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A glass mug of warm lemon water with a lemon wheel, a halved lemon and a small citrus squeezer on a worn wooden table

Lemon Water Benefits and a Warm Lemon Water Recipe Worth Making Every Morning

Prep
3 min
Cook
2 min
Total
5 min
Servings
1 mug

Half a fresh lemon squeezed into a mug of hot, not boiling, water: about 7 calories, and a better morning habit than it sounds. Which lemon water benefits hold up, which do not, and what the kidney stone trials actually measured.

Ingredients

  • 1 cuphot water, 240 ml, hot but not boiling
  • 2 tbsplemon juice, freshly squeezed, about half a medium lemon
  • 1/4 tsplemon zest, optional, from the same lemon, grated before you cut it
  • 1 tsphoney, optional

Instructions

  1. Heat the water. Bring the water to a boil, then let it stand for 2 to 3 minutes. You want it hot enough to steam, not bubbling. Very hot water flattens the fresh taste of the juice.
  2. Zest, then squeeze the lemon. If you want the zest, grate a little of the yellow peel first, before you cut the lemon. Then roll the lemon on the counter under your palm, cut it in half and squeeze one half through a small strainer, or catch the seeds with your fingers.
  3. Pour, stir and taste. Put the juice and zest in the mug, pour the hot water over and stir. Taste before you add honey. Many mornings it does not need any; if it does, stir in 1 tsp while the water is still hot so it dissolves.

Notes

  • Fresh lemon, every time. Bottled juice works in a pinch, but the mug tastes flat and a little bitter next to fresh-pressed.
  • Pick lemons that feel heavy for their size, with thin, glossy skin that gives a little when you press. Those carry the most juice.
  • The other lemon half keeps a day or two in the fridge, cut side down on a small plate, for tomorrow's mug.

Nutrition Facts

Per serving (estimated) : Calories: 28 | Total Carbohydrate: 8 g | Protein: 0 g | Total Fat: 0 g | Sodium: 1 mg

Category: Smoothies & DrinksAuthor: Bogdan DCuisine: American