Lemon helps burn fat – but you need to know the right dose –

Lemon is a fruit famous for burning excess fat around the waist and detoxifying the body. The ideal amount, however, still raises some doubts. Just don’t exaggerate the dose: consuming two to three units a day – combined with a balanced diet – is enough for you to notice a good difference on the scale.

In 2014, the use of fruit to lose weight returned to fashion and even became a book in the United States, written by holistic therapist Tom Woloshyn. The Portuguese version, titled “The Master Cleanse diet” (publisher bestseller, 272 pages), proposes spending ten days on a base of lemon diluted in water with glucose and pepper, without any solid food. But do not get carried away: the method can seriously harm your health.

The strategy of drinking the pure juice of several lemons, still on an empty stomach, is also considered unsafe by most nutritionists. “Depending on the organism, the exaggerated intake of lemon can attack the stomach“, warns nutritionist Daniela Jobst, from Clínica Jobst, in São Paulo.

fruit secrets

It can be said that it is citric acid that gives lemon its main slimming powers. The fruits of the same family, such as orange and tangerine, also carry this acid, but lemon is a champion. And this substance is not weak: “Citric acid has an astringent action, acting as if it were a detergent dissolving toxins and fats”, says Daniela Jobst.

The sour taste gives the idea that this fruit increases acidity in the body. But that’s not what happens: lemon has an alkalizing action (another merit of citric acid) and, therefore, makes the pH of blood and other body fluids less acidic. This favors the functioning of metabolism and the body as a whole, facilitating weight loss and maintenance. By having antiseptic action, he still fights enemy microorganisms that cause fermentation in the stomach and intestine. That is, it is a food that can prevent the accumulation of gases.

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Is your intestine lazy? One more reason for you to adhere to the fruit, which, according to chemist Conceição Trucom, author of the book O Poder de Cura do Limão (publisher Alaúde, 200 pages), has a mild laxative effect. More notable effects: Lemon juice has 40 milligrams of vitamin C in 100 milliliters. It’s not much compared to acerola and kiwi. Even so, it is a fruit with great antioxidant action. It means that it is capable of removing free radicals, those molecules that cause premature aging, from the scene.

If you’re considering swallowing a supplement instead of lemon to keep your skin youthful, know that the switch isn’t always worth it. “The consumption of two daily units exceeds the power of an effervescent tablet of 500 milligrams of vitamin C. This happens because, in the fruit, the vitamin is active and has the help of calcium, potassium and other components that increase its use by the body. ”, says Conceição Trucom.

The most surprising: lemon can prevent cancer, especially breast cancer, according to studies by the Department of Oncology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, in the United States, carried out in guinea pigs. But, in this case, it is essential that you consume the whole fruit with the peel – part of the lemon that concentrates citrus essential oils, such as d-limonene. “This substance proved capable of inhibiting the proliferation of altered cells”, comments Daniela Jobst. The preventive dosage of d-limonene, according to Conceição, is the minimum daily consumption of three lemons with pulp and peel.

Tahiti, Galician or Carnation?

The lemon-tahiti is the easiest to be found from north to south of Brazil. But it can be Galician, Clove, Sicilian… These and all other types (there are more than 70) have the same nutritional and therapeutic properties. Therefore, prefer the one that is in greater abundance, more beautiful and cheaper at the moment. And, of course, consume it fresh, very well washed and every day!

right way to use

The juice should be made with fresh lemon, organic if possible, and consumed immediately after preparation. These are precautions that preserve the therapeutic substances of the fruit. See the proper way to consume for…

…lose weight, detoxify and deflate

Squeeze a fresh lemon into a glass of water, like unsweetened lemonade. Drink on an empty stomach, 30 minutes (maximum 15) before breakfast, so that the “cleaning” is not impaired by any solid food. Repeat the recipe 10 to 15 minutes before lunch and dinner. Why sugar free? This is an ingredient with the opposite action of lemon: it intoxicates the body, in addition to being caloric.

If you’ve tried it and your palate doesn’t accept anything too sour, add 10 to 15 drops of Persian lime to the lemonade – it’s a little sweeter and also has a detoxifying action. Either way, to notice a difference in your waistline, you must commit to consuming diluted lemon daily until you reach your goal on the scale. Also, make a habit of using it to season salad, fish, roast meat (like kibbeh) and cooked lentils.

…activate the immune system

Blend in a blender (or use a juicer) a fresh lemon with its peel (remove only the white pith and seeds) with a glass of coconut (or mineral) water, an apple and a handful of alfalfa sprouts (or parsley). Drink mid-morning and mid-afternoon. The fruit and vegetables act in synergy with the lemon, increasing the protective and revitalizing power of the juice.

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…decrease gas and stimulate the intestines

Dilute the fresh juice of a lemon in a glass of warm water and drink it on an empty stomach for a week. The closer the food is to body temperature, the less work the body has to digest it. And, in that case, the ideal thing is that all the substances present in the fruit are absorbed. If you use the lemon with the white part, the one that is in the core, the juice will also have pectin, fiber that serves as food for the good bacteria – essential to keep the intestine healthy and ready to better assimilate the nutrients from food.