Current:Home > MyDoes lemon water help you lose weight? A dietitian explains -Wealth Navigators Hub
Does lemon water help you lose weight? A dietitian explains
View
Date:2025-04-11 12:53:09
The internet is rife with quick-fix weight loss tips: Make this one diet change and you'll magically drop 10 pounds!
Lemon water has found itself in that category. Headlines, Instagram posts and TikTok videos laud the beverage as an easy "fat-burning" diet. But these kinds of posts are missing an important component: qualified experts.
"Lemon water is hydrating and naturally acidic – qualities that might make you go to the bathroom after drinking it," Virginia-based registered dietitian and diabetes educator Caroline Thomason tells USA TODAY. "If you weighed yourself before and after going to the bathroom, sure, you may find that you’ve lost weight. However, it’s not loss from magically drinking lemon water in the morning."
Here's what licensed nutrition experts actually think about the idea of drinking lemon water for weight loss.
Does lemon water help you lose weight?
The short answer: no.
"As a dietitian, I’m not really sure where this myth originated, but there’s not a magical food or drink that can help you lose body fat," Thomason says. "Unfortunately, the boring basics still work for weight loss: Diet and exercise are the two most important factors you can change to lose weight."
Drinking lemon water could still offer you benefits including providing vitamin C and potassium, and helping to keep you hydrated.
While there's some research to suggest that drinking water before eating a meal may help consumers feel fuller and in turn eat less, experts say there's nothing specific about adding lemon to water that would make someone drop any pounds.
For those looking to lose weight, Thomason recommends starting with the following daily lifestyle tweaks:
- Exercise: Walking, strength training a few times a week and increasing cardio to 150 minutes per week
- Diet: Emphasizing "protein, increasing your fruits and vegetables, swapping refined grains for whole grains, and incorporating healthy fat into your diet"
- Tracking food "to get a better idea of calories you’re taking in per day": While some experts are wary that focusing too much on tracking daily calories can lead to disordered eating, Thomason notes that it can also be beneficial in creating a baseline "awareness of your eating habits and clearly help you see where you can make changes for weight loss."
Benefits of drinking lemon water:Options for healthy, hydrating drinks
Who should not drink lemon water?
An acidic drink such as lemon water can cause heartburn, especially for those who are prone to acid reflux. There's also some research to suggest citric acid, which is found in lemons, could also erode tooth enamel when consumed regularly over a long period of time.
The fastest way to lose weight?Let's shift the perspective.
veryGood! (277)
Related
- Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow owns a $3 million Batmobile Tumbler
- A list of mass killings in the United States this year
- Many experts feared a recession. Instead, the economy has continued to soar
- These 59 Juicy Celebrity Memoirs Will Help You Reach Your Reading Goal This Year
- Meet the volunteers risking their lives to deliver Christmas gifts to children in Haiti
- The Olympic Winter Games began a century ago. See photos of the 'revolutionary' 1924 event
- Robert De Niro Gets Emotional Over Becoming a Dad Again to 9-Month-Old Baby Gia
- How genocide officially became a crime, and why South Africa is accusing Israel of committing it
- Buckingham Palace staff under investigation for 'bar brawl'
- US expresses concerns over Sri Lanka’s controversial internet regulation law
Ranking
- Paula Abdul settles lawsuit with former 'So You Think You Can Dance' co
- Florida House passes a bill to ban social media accounts for children under 16
- Full Virginia General Assembly signs off on SCC nominees, elects judges
- NBC Sports, Cosm partner to bring college football to 'shared reality' viewing experience
- Taylor Swift makes surprise visit to Kansas City children’s hospital
- Madison LeCroy’s Fashion Collab Includes Styles Inspired by Her Southern Charm Co-Stars
- Biden campaign tries to put abortion in the forefront. But pro-Palestinian protesters interrupted.
- Thousands take to streets in Slovakia in nationwide anti-government protests
Recommendation
'Squid Game' without subtitles? Duolingo, Netflix encourage fans to learn Korean
Students in Greece protest plans to introduce private universities
Egypt lashes out at extremist Israeli leaders after Netanyahu says IDF must seize Gaza-Egypt buffer zone
Colombia declares a disaster because of wildfires and asks for international help
Tree trimmer dead after getting caught in wood chipper at Florida town hall
A separatist rebel leader in Ukraine who called Putin cowardly is sentenced to 4 years in prison
Billy Idol talks upcoming pre-Super Bowl show, recent Hoover Dam performance, working on a new album
Calling All Cupids: Anthropologie’s Valentine’s Day Shop Is Full of Date Night Outfits & More Cute Finds