Lemons, Not Just a Flavor

Ranked among the most popular fruits, lemons are greatly appreciated for their flavor and vastly included in many dish and dessert recipes as well as beverages. Besides being very juicy and packed full of flavor, lemons are wonderful sources of beneficial qualities.

Raw lemon including the peel:

Lemons are one of those wonderful foods that have virtually no Cholesterol, salt content or bad fats so they are excellent complements to the diet plan that helps to maintain proper weight. Not only do they make a great source of dietary fiber, but they are incredibly rich in vitamins B6 and C, as well as in Calcium. The calorie count in a normal size lemon is around 61 calories. The drawback is that these calories come from the fruit's natural sugars. Even so, this is still a great addition to a weight loss program. The nutrients of a lemon are not susceptible to change, no matter if you peel it or not. Also, a great thing for your diet is that they contain high levels of Potassium as well as iron.

Lemon juice the all-time favorite drink

Whether freshly squeezed juice, frozen concentrate juice, canned juice or bottled juice, it preserves all the beneficial nutrients, including Folate and Thiamin. One regular serving contains approximately 51 calories. When the calorie intake hits the roof is when the lemons are made into a yummy lemon meringue pie. One slice is about 360 calories.

Practical uses of lemons

There are many more ways that you can make use of use a lemon. If you want to make your water alkaline to balance your body pH, for example, a freshly squeezed lemon will do the trick. Apples and avocados have a tendency to brown immediately after they are cut. To avoid this and keep their appearance fresh, all you have to do is rub them with a sliced lemon.

Before juicing a lemon, it is preferable that you keep it out of the fridge for a bit and then roll it on the counter top with your hand, applying a little pressure. This way you'll be able to get more juice out of it. If this does not work you can put the lemon in the microwave for just about half a minute.

Besides bringing out the flavor of fish and being one of the greatest summer drinks ever, lemonade, lemon juice can take bad smells from your hands, and your pots and pans before washing them. If you don't want your garbage disposal to smell bad, you can always throw in the peel from a lemon right after you have used it.

Lemonade was first created back in 1299 and Columbus was said to bring lemonade along on his famous voyage. Some time ago Florida used to be blanketed in lemon groves. Also, the gold rush in California turned into a lemon industry instead. The lemon is actually native to the Asian continent, the name translating as 'sour fruit'.