Probably one of the first things you are told to do after being diagnosed with a fatty liver is drink Lemon Water. But is this lemon water really going to help you reverse your fatty liver? We’re going to talk about all the assumed benefits today.
Lemon water has some benefits that are directly related to the health of our liver.
It improves digestion, provides a nice boost of vitamin C and potassium, and also contains antioxidants. All of these are considered good for our overall health.
Also, drinking lemon water helps you stay hydrated, but also has the potential to help you lose weight or keep a safe weight.
This happens because lemons contain pectin, which is a fiber that keeps your cravings low. The water itself helps you feel full for longer. It also helps prevent kidney stones, which is always a nice bonus.
As you can see, however, lemon water is definitely not a miracle treatment of sorts. It helps here and there, but it’s definitely not one of the most important things that has to be done to reverse your fatty liver.
Then why is everybody drinking lemon water?
The main reason why most people choose to drink lemon water might surprise you.
It’s not necessarily the health benefits (although these are a welcome bonus). It’s… variety.
We don’t have a lot of things to drink after being diagnosed with NAFLD and plain water gets old really soon. Lemon water adds a bit of spark and joy to our daily routine.
I wrote more about the things to drink with a fatty liver – make sure to read that article as well if you’re starting to get bored with plain water too.
How to prepare lemon water?
Fortunately, making a glass (or a bottle) of lemon water is as easy as it gets. All you need to do is to squeeze the juice out of a lemon and mix it with water. Then drink it!
Various people have various approaches in terms of quantities. There’s no real right or wrong way to do it. It all depends on your personal preferences and how sour you want your water to be.
If you want to do it my way, I have two methods: one for when I feel lazy and one for when I don’t.
Note: No matter what your approach is, you can always add extra stuff to your lemon water. If I have them, I crush some mint leaves and add them there for the extra flavor.
You can use plain water (still) or sparkling water for some extra tingle.
You can also add some freshly squeezed orange juice or a few slices of cucumbers. Just don’t add any sugar or other sugar alternatives.
The lazy person’s lemon water
This is the easiest to make. Get a lemon, cut it in half and work your magic with a citrus reamer to get all that juice out.
I personally prefer a reamer like this one (affiliate link) because it helps keep the seeds away and also lets you know just how much juice you’re getting.
Mix the lemon juice with plain water in a pitcher or bottle. You can add as little as 33oz (1 liter) of water, but I usually go for 50 (1.5 liters).
You can store that at room temperature and drink it throughout the day. You can also store it in the fridge.
I usually throw away anything remaining before I go to sleep – but that rarely happens. And this amount is usually enough to last me throughout the day.
The not-so-lazy lemon water
If you don’t want to prepare in bulk, cut a lemon in 4 to 6 equal pieces. Use the juice of each with a cup of water throughout the day (keep the lemon pieces in the fridge).
I can’t really find any benefit from doing this, except for the fact that I can count the glasses I drink each day and it works better when I’m away. The lemon pieces easily last 1-2 days in the fridge.
Could lemon water help you reverse fatty liver?
There are many voices claiming that lemon water can help your liver heal or stay in good shape. There are even a few medical studies that prove its benefits.
For example, this study from 2014 found that a component of lemons can help reduce liver inflammation.
Another study (made on rats on this occasion) found out that lemon juice can reduce oxidative damage in the liver.
So results are encouraging, supporting what we’ve been told for ages: that lemon is good for your health, including the liver.
But I wouldn’t go as far as considering it one of the main factors of reversing a fatty liver. For that, you need to make important lifestyle changes and follow a proper diet.
But, as it is the case of milk thistle, I don’t think it could do any harm, on the contrary. You do get a boost of vitamins and minerals (vitamin C and potassium), plus the other benefits that we’ve already talked about.
Not to mention the fact that it improves the taste of the water you drink each day. This is a great win, in my opinion.
And I personally drank lemon water daily, and I continue to do so even after reversing my fatty liver a few years ago. I haven’t heard anybody claim that it could do any sort of harm – so why not drink it?
So go out there and enjoy your lemon water, but without considering it a miracle cure!