Health Supportive Lemonade for Everyone
When life gives you lemons, you are supposed to drink lemonade. Beyonce knows it. Norman Rockwell knows it. Aruvedics know it. Christopher Columbus knew it. Anyone with glowing skin knows it. Lemonade stand entrepreneurs always knew and still know it. Basically everyone knows it.
Lemons are thought to have originated in Indus Valley. They make an appearance in the frescoes of Villa Livia in the 1nd century AD. Because lemons are super-adaptable to hybridization, this fresco could technically be of a citron, but this fresco stills speaks to the universality of lemons and of lemonade. The earliest written evidence of lemonade comes from Medieval Egypt, where Persian poet and traveler Nasir-i-Khusraw (1003-1061) wrote about the “qatarzimat:” a mixture of lemon juice and date palm sugar sold at Cairo markets and a valued trade item.
In 1493, Christopher Columbus brought lemon seeds with him to the New World. Lemons were super important to sea travel, because it was found that adding one ounce of lemon juice to the diets of seamen prevented scurvy. Although vitamin C was not yet “discovered,” it was found that symptoms that started at malaise and fatigue and deteriorated into poor wound healing, personality changes, gum disease, bleeding, and ultimately death could be prevented by fresh produce. Other fruits and vegetables high in vitamin C would not last the long sea voyages, whereas lemons could be stored and consumed over a period of time. Post factum, scurvy was traditionally treated with two ounces of fresh lemon juice diluted with water, taken every two to four hours. Lemonade was found to literally raise the almost dead seamen.
My point is this: you think that lemonade is an all American summer drink which speaks to the all American entrepreneurial spirit, and it is, but lemonade is actually from all over, at its adaptability to tastes, goals, and situations make it a powerhouse inside a small package.
Lemons are picked when they are green, and they ripen inside their packing containers. The freshest lemons are the ones that retain some of their green color, and haven’t completely turned yellow. These are also more acidic than their fully ripened and fully yellow counterparts, which are sweeter. One lemon tree can produce between 500 and 600 pounds of lemons annually.
Lemons have a pH of around 2.2, which is extremely acidic, but lemons actually have an alkalizing effect on the body. 100 grams of lemon juice provides 128% of your recommended daily requirement of vitamin C. Lemons are a super popular addition in cold remedies, because they have natural antibacterial, antiviral, and immune boosting properties. The scent of lemons is found to have de-stressing, mood enhancing, and energizing properties. Lemons are also super anticarcinogenic and help to neutralize free radicals linked to aging and disease. Lemonade aficionados know that fresh lemon water will help heal stomach ulcers, promote weight loss and maintenance, provide an energy and mood boost, and help cure you of the common cold.
Ayurvedic doctors recommend that everyone drink warm lemon water upon waking. This lemon water is supposed to stimulate the digestional tract and help flush out any blockages and toxins. Ayurvedic doctors call these blockages ama, and recommend the ongoing practice of drinking warm lemon water as a daily ritual to remove them. Lemons promote gastric fire, which is essentially the proper assimilation of other nutrients inside the body. Modern medicine suggests that this warm lemon water is also a great liver detoxifier.
Unfortunately today, many conventional, bottled lemonades include artificial flavors, real sugars, fake sugars, preservatives, coloring agents, and more. These are ingredients best to stay away from, as they do not offer the health benefits that real lemons do.
Here are six types of refined sugar free, health supportive lemonades to start your day, maintain your day, or end your day with. Enjoy when you're in bed with a cold, out and about, spending time with friends and family, or pursuing your health and fitness goals, it is always time for a lemoande. Remember to drink these through a straw or to rinse your mouth out well after consumption, as lemon juice can wreck havoc on tooth enamel.
Ayurvedic Morning Lemon Tonic
Mix the juice of one fresh lemon with at least eight ounces of room temperature water every morning. Drink immediately.
Master Cleanse Tonic
Mix 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, 2 tablespoons grade B maple syrup, 1/10 teaspoons cayenne pepper, and 10 ounces of purified water. For a Master Cleanse protocol, drink 6-12 glasses of this tonic per day, in combination with peppermint tea for at least ten days. The lemons are the super food, the maple syrup provides some minerals and carbohydrates, and the cayenne pepper stimulates circulation and elimination of toxins and bacteria. Enjoy a Master Cleanse tonic as a health-supportive lemonade, whenever you feel like it, if you are not on the lemonade diet.
Lemon Tea
This one is best in the colder months, when you want something to warm up with. Juice one lemon. Cut the core into smaller pieces, bring the pieces to a boil with at least eight ounces of water, simmer for 10 minutes, and strain. Mix the fresh lemon juice and lemon core infusion for the benefits of lemon juice and lemon peel. Drink immediately. Make sure to wash well and use an organic lemon to avoid ingesting extra processing materials on the outside of the conventionally-grown lemon.
Hippie Gatorade
Mix the juice of one fresh lemon with 8 ounces of raw coconut water and a pinch of unrefined sea salt or Himalayan salt. Drink after exercising, or just when you need a high-potassium pick me up.
Raw Lemonade
Mix 1 cup of raw honey, 1 cup of raw lemon juice, and 6 cups of water for a lemonade to share with your friends and family. The raw honey offers a sweetness that turns a health tonic into a drink fit for social occasions. For additional benefits and flavor varieties, add raw ginger juice, mint or lavender, fresh squeezed cucumber juice, fresh-squeezed juice of other citrus, and/or or bee pollen directly into your pitcher.
Whole Lemon Tonic
Watch out- this one tastes super bitter and sour at the same time, but for the maximum benefit of raw lemon peel and raw lemon juice, cut one lemon into small pieces and liquify it in a Vitamix with two cups of water. This tonic is super medicinal, and may be too severe for every day drinking, but it is a fantastic way to kickstart your health and fitness goals. For different flavors, substitute the water for cooled green or herbal tea.