James 1:2-4 "Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3 because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. 4 Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything."
Whenever things in life seem to turn sour, we become disappointed, discouraged, worried and upset. But it is so important that we not dwell on the “sour”, but instead, look at the sweet things that the Lord has blessed us with and hold on to the hope of brighter days.
While lemons may seem sour, they are filled with sweetness and usefulness for our bodies. I love Lemons! They help add flavor and they have amazing health benefits!! Pre-packaged, pasteurized, bottled lemon juice does not have benefits like the whole lemon squeezed fresh.The lemons must be fresh--the heavier the better when choosing them at the grocery store. At about 50 cents each, lemons are an affordable health remedy worth trying. Known for their fresh, clean taste and antiseptic qualities, lemons just may be the natural answer to some of your health concerns.
Top 10 Reasons to Love Life's Lemons
- Weight Loss: It’s amazing how a simple fruit like a lemon can be so effective in helping the body regulate its metabolism and sugar absorption, that helps you lose extra weight. The secret lies in the “acidity” content in a lemon. Lemons are rich in citric acid, so when you drink a glass of lemon juice in plain warm water first thing in the morning, you put a healthy natural digestive aid into your stomach. The citric acid, from lemons, ends up interacting with the other acids and enzymes in your digestive tract which results in a healthy and problem free digestion. Same concept as my Apple Cider Vinegar It is also a natural diuretic.
- Digestion: Lemons can also relieve symptoms of indigestion, such as heartburn, bloating, gas and cramping. Drinking lemon water regularly will aid in the cleansing of the bowels, which helps eliminate constipation and diarrhea. A teaspoon of lemon juice in half a glass of water helps relieve heartburn.
- Stimulates the Liver: Lemon water dissolves uric acid and other poisons in the liver.
- Helps Control High Blood Pressure: Lemon water works wonders for people having heart problems, due to its high potassium content. It controls high blood pressure, dizziness, nausea as well as provides relaxation. It also reduces mental stress and depression.
- Skin Care: Lemon, being a natural antiseptic medicine, can help to cure problems related to your skin. Lemon is a vitamin C rich citrus fruit that enhances your skin's glow, by rejuvenating skin from within and thus bringing a glow on your face. Daily consumption of lemon water can make a huge difference in the appearance of your skin. It acts as an anti-aging remedy and can remove wrinkles and blackheads. Lemon water, if applied on the areas of burns, can fade the scars. As lemon is a cooling agent, it reduces the burning sensation on the skin. It can also fade age spots!!! See below for homemade lemon age spot remover :D
- Fever and Flu Symptoms: Lemon water can treat a person who is suffering from cold, flu or fever. It helps to break fever by increasing perspiration.
- Sore Throat: Lemon is an excellent fruit that aids in fighting problems related to throat infections, sore throat and tonsillitis as it has an antibacterial property. For sore throat, dilute one-half lemon juice with one-half water and gargle frequently.
- Antioxidant and Cancer Prevention:
Lemons like oranges contain a variety of phytochemicals. Hesperetin and naringenin are flavonoid glycosides commonly found in citrus fruits. Naringenin is found to have a bio-active effect on human health as antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and immune system booster. This substance has also been shown to reduce oxidant injury to DNA in the cells in-vitro studies.
- Fatigue: A small amount of lemon juice will quench thirst more effectively than many times the amount of water and help fight fatigue.
- Acne: Lemon contains citric acid, which can be effective in treating acne. The vitamin C found in citrus fruits is vital for that healthy glowing skin while its alkaline nature kills some types of bacteria known to cause acne. Mix one part of freshly squeezed lemon juice with an equal part of rose or honey water. Put the mixture on affected areas for at least half an hour. Wash it afterwards with water. This application should be repeated twice daily, ideally in the morning and the evening.
Lemons have many other uses as well! Clean with lemon oil, put it on canker sores, corns and calluses. Add honey and lemon oil to your bath water to treat eczema. Lemon water helps with arthritis pain and inflammation.
Lemon Age Spot Fading Scrub:Cut a lemon in half and put some sugar on it. Put it on your face and scrub away. Lemon helps with getting rid of age spots, light blemish scar coloring. You could also put some lemon juice onto a cotton ball along with sugar and that should work fine too.
Remember the infused water from last week??
For a grain free treat...some lemon frosted cookies!
Frosted Lemon Cookies
Ingredients:
- For the cookies: 2 cups blanched almond flour
- 1/4 cup coconut oil, softened (or use butter instead)
- 1/4 cup raw honey
- 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
- 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
- For the frosting: 2 tablespoons coconut oil, softened
- 2 tablespoons raw honey
- 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
- pinch of fine sea salt
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 350F.
- In a medium bowl, mix together the cookie ingredients until a thick, creamy batter is formed.
- Using a cookie scoop, drop the batter by rounded tablespoons onto a baking sheet, lined with a Silpat or parchment paper. Press and shape the dough with your fingers to desired shape–and; I opted mostly for circles, but also tried a few cut-out shapes! (note: To make cut-out cookies, it helps to chill the batter in the fridge for 30 minutes first!)
- Bake for about 8 minutes at 350F, or until the edges turn golden brown.
- Allow to cool on the pan for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Ingredients for Frosting:
- 2 tablespoons coconut oil, softened
- 2 tablespoons raw honey
- 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
- zest of half a lemon
- pinch of sea salt
Directions:
- Combine all the ingredients, then mix until smooth and creamy.
- Spread onto your cookies then chill for an hour, allowing the frosting to set. (*note: this recipe produces enough frosting for one batch of grain-free sugar cookies)
- Serve chilled or at room temperature, and enjoy!
Note:
If your frosting seems too runny, place the bowl in the fridge to chill for about 20 minutes, then stir until evenly thickened.
Brandy Kisner
Health and Wellness CoordinatorHealthy Skin Cleansing with Oil
An Apple a Day
