss goals, as well as offer other health benefits, such as improving digestion, preventing kidney stones, increasing energy, and more.
- Lemon water is not a cure-all but can be a simple, healthy addition to your daily routine. To boost lemon water’s benefits, add honey, turmeric, ginger, apple cider vinegar, and more.
- Check with a healthcare provider before making any dietary changes, particularly if you have health conditions or take medications.