THUYEN NGUYEN

This beautiful season brings the rich, earthy colors of autumn leaves and begins the festive run of holidays. However, this time of year, our bodies are also exposed to a host of stresses, from allergies to a more fast-paced daily schedule to much cooler weather. There’s no time like the present to give weekly boosts to your immune system.

As a child, I always wondered why some people—my own mother included—put lemon wedges in their water at restaurants. Why add these wedges of sunshine, floating so brightly between transparent ice cubes?

Fascinatingly, that minor childhood observation now plays an important role in my recommendations for clients. Culinary benefits aside, for me and the countless clients and friends that seek my professional beauty and wellness tips, lemon is the go-to for a daily immunity boosting and alkaline cleansing.

In addition to its numerous benefits for the immune system, liver health and digestion, lemon (and its all-important essential oil found in the yellow outer peel) is nutritionally proven to activate your metabolism, balance pH levels and reverse inflammation. The normal pH of human blood ranges from 7.35 to 7.45.  As a point of reference, when gauging pH levels for good health, one is the most acidic, while fourteen is the most alkaline. A pH of seven is neutral, which means it is right in the middle of the acid/base scale and is neither acidic nor alkaline. When body chemistry turns too acidic, we see many disorders and diseases develop.

So, it stands to good wellness reason that we should give lemons a prominent place in our diets, especially when we feel more rundown or low energy. The simplest route is to add more lemon juice and zest to your drinking water, but you can take it a step further and try my personal home Lemon-Aid Tonic recipe that’s sure to enrich your internal beauty regime:

Ingredients:

2 whole organic lemons (remove seeds)

2 cups of very warm, not boiling, filtered water. (I prefer Fiji.)

2 tablespoons of local raw honey

1 teaspoon of apple cider vinegar

Instructions:

1. Melt the honey in warm water and add the vinegar. (You can increase the amount of honey to balance out the strength of the vinegar to your taste.)
2. Carefully shave off the thin outer yellow rind of each lemon, if you don't have a zester on hand.
3. Extract the juice from the lemons and add to the water mixture. Let chill in covered container for at least an hour to overnight, which helps to tenderize the lemons and bring out their essential oils.
4. Drink the lemon tonic or add to any of your favorite teas or beverages. I recommend consuming the yellow peel as well, but that’s optional for those who have an aversion to the taste.
5. Consume at least once or twice a week to maintain healthy alkaline status.