Start your engine everyday with lemon water!

Many, many health resources recommend you consume room temperature lemon water first thing in the morning on an empty stomach. This is because lukewarm lemon water alkalizes your digestive enzymes and the gastric juices in your body, which prepares you to receive nutrients for the rest of the day. A cup of warm lemon water in the morning goes right through the bowels and cleans mucus out of you from the day before. After drinking your warm water, wait 30 minutes to an hour before consuming your breakfast. Repeat the same practice before bedtime in the evening too!

Tip: pour filtered water with the juice from half a lemon into a glass (never plastic) bottle at night. Place it next to your bed on a side table and allow it to reach room temperature as you sleep. Drink it first thing in the morning, before you shower or do anything else. Refill the bottle after use for your evening routine.

Beware: I want to strongly caution you from getting lemons in your water or herbal tea when out at a restaurant. When restaurants put lemon wedges directly into your water, they're basically spiking your drink with high levels of harmful bacteria and germs. "Two out of every three restaurant lemon wedges tested in a recent study were covered in disease-causing bacteria - including fecal bacteria. A total of 25 different, and potentially dangerous, microorganisms were discovered on the wedges" (Dr. Merocla). Learn more about the study here.

Nevertheless, drinking fresh lemon water is a really great practice to do regularly at home, especially if you're using organic lemons that you've thoroughly cleaned.

Benefits of lemon water:

• flushes out toxins in the body
• relieves many digestion problems
• revs your metabolism
• moves your bowels
• has an alkalizing effect on your body
• allows your body to run more efficiently
• decreases the amount of phlegm produced by your body
• gives you added Vitamin C content to your diet (which is great for your skin)