8 Great Benefits Of Lemons

When life gives you lemons, be glad!

The lemon has been given a poor reputation mainly because of its sharp taste but do not discount this fruit. It is easy - and inexpensive -  to make lemons part of your daily nutrition and enjoy its health giving properties.

Here are 8 of the great benefits of lemons. 

1. Lemons are LOADED with Vitamin C. 
   You need vitamin C for the growth and repair of tissues in all parts of your body. It helps the body make collagen, an important protein used to make skin, cartilage, tendons, ligaments, and blood vessels. Vitamin C is needed for healing wounds, and for repairing and maintaining bones and teeth.
    
2. Lemons aid digestion by loosening any toxins that are found in the digestive tract and relieving any symptoms of indigestion like heartburn, burping and bloating. 
    
3. Drinking warm water with lemon juice is the best way to start your day because after sleeping your body is dehydrated and needs flush out toxins. This cleansing and vitamin-rich drink is the perfect tool to rehydrate your body and clear these toxins.
    
4. Joint pain, inflammation and swelling can be reduced by drinking lemon juice because it assists in dissolving uric acid which is a byproduct of the bodies metabolism. 
    
5. Warm lemon water is the possibly one of the most effective ways to diminish viral infections and sore throats. Plus, with the lemon juice also boosting your immune system, you will simultaneously fight off the infection completely.
    
6. Lemons have an alkalising and cleansing effect on the body. Keeping the body in an alkaline state is important because many diseases thrive can only thrive when the body is acidic.  
    
7. Squeezing lemon juice on a salad as a dressing can increase the absorption of iron. For example, lemon juice with a salad of spinach or chickpeas with both contain a good source of iron.
    
8. Lemons have fantastic benefits for your skin too. It has natural antibacterial properties that make it a good choice to help cure acne and prevent further breakouts and is a natural exfoliant since the citric acid acts as a gentle "skin peel" that removes the top layer of dead skin cells.

How a you adding lemons to your diet today?

What Is So Special About Kale?

Why does everybody rave about kale?

Kale is a part of the cabbage family. It has attractive curly leaves that are deep green in colour and are where nearly all the nutrients are found. It is amongst the most nutrient-dense foods on the planet. 

Kale is an excellent source of vitamins K and C, as well as containing useful amounts of manganese, copper and phytochemicals, which are believed to help against certain types of cancer. 

Vitamin K is an important nutrient. It is absolutely critical for blood clotting and does this by “activating” certain proteins and giving them the ability to bind calcium.
Vitamin C in kale is higher than most other vegetables, containing about 4.5 times much as spinach. It is necessary to synthesize collagen, the most abundant structural protein in the body.

Like other leafy greens kale is very high in antioxidants. This includes beta-carotene which the body can turn into vitamin A which plays a vital role in bone growth, reproduction and immune system health.

One of the most common consequences of ageing is that eyesight gets worse. Fortunately, there are several nutrients in the diet that can help prevent this from happening. Two of the main ones are lutein and zeaxanthin, carotenoid antioxidants that are found in large amounts in kale.

Now you are aware of the benefits why not try to add more kale into your diet?

It can be enjoyed raw in salads and smoothies or dehydrated and eaten as kale chips which are a healthy alternative to potato chips and vegetable crisps.

Smoothies Vs Juices?

What is the difference between them?

Juice

A juice is a extracted water and nutrients from produce and the fibre is discarded.Without all the fibre, your digestive system does not have to work as hard to break down the food and absorb the nutrients. In fact, it makes the nutrients more readily available to the body in much larger quantities than if you were to eat the fruits and vegetables whole.

This is especially helpful if you have a sensitive digestive system or illness that inhibits your body from processing fiber. The fiber in produce helps slow down the digestive process and provides a steady release of nutrients into the blood stream. 

Benefits to juicing:
 -People often use vegetables, including some they might not normally consume, not just the fruits typically used in smoothies.
 -Because juices don't have fiber, it's easier for those with digestive issues to absorb nutrients
 -A glass of juice is a quick way to add nutrients to your meals.

Drawbacks to juicing:
-If made only with fruit, juices can be loaded with sugars.
-Juices have no fiber, so they do not keep you feeling full very long.
-Juices don't have protein, so they can't be used to replace a meal.

Smoothie

A smoothie is a drink composed of blended foods.  This means that the foods have been broken down into liquid form, whilst still retaining all of their fibre.  Because the fibres are just slightly broken down but not removed, your body will still have to do some digestive work in order to fully break down and digest your smoothie, but not as much as it would have to if you just ate the produce.  

Smoothies are a little more versatile in the ingredients that work well within them.  You can do greens, other veggies, fruits, nuts, seeds, superfoods, protein supplements, herbs, spices, really anything that you can dream up you can add to a smoothie!

Benefits to blending smoothies:
 - They contain fiber, so you feel fuller longer.
 - If made with a protein, like low-fat yogurt or milk, they can replace a meal. 

Drawbacks to smoothies: 
- Not usually made with veggies, only with high-sugar fruit.

So, which is better?

The jury is still out. Both have benefits especially if you want to find a way to get more fresh fruits and vegetables into your everyday diet.
If you need purely more nutrients then juicing  provides more nutrients since the plant fibre is broken down into a dense liquid that supercharges nutrition. Juices are also absorbed faster into your system and you can fit much more produce (which equals more nutrients) into a juice than you can a smoothie. 
Smoothies which retain the fibre are a great meal replacement especially when you are short on time. By adding extra ingredients such as chia seeds, oats and nuts can keep you feeling satisfied for many hours.