How do you get yourself going each day? Do you drink coffee first thing in the morning? Do you eat food shortly after you wake up? Do you workout right away?
Since my Ayurvedic training in the early 1990’s I have made sure to start the day with hot water and lemon. I thought this ritual was something that most people did until I started asking around. One person told me that she drank green tea first thing, another said he ate food before drinking anything. Yet another said that coffee was the first thing she ate or drank each day.
For me, starting the day off right means heating up a kettle of water. Next, I get a 3-cup Mason jar out and put a small wedge of lemon in it. When this easy beverage is prepared, I sit down to drink it and read the local paper.
This relaxing ritual is a great way to start my day and get my body working. Additionally, I find this simple drink incredibly warming and grounding. Here’s why it’s great to start the day with hot water and lemon.
Start the Day with Hot Water and Lemon
1. Rehydrate
After a night of sleep our bodies need liquid and hydration; doing so with water is your best option.
2. Kickstart Digestion
Hot water stimulates the digestive tract, encouraging peristaltic action which can get things moving.
3. Eliminate Toxins
Lemons are high in minerals and vitamins that purge toxins from the body; they are also a natural diuretic and beneficial for the urinary tract.
4. Boost Immunity
Lemons are full of immune boosting vitamin C which is a fantastic antioxidant in fighting off cold, flu, and viruses.
5. Liver Support
Drinking hot water with lemon supports alkalinity in the body, assisting the liver in filtering out toxins.
Recently a friend told me that his digestion was a little off after traveling. The first thing I suggested to get him back on track was drinking hot water with lemon when when he gets up each morning. It really makes a big difference!
Some mornings if I’m not in the mood for the lemon, I’ll skip it and simply hydrate myself with three cups of hot water. What tricks do you have up your sleeve when it comes to starting out your day? Leave a comment and let me know. I’m all ears!
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Lorelle says
I started with warm lemon water in the mornings now I drink Green tea with lemon. Do you know if it has the same benifits
Sue Gensel says
I drink green tea with the lemon, acv and a dab of honey. Water base vs green tea….?
Alf Newman says
Hey Elana, just looking at your web site, I’m new to all this and kinda like your mug with your logo on it, wondered how to get one, to remind me of the mission I’m on…..lol…if at all possible, I’m in the UK.
Kind regards Alf Newman
Elana Amsterdam says
Hi Alf,
You can purchase the Elana’s Pantry mug (and more) over at my CafePress store.
Thanks!
Elana
Charlie says
I love to start my day with a cup of warm lemon water. Been practicing this ritual for some time. I fall sick less and Mr Cough and Mr Flu are kept at bay.
Becky Gormley says
I do drink a cup of coffee every morning and have no plans to quit that. But after the coffee I do a tablespoon of Bragg’s ACV in warm water every morning before breakfast. It made some eczema go away that I’d had for years. That was a surprise benefit I hadn’t expected.
Halina says
Hi Elana, my question relates to fodmaps, not lemon with hot water, which I love. I’m cealiac like yourself and I live in Melbourne, Australia. I also have a fodmaps intolerance in addition, but l can’t find any mention of fodmaps on your blog. I can’t tolerate a large amount of almonds or for example as featured in many of your recipes. Also, agave syrup is on the high fodmaps list. Here’s a link to Monash University research.
http://www.med.monash.edu/cecs/gastro/fodmap/
I love your recipes, but need to modify due to fodmaps intolerance as well as having cealiac condition. Good luck with your books, I’m going to try your latkes recipe this week (modified low fodmaps ingredients).
Pearl says
I’m anemic and wanted to know if drinking warm water with 1/2 lemon juice every morning is bad for me. I keep hearing that lemon takes your iron. What’s your intake on this?
Carla Hopper says
Wow! The best And First thing Can I Start My Day With is Hot Water and Lemon , Thanks Elena :)
Glen says
I also start my day off with a hot lemon water, not sure when I started, but I love it. I also drink it throughout the day while I am at work too, although sometimes I mix it up and have it in cold water.
Whenever I have a sore throat I also use hot lemon water with a tablespoon of honey, it really helps to ease the pain.
Stephanie says
I’m doing the ACV thing right now, Bragg’s raw & unfiltered, to try to fight GERD and avoid the protase (?) inhibitors. I also slice fresh ginger and put it in a small bottle with honey. In 2 days, it turns the honey into a liquid ginger syrup, plus the ginger is sweet. A bit of that goes in, too. I tried it warm this morning, but really couldn’t tolerate it. So I guess I’ll stick with cold water.
Since I need to wean off my caffeine addiction before Yom Kippur (the caffeine headache is, by far, the worst part of fasting), I will try to transition to this and less and less coffee! Looking forward to reading everyone’s results…
Ida says
My doctor of Traditional Chinese Medicine recommends hot water with some chopped up ginger first thing in the morning. The ginger is comforting to my stomach and I prefer it over the sharp taste of lemon.
Susan says
When I go to a restaurant and others order tea or coffee, I often just order hot water with lemon. Yum.