5 Cent Lemonade

Lemon
(Superfood)

 

 

Lemons are a yellow fruit that come from a species of small evergreen tree native to

Asia. The juice of lemons and the outer peel are used all over the world for culinary and medicinal uses. The fruit of the lemon tree contain flavonoids, which are composites that contain antioxidant and cancer-fighting properties they are high in vitamin C, fiber and various other beneficial plant compounds. One fruit contains 80mg of potassium (an essential macro mineral), 51% of your daily dose of Vitamin C along with traces of iron, calcium and magnesium. Keep in mind that the daily dose is from the RDA which is only around 75 to 90mg a day when Vitamin C experts recommend up to 3,000mg a day.

Lemon is typically thought of as acidic since it is a citrus fruit, but it is anionic (negatively charged ionic) and corresponds to alkaline. Lemon is known to encourage a healthy digestive tract aiding in the relief from symptoms of indigestion and heartburn.

I was raised being told to use lemon in my water, I can’t say I care for it too much but after reading the book “The Cure” by Dr. Timothy Brantley, I have such a greater understanding of all the benefits of putting lemon in my water. So now like many other things, I have added Lemon water and the Master Cleanse recipe of lemon, water, a pinch of cayenne pepper and a half teaspoon of grade B organic maple syrup, Dr. Brantley suggests adding some grated ginger to the mix as well.

“When the cationic foods arrive in the body, the opposing forces bump into one another, causing a beneficial energy explosion – one of the ways we derive energy from food. When you drink lemon juice and water first thing in the morning, you successfully turn on your liver, warming up the engine, preparing the liver to support the digestive process. The juice of a lemon also stimulates the liver to kick in the digestive juices. If you ate dinner too late the night before, lemon juice first thing in the morning helps stimulate the digestive juices to enter the blood and clean up the debris, the undigested food particles.”
~Dr. Timothy Brantley, author of The Cure

Starting your day with a glass of lemon water is a long time Ayurveda or Yogic tradition, used for the cleansing effects to wake up the digestive tract and remove food that had settled over night. In fact, lemons may support heart health, weight control, digestive health, prevent diabetes, constipation, high blood pressure, fever, indigestion, as well as improve the skin, hair, and teeth. Lemon juice stimulates the formation of calcium carbonate released by the pancreas and aids in alkalization of the blood and urine, neutralizing acids such as uric acid. Lemon water may be useful for people suffering from gout and individuals with hyperuricemia according to a study done in 2013.

I was born with severe kidney issues and suffered from kidney infection, urinary tract infections and as a teenager had to pass kidney stones. I was always told to drink fresh squeezed lemon juice and freshly juiced cranberries. I did some digging and found out why lemons are so good for kidney health. Come to find out that lemon juice, both from the fresh fruit and from juice concentrates, has more citric acid content than grapefruit juice and orange juice making it a great treatment and prevention for kidney stones. In another study citrate supplementation with lemonade increased urinary citrate levels more than 2-fold without changing total urinary volume. Showing that lemonade therapy may improve patient compliance, and may be useful as adjunctive treatment for patients with hypocitraturic calcium nephrolithiasis.

“During your detoxification period, this is a very effective cleansing drink to start off your day, as it is great for your circulation. Even if you stick with simple lemon juice in water, the lemon juice itself has a very powerful cleansing effect. Lemons are full to the brim with vitamin C and bioflavonoids, which are plant derivatives with antioxidant and anti- inflammatory properties.”
~Dr. Timothy Brantley, author of The Cure

Benefits of drinking Lemon Water

Helps keep the body in an alkaline state                                     Aids in digestion, contains citrus flavonoids                              Aids in relief from symptoms of indigestion
Promotes wound healing, high levels of Vitamin C (ascorbic acid)
Contains Anti-Inflammatory properties
Antioxidants help combat free radical damage
Antioxidants aid in maintaining clear, glowing skin
Promotes a healthy immune system, vitamin C (antioxidant)

A few ways to use lemons in your kitchen and home

-Add half a lemon or authentic lemon essential oil to your water first thing in the morning or all day long
-Add to smoothies                                                                                                                                   -Flavor your herbal tea                                                                                                                         -Make homemade Lemonade
-Flavor seafood                                                                                                                                        -Add to salad dressing or squeeze fresh onto a salad
-Add to any freshly juiced, green juice to take the bite out                                                           -Add lemon peels to your compost pile                                                                                              -Add Lemon Peels to white vinegar for a cleaning agent                                                               -Lemons juice may be used as a stain remover                                                                                -Fresh lemon juice or lemon essential oil is a great additive to homemade mosquito repellant

