THE HEALING POWER OF LEMONS - Part 1

I would like to suggest a new morning ritual! Drink the freshly squeezed juice of one lemon in a glass of lukewarm water first thing in the morning--before the coffee or orange juice. Even though it tastes bitter, lemon juice has a powerful alkaline effect in the body and is a natural agent against excess acid, which is in part responsible for chronic inflammation.
A large lemon contains about 45 mg of Vitamin C, which helps to neutralize and reduce the effect of free radicals that contribute to cancer and heart disease.  Our body generates free radicals whenever we burn calories as fuel for our cells.  We are also bombarded with free radicals from air pollution, tobacco smoke, radiation and sunlight.  Vitamin C helps to build our body's immune system against free radicals.
Lemons contain two compounds--limonin and limonene which appear to help inhibit some of the cell divisions that may cause cancer.  Limonene is found in the zest or outermost part of the rind of a lemon. The limonene found in the lemon peel/zest has the effect of increasing the level of enzymes in the liver that may remove cancer-causing chemicals. The limonene has also been shown to remove estradiol, a hormone linked to breast cancer.  If using the peel in your cooking/baking--buy organic!  Make a glass of lemon water your morning beverage and let me know how you feel!  Part 2 will follow on Monday.