Lemon Water Health Benefits – Does It Break A Fast?

By Alex Porter

Updated on December 16, 2024

Kristen Fleming holds a Master of Science in Nutrition. Over her 8 years of experience in dietetics, she has made significant contributions in clinical, community, and editorial settings. With 2 years as a clinical dietitian in an inpatient setting, 2 years in community health education, and 4 years of editorial experience focusing on nutrition and health-related content, Kristen's expertise is multifaceted.

Intermittent fasting took the world by storm and still continues to baffle its followers with unbelievable weight loss results. The most high-profile individuals praise it to the skies: these are professional dietitians, doctors and weight-watchers. To this day “intermittent fasting” remains undefeated among the top-trending diet searches in Google. A time-restricted eating plan is easy to incorporate into your daily life and it seems to do the trick when it comes to weight loss. Consuming food only during a specific window of time is a clear-cut rule, but what about the liquids? Should you abstain from those too? What about lemon water – the ultimate metabolism-boosting elixir? Does it break a fast as well? You will find the answers in this article, so keep on reading.

What Is Intermittent Fasting?

Basically, intermittent fasting is a practice of shortening the time period when you eat and widening the gap when you fast. In fact, this does not presuppose shortening the number of calories – and yet it works. Intermittent fasting may help boost metabolism, lower insulin levels, and even help you live longer (2, 3, 5).

However, when people decide to adhere to this practice, a number of questions arise, particularly on the status of liquids. If something is a liquid, it doesn’t break a fast – because you don’t eat, right? Well, not exactly. Some liquids like soda and juice contain loads of calories and sugar, and therefore indeed break a fast. Does lemon water pertain to this type of no-go liquids?

Does Lemon Water Break A Fast?

Increased hydration is essential for your weight loss. It amplifies fat burning and boosts metabolism (4). However, sticking to plain water may be exhausting and boring to some. Yet there are alternatives – and lemon water is one of them. However, not every type of lemon water is equally beneficial.

Lemon water is widely considered to be a very healthy drink. It contains lots of vitamin C and helps curb hunger pangs through increasing the feeling of fullness. Furthermore , it is thought to help aid digestion when consumed after waking up in the morning (1).

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Acidity

Lemon and lime are highly acidic, and in high concentrations might negatively impact your teeth. So, make sure to dilute your lemon juice (if you’re using juice) with 8 ounces of water to lessen the acidity.

Temperature

The higher temperature – the worse is the impact of acid. So, don’t make your warm lemon water too warm.

Fructose

Lemons and limes contain fructose, which means that in higher concentrations they might boost sugar levels and actually break a fast. So, rather just put some lemon slices in your water instead of squeezing juice. In this way, most of the fructose stays inside the fruit and you don’t break a fast.

To sum up, lemon water is a healthy alternative to plain water, whether you’re on intermittent fasting or on a keto diet. Following the aforementioned cautions, you can be sure your fast isn’t broken and you’re on your way to shedding those pounds.

If you are following a healthy diet, you might be willing to do some exercises to tone your body. Make sure to consult your physician before diving into a chosen workout program.

DISCLAIMER:

This article is intended for general informational purposes only and does not address individual circumstances. It is not a substitute for professional advice or help and should not be relied on to make decisions of any kind. A licensed physician should be consulted for diagnosis and treatment of any and all medical conditions. Any action you take upon the information presented in this article is strictly at your own risk and responsibility!

SOURCES:

Benefits of drinking lemon water (2019, medicalnewstoday.com)
Enhanced thermogenic response to epinephrine after 48-h starvation in humans (1990, ncbi.nlm.nih.gov)
Fasting: Molecular Mechanisms and Clinical Applications (2014, ncbi.nlm.nih.gov)
Increased Hydration Can Be Associated with Weight Loss (2016, ncbi.nlm.nih.gov)
Intermittent fasting vs daily calorie restriction for type 2 diabetes prevention: a review of human findings (2014, sciencedirect.com)

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