Cleansing Lemon Drink
16 ounces of PH balanced water
Juice of one organic lemon
Pinch of cayenne pepper
½ teaspoon of Grade B maple syrup

Sautéed Kale and Lemon Zest
Cut up large kale leaves and stems with kitchen scissors into bite size pieces
Throw in a sauté pan with avocado oil
Squeeze fresh lemon juice while cooking
Top with the outside peel of the lemon grated with a cheese grater (fresh lemon zest)
Top with animal protein of choice or eat as a side dish. I prefer it with a nice piece of broiled fish on top

Warm Goat cheese with greens salad
Cut rainbow chard and Kale into bite size pieces with kitchen scissors
Sauté in pan with avocado oil
Cut a few sun dried Dates into micro pieces with scissors
Throw in a handful of crushed nuts of your choosing
Squeeze in fresh lemon juice
Cook until leaves are tender
Top with dollops of goat cheese and fresh lemon zest

Goat cheese puree
Goat cheese
Fresh squeezed lemon juice
Fresh minced parsley
Grass fed butter
Artichoke hearts
White wine ( if you use the wine prepare on the stove top and whisk ingredients as it cooks)
I never measure anything, I put it all in a mini oven safe casserole dish, melt it and use a mini whisk to get it to a creamy consistency, add more lemon if a thinner consistency is desired. This goes great over top of my marinated artichokes, you can add mussels or clams to this, I’ve had it in restaurants with escargot. Get creative with it, it’s delicious.
Oils of Oregano

Other foods that contain Vitamin C

Guava: ½ cup 188mg
Kiwifruit: 2 kiwis 140mg
Broccoli: 1 cup chopped 82mg
Kale: 1 cup chopped 80mg
Orange: 1 medium 70mg, ¾ fresh juice has about 93mg
Grapefruit: half a fruit 39mg, ¾ cup fresh juice has about 79mg
Papayas: 1 cup chunks 88.3 mg
Green Bell Pepper: ½ cup raw 60mg, cooked 51mg,
Red Bell Pepper: 1 whole pepper 300 mg, ½ cup raw 142mg, cooked 166mg
Strawberries: ½ cup 49mg
Broccoli: ½ cup cooked 48mg
Cantaloupe: ¼ fruit 47mg
Turnip Greens: 1 cup boiled 39.5mg
Winter Squash: 1 cup baked 31mg
Butternut Squash: 1 cup baked 31mg
Raspberries: 1 cup 32.2mg
Blueberries: 1 cup 14.4mg
Cranberries: 1 cup 13.3mg
Pineapple: 1 cup chunks 78.9mg whole pineapple 432mg
Grapefruit: ½ medium 39mg
Lemons: 1 fruit 18.6mg
Limes: 1 fruit 19.5mg
Tomatoes Juice: ¾ cup fresh 33mg
Parsley: 1 cup 33.25 mg
Brussel Sprouts: ½ cup cooked 48mg, 28 calories
Parsley: 1 cup 33.25 mg
Tomatoes: ¾ cup fresh 33mg
Cabbage: ½ cup cooked 28mg
Cauliflower: ½ cup raw 28mg
Sweet Potatoes: 1 medium baked 22.3mg
Watermelon: 1 cup diced 12.3mg
Spinach: ½ cup cooked 9mg
Peas: ½ cup cooked, frozen 8mg
Romain Lettuce: 1 cup chopped 1.9mg
Butter lettuce: 1 cup shredded 3.3mg
Paprika: 1 tablespoon 0.1mg

 

 

Disclaimer: The strategies, suggestions and techniques expressed here are intended to be used for educational purposes only. The Author, Kira Miller, is not rendering medical advice nor is she trying to diagnose, prescribe or treat any disease, condition, illness or injury.
If you are under the care of a physician it is imperative that you consult their advice before beginning any new exercise or nutrition program.
Kira Miller claims no responsibility to any person or entity for any liability, loss or damage alleged to be caused directly or indirectly as a result of the use, application or interpretation of the material presented here.
At this time none of the companies mentioned in this book have asked me to promote their products, given me free products or samples, nor do I make any money if you decide to use the same products that I use and suggest to other people.