Joy Anyim
Lemons belong to the citrus family and are one of the most popular of the family. They grow on lemon trees and usually have a sour taste.
They are not usually eaten alone as whole fruits but used to prepare drinks, foods, ice creams, cakes and even beauty products.
Lemons are very healthy fruits consisting mainly of carbs, water, protein, vitamins, minerals and essential oil.
The carbohydrates in lemons are about 10 per cent and are primarily composed of fibres and simple sugars such as glucose, fructose and sucrose. Water makes up about 89 per cent and the others are shared amongst other nutrients. A medium lemon provides about 20 per cent calories.
Generally, lemon is highly beneficial to health in many ways, some of which include:
- Helps control weight: lemons help to control weight and there are many theories to support this. One such theory is that soluble pectin fibre in lemon expands in the stomach, helping one feel full for longer periods of time, hence, one is not tempted to eat much.
- Supports heart health: lemons are a good source of vitamin C, one lemon provides about 31mg of vitamin, which is 51 per cent of the reference daily intake. Research shows that eating fruits and vegetables rich in vitamins C reduces the risk of heart disease and stroke. It is not only the vitamin C that is good for heart health, but the fibre and plant compounds in lemons could also significantly lower some risk factors for heart disease and lower cholesterol.
- Reduce cancer risk: research has shown that people who eat citrus fruits have a lower risk of cancer.
- Improved digestive health: lemons have about 10 per cent carbs mostly in the form of soluble fibre and simple sugar. The main fibre in lemon is pectin, which has multiple health benefits. Soluble fibre can improve gut health, and slow the digestion of sugar and starches. To get this benefit, eat the pulp.
- Prevents kidney stone: kidney stones are small lumps that form when waste products crystallize and build up in your kidneys. They are quite common and people who get them often may have to be taking citrus, which will help to increase urine volume, and increasing Urine pH, creating a less favourable environment for kidney stone formation.
- Protect against Anaemia: anaemia occurs when one does not get enough iron from food. Lemon has some iron. The vitamin C and citric acid in lemon also help to prevent anaemia.
- There are beauty experts that now rely on the lemon to achieve great beauty results on the skin, face and other parts of the body.
There may be other health benefits from lemon, especially when you eat the whole fruit except the peels. however, see your nutritionist on how and why you should use lemon in your drink or food.
