According to the alkaline diet philosophy the pH of our body is really important to our health. The diet is based on the idea that by eating (& cutting out) certain foods, we affect the acidity and pH of our body. This can then affect our health by preventing or treating diseases.
This diet philosophy has increased greatly over the past years and one of the side effects is the growing number of people drinking hot water with lemon. The question I hear you ask is:
But lemons are acidic, so how can they be alkalising in the body?
Without going into great detail or debating the accuracy, according to the pro-alkaline diet websites, lemons, while containing citric acid have a very high content of the strongly alkaline minerals potassium, magnesium and sodium. These minerals have a very alkalising effect once inside the body.
The reason this doesn’t work with oranges is because their sugar content is so high that it cancels out the alkalising minerals and leads it to have a very acidic effect on the body. That is the same for almost all fruits.
This makes lemon water a good way to start the day in getting your body to the right pH.
But according to the recent BBC1 documentary, The Truth about Teeth (4 June 2015), the acid in the lemon water will soften your tooth enamel as you drink it. So remember to NOT brush your teeth for 1 hour after drinking lemon water as the brushing will scratch the enamel & damage your teeth.
Now that we’re talking about teeth brushing, it’s also recommended (the BBC1 Documentary & numerous other sources) that you brush your teeth before breakfast is better than waiting until afterwards. This is because the brushing removes the plaque bacteria which would react with food to produce acid leading to tooth decay. It appears that it’s too late to help if you wait until after you’ve finished your meal. Plus the acid will soften the enamel so brushing may cause more damage to your teeth.
So to avoid a double tooth decay whammy, if you want to drink lemon water, it seems best to brush your teeth when you get up, then have your lemon water before breakfast.
Is lemon water really so good? Well, it’s definitely better than a drink of sugary tea or soda. Just be careful when you drink it in order to protect your teeth!
Our cuisine on our retreats is based on the raw food diet which is inherently alkalising so great for a cleansing, healthy detox kick-start to your diet. Read more about our delicious raw meals here…