Lemons and Their Sweet Benefits + a Recipe

Lemons and Their Sweet Benefits. Lemons have some pretty sweet benefits for your body while making your lips pucker when you eat them or drink their juice. A little history, a whole lot of healthy, and a recipe. Be sure to add lemons to your grocery list.

It’s hard to think about lemons as sweet, but they are. They have some pretty sweet benefits for your body while making your lips pucker when you eat them or drink their juice.

Before we get to the sweet benefits of lemons, let’s look at the history of this almost perfect yellow, tangy fruit.

The origin of the lemon is unknown, but it is thought to be from northern India. Traders brought lemons into Europe, through Italy around 200 AD. They have been cultivated since 700 AD in the Middle East and Africa. At first, lemons were an ornamental fruit, like the tomato, until the 10th century.

Lemons eventually made their way to the United States through the Spaniards at St. Augustine, Florida. Want to read more about the history of lemons, you want to check out this article by  Perdue Unversity

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Lemons and Their Sweet Benefits

Lemons are high in bioflavonoids which boost immunity and reduces inflammation . For those suffering from high uric acid levels and gout, lemons are the perfect fruit for you since they balance out the alkaline in the blood.

Lemons contain:

• Vitamin C

• B-Complex

• iron

• calcium

• magnesium

• silicon

• copper

• potassium 

• antibiotic properties 

• antiseptic properties

• anti-cancer properties 

Do you suffer from kidney stones or know someone who does? Lemons are recommended for those with kidney stones and/or those who have had them in the past to keep them from reforming. According to the University of Wisconsin, the citric acid in lemons helps  reduce the risk of kidney stones  by binding calcium in the urine.

These are all pretty sweet benefits of lemons.

While using lemons in your cooking is fantastic for flavoring, lemon water is the best way to ingest lemons. In fact, it is highly recommended to drink lemon water first thing in the morning before eating or drinking anything else. It gets your system going for the day.

I know what some are thinking, I just can’t do it, lemons are too sour. Well, then you may need to add a little sweetener to your lemon water.

Hence, Lemonade

Lemonade has a long history dating all the way back to the 12th century. Lemonade took Europe by storm in the 1600s after it was introduced in Pars. The lemonade was sweetened with honey, something most people don’t do today.

While Lemonade is a nice and refreshing drink, I can’t help but wonder if our ancestors knew just how beneficial this citrus fruit was for them.

I love lemonade just like most people. It’s delicious, refreshing and perfect any time of the year. I’m not talking about the powdered mix kind. I’m talking about real, fresh-squeezed lemonade.

Over the years, I’ve tried making lemonade differently:

• squeezing

• slicing the lemons and sprinkling sugar over them

• making a lemon syrup

My favorite way to make lemonade is just by squeezing the lemons when I want to make a pitcher. I don’t want to think about the chemicals on/in the peeling if they are not organic, nor do I want to store a bottle of syrup.

Before I make lemonade, I pop the lemons in the microwave for about 10 seconds and then roll them around to get their juices flowing.

The following recipe can be easily doubled or tripled if making for a group.

Ingredients:

• 4 whole lemons

• ¾ cup sugar

• 1 cup warm water

• 3 cups ice-cold water

Directions:

Squeeze juice from lemons and strain seeds and pulp, unless you like the pulp.

In a pitcher, mix the sugar and warm water until the sugar dissolves. Add the lemon juice and the 3 cups of ice water. Mix well and serve.

I’m not going to tell you how long the lemonade will last in the refrigerator, because I simply don’t have leftovers at my house. But I’m thinking it will be good for a about week.