Lemon juice is an ingredient in delicious drinks and is also a spice commonly used in popular Vietnamese dishes. So is lemon juice good? What are the nutritional value and uses of lemon juice and how to prepare and preserve it?

Lemon is a familiar fruit. Not only that, lemon is also popular because it brings many health benefits, especially containing abundant vitamins. Lemon juice is commonly used in drinks and food of every family. Please refer to the following article to learn about the benefits of lemon juice.

What is lemon juice?

To get lemon juice, you can squeeze or press the lemon and remove the seeds. Here are the steps to make pure lemon juice:

• First, wash the lemon with water, use a knife to cut the lemon into equal pieces. Because when you cut the lemon pieces equally, you can get more juice.
• Next, prepare a glass or ceramic cup, squeeze each piece of lemon vertically into the cup and you have lemon juice.

Note: You should not use a stainless steel cup, because the acid in the lemon will react with the stainless steel material to create a chemical reaction that causes the lemon juice to change color and taste more bitter.

In addition, you can also prepare lemon juice in advance so that when you need to make lemon juice, it will be more convenient. Prepare the ingredients in the following ratio: 1 tablespoon of sugar, 1/4 teaspoon of salt dissolved in about 250ml of squeezed lemon juice.

When you need to make lemon juice, you can add water and sugar according to your taste to have a refreshing glass of lemon juice.

Lemon juice is the liquid obtained after squeezing or pressing lemons, removing the seeds.

How to preserve lemon juice is also very important. After squeezing the lemon juice, pour the juice into a clean ice tray, drain, then put it in the freezer.

Then, take the frozen lemon juice out and transfer it to a plastic bag or zip bag or glass jar, then tie it tightly or cover it and store it in the freezer. When you need to use it, just take out 1 lemon juice cube and defrost it. This method is very convenient and quick. With this way of preserving lemon juice, you can store it for about 6 – 12 months.

What vitamins does lemon contain?

Vitamin C

Lemon is a famous food with a high content of Vitamin C (ascorbic acid). Each lemon provides an average of about 30 – 50mg of Vitamin C, meeting most of the body’s daily needs.

Vitamin C is a powerful antioxidant that helps protect cells from the harmful effects of free radicals, prevents aging and prevents chronic diseases. In addition, Vitamin C in lemons also strengthens the immune system, helping the body fight infections and improve health. Supplementing Vitamin C from lemons also helps the body absorb iron better from food, thereby preventing the risk of iron deficiency anemia.

Vitamin B

In the composition of lemons, there are:

• Some B vitamins such as Vitamin B6 (Pyridoxine): Has a good effect on brain function, helps the body metabolize Protein and Carbohydrates, and enhances memory.
• Vitamin B9 (Folate): Has the effect of regenerating new cells, important during pregnancy to prevent neural tube defects in the fetus, reduce the risk of cardiovascular diseases and reduce Homocysteine ​​in the blood.
• Vitamin B1 (Thiamine): Helps convert sugar into energy necessary for the activity of cells in the body.

Lemons contain some B vitamins that help improve memory and reduce the risk of heart disease.

Vitamin A

Not everyone knows that lemons contain Vitamin A. Although the content of this substance in lemons is not as much as other fruits, it still plays a significant role in human health.

When supplementing with Vitamin A, you can maintain night vision and prevent eye diseases, especially night blindness. In addition, this is also a vitamin that helps prevent acne, bringing healthy skin.

Health benefits of lemons

Support digestion

Lemons help improve intestinal health due to being rich in fiber, especially soluble fiber Pectin. This substance has the effect of promoting the process of food moving through the digestive tract, supporting digestion and preventing constipation.

Weight loss

Drinking lemon water is a natural way to control weight. Because lemons are low in calories, but contain a lot of fiber and compounds that help increase the feeling of fullness and reduce appetite. Furthermore, according to many studies, the Polyphenol component in lemon also helps reduce fat, thereby preventing uncontrolled weight gain.

Protect skin health

Lemon contains Vitamin C and antioxidants that help protect the skin from the harmful effects of free radicals and ultraviolet rays. This is also a micronutrient that plays a role in promoting collagen production, maintaining skin elasticity, keeping the skin smooth. In addition, citric acid in lemon also prevents acne and helps brighten the skin.

Vitamin C and antioxidants in lemons help protect skin from free radicals and UV rays.

Detoxify the body

Lemon stimulates the liver to produce more enzymes, which can help remove toxins from the body. Lemon juice also helps eliminate toxins through urine due to its mild diuretic effect.

Improve cardiovascular health

Vitamin C and Flavonoids in lemons are both beneficial for cardiovascular health. Vitamin C helps reduce bad cholesterol levels, protect blood vessel walls and improve blood circulation. Flavonoids help improve blood vessel function and reduce inflammation, reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease.

Increase iron absorption

Iron is an important mineral in the production of red blood cells and helps prevent anemia. The body will absorb iron from food better thanks to Vitamin C in lemons.

Reduce the risk of kidney stones

Supplementing citric acid in lemons helps prevent the formation of kidney stones by increasing urine volume and reducing the crystallization of minerals that cause stones. Therefore, you should drink lemon juice regularly to reduce the risk of this disease.

Reduce stress, improve mood

The natural scent of lemon has the effect of reducing stress and calming the mood. According to many studies, the scent of lemon is said to help reduce anxiety symptoms and improve the spirit.

Ways to use lemon juice

Mix fresh lemon juice

To improve your health, you can start your day with a glass of lemon juice mixed with honey to provide energy and supplement vitamins and minerals that are good for the body.

By mixing lemon juice with warm water and honey, drink before breakfast to clean the stomach and reduce constipation very well. However, people with stomach problems should not drink lemon juice before breakfast. If you drink, you should be careful, only drink once a week after breakfast to avoid increasing acid secretion leading to heartburn.

Lemon juice can be used to make refreshing lemonade.

Using lemon in cooking

Lemon is used as a spice for many different dishes such as salads, salads, making sauces, mixing fish sauce, etc. The presence of lemon not only enhances the flavor of the dish but also brings nutritional value to the user.

Using lemon for beauty

Lemon is also used as a natural beauty method in many beauty recipes such as exfoliating with lemon, making lemon honey masks, etc. Because lemon has antibacterial effects, improves skin beauty from the inside out, brightens the skin.

In short, the vitamin and mineral content in lemon or specifically lemon juice will bring our body many benefits. Knowing how to use lemon properly and reasonably, you can make the most of the uses of lemon.