When you wake up every morning you probably opt for a cup of coffee or tea. Both are great options to kick-start your day, but I found an even better beverage that will not only make you feel good, but can provide you with all-day health benefits as well, including aiding in digestion.

The magical beverage I’m talking about is lemon water. You’ve most likely have heard the buzz about it before.

With a history of cultivation spanning over 5,000 years most of the lemon’s genetic heritage comes from citron, a fruit that often looks like a large bumpy lemon. The Greeks nicknamed the fruit “median apple” because it grew in Media. In Latin the word “citron” was extended to the entire family of trees collectively known as citrus. Soon surrounding countries such as France, Germany, Poland, Slovakia used the term “citron” as their name for lemon. However this caused a lot of linguistic confusion as the same term was used to describe oranges, limes and grapefruit. Lemons were also introduced to the Islamic gardens as an ornamental plant while the Egyptians used the leaves of the lemon tree in a drink known as Kashkab, a drink made of fermented barley, mint, rue, black pepper and lemon.

So back to the basics lemons are acidic, but when consumed it alkalizes and balances the body’s Ph level. Fresh lemon juice and water in the morning is an effective liver detox drink. Due to the digestive qualities of lemon juice, symptoms of indigestion such as bloating and belching are relieved. By drinking lemon juice regularly, the bowels are aided in eliminating waste more efficiently thus controlling constipation and diarrhoea. I feel as though this has been the most quickest and convenient way to help with any digestion issues especially if I’ve been travelling or my eating cycle has had changed slightly.