About a bazillion articles are floating around the Internet touting the benefits of drinking lemon water every morning. As with all things fad diet-y, I was skeptical. “I mean, I drink water throughout the day,” I thought, “how much of a difference can it make?” Now, before you run and ask Mr. Bombshell exactly how much water I drink in a day (hint: not close to enough), let’s just all agree that I have an inclination toward disbelieving anything with a lot of hype attached to it.
Regardless, I embraced this new weekly challenge with the enthusiasm of a tired mole rat. I’m usually a coffee drinker. Though lately I had noticed that I hadn’t really been finishing my cup and the rare times that I did, I felt all the negative effects of being over-caffeinated. But still, I love my coffee.
Mornings and I are not friends. In my best attempt to avoid shocking my system, I chose to have my morning lemon water in a coffee mug. It was nice to keep with my routine: Curlers in hair, bleary-eyed lunch packing, Luke’s Diner coffee mug in hand. What I wasn’t prepared for was the outcome of this experiment.
It. Was. Awesome. I’m now a full convert. I know, I can’t believe it either! It only took a day or two before my body craved the lemon water as soon as my feet hit the floor. Room temperature filtered water, so as not to cause any cramping or digestion issues, with a good hard squeeze of an organic lemon was all it took to get me as close to bright eyed and bushy tailed as one could hope for this night owl.
This is the most insane part. Are you ready? I’m totally convinced my three-baby-belly got smaller. Anyone who knows me is fully aware that my stomach is far from flat. But it’s making it way closer after just one week of this wackadoodle lemon water elixir. Could it be a reduction in bloating? Sure. Could it be a better functioning digestive system? Maybe. Might it be an increase in metabolic function? I dunno. Could it be in my head? Possibly. But I don’t think it is, I truly think I’m healthier because of this one ridiculously simple change in habit.
While I still love a cup of organic coffee as a treat, I no longer start my day with a dose of caffeine. I’ve broken the cycle and added in a new, healthy habit in its place. Score one for the fad diets.