Diabetic Diet: How Lemon and Lemon Water Can Help Cure Diabetes

I started buying fresh lemons by the bag after I found out how they can help cure diabetes. They are quite literally a miracle from Mother Nature! I have always loved fresh lemon but now I make an extra effort to eat lots of them. In fact, I believe lemons should be an important staple in every diabetic diet.

Lemon Lowers the Glycemic Index of Other Foods

Research has shown that lemon lowers the glycemic index of any food it is added to. And… we are not talking a few points here. The drop is very significant! To benefit from this, all you have to do is add a little squeeze of fresh lemon over your food. Almost like waving a magic wand, this will instantly lower the glycemic index of your meal. Best of all, lemon is such an excellent flavor enhancer, it makes many foods taste better too. I often add a squeeze of fresh lemon to a hot bowl of soup (yum!), casseroles, stove top goulashes, almost any kind of salad (including salads containing fruit), and sauteed vegetables (especially greens!). Anything with chicken or fish of course tastes especially good with lemon. Please note that it is best to add the fresh lemon right before you eat the food. If you cook it in soup, for example, it can become a little bitter and the health benefits won’t be quite as great.

Have A Glass of Lemon Water First Thing In the Morning

A glass of lemon water is the perfect way for a diabetic to start the day. Most people start their day with coffee (very acidic) and food that shift the pH of the body toward the acid side. However, if you shift the pH back toward the alkaline side, you will notice your blood sugar will go down. Moreover, your cell membranes will become more sensitive to insulin – i.e. you will be LESS insulin resistant. In fact, this will actually aid your body in repairing those damaged cell membranes.

Although lemons contain a weak acid, when they are metabolized by the body they have an alkalizing effect. If fact, they are the strongest alkalizing food you can eat! This is why adding lemon to your diet can go a long way toward restoring the pH of your body to the alkaline side where it should be. It has been found that most diabetics have a very acidic body pH (as have cancer patients). Bringing back to the alkaline side will go a long way toward helping to cure your diabetes.

Making lemon water is very easy. Just squeeze the juice from a half lemon (or a full lemon if you are a larger person) into a glass of water, swirl it around a little, and drink it up. Do this first thing in the morning on an empty stomach before you have your coffee or breakfast.

Lemons Have TWICE the Vitamin C As Oranges

This was a fact that surprised me as you always hear that orange juice is so loaded with vitamin C. Well, the orange’s citrus cousin has it beat with twice the vitamin C. Most people don’t realize but vitamin C is an extremely powerful antioxidant. It is important to note that vitamin taken in the form of food is MUCH better absorbed by the body than vitamin C taken in the form of a pill!

Vitamin C is at least part of the reason lemons interact with the cell membrane and make it less insulin resistant. However, vitamin C also have other very important benefits to the diabetic as well. For example, it increases the production of collagen which strengthens blood vessels. This is key since many diabetics have problems with circulation and arterial damage.

Aids In Repairing Digestion

Most diabetics have impaired digestive enzymes and lowered acidity in the stomach. This means that they don’t always reap the full benefit from the nutritious food they eat. Lemon goes a long way toward curing this problem as well.