When life hands you lemons, make lemonade… or, in our case, lemon bars.
With the incredible health benefits of lemons, we knew we needed to make an EatToHeal Lemon Real Food Bar to tap into those benefits to improve heart health, support digestive health, lower blood sugar, and reduce the risk factors for cardiovascular disease. While eating a lemon all by itself sounds anything but appetizing, a Lemon Real Food Bar is a healthy and delicious alternative to get a boost of antioxidants and Vitamin C.
Ready to learn more about the health benefits of lemons? Pucker up!
Lemon Nutrition
Lemons are an excellent source of:
- Vitamin C
- Dietary fiber
- Citric acid
Nutrients Per Serving
1/2 cup of lemon contains:
Why Are Lemons Sour?
Great question! Lemons have some potent sour power! The citric acid in lemon is the reason lemons are so sour. Citric acid is completely natural. It’s an organic acid that many different fruits and vegetables also contain. Citrus fruits are true to their name, and they have much higher concentrations of citric acid than other fruits. Lemons and limes have some of the highest concentrations, which is why they are sourer than other citrus fruits like oranges, clementines, and even grapefruit.
Lemons Support Digestive Health
Pectin is the main fiber in lemons. As a soluble fiber, it has the ability to aid in the digestion of sugars and starches by slowing down the act of digestion itself. This can lead to a reduction in blood sugar levels. For lemons to improve gut health, the fiber of the lemons needs to be consumed as well. So if you’re just drinking lemon juice concentrate without the pulp, you will not be receiving this particular health benefit.
Lemons Reduce the Risk of Cancer
We here at EatToHeal are always concerned with doing anything and everything in our power to help our friends, families, communities, and the world at large reduce the risk of cancer. When we found out that there are observational scientific studies have found that people who eat a high volume of citrus fruits have a lower risk of cancer, we knew we really had to make a lemon bar. Take, for example, the conclusion of a study published in the National Library of Medicine, Pooled results from observational studies support a protective effect of high citrus fruit intake in the risk of stomach cancer.”
Moreover, in test-tube studies, researchers have found proof that lemons kill cancer cells. Researchers hypothesize that it may be the plant compounds, limonene and naringen, that are found in lemons that have anti-cancer effects.
This all being said, researchers have made the point that they have “no quality evidence that lemons fight cancer in humans,” and, of course, more research is needed. We still feel hopeful, given all the studies that have already taken place!
Lemons Support Heart Health
Lemons are high in Vitamin C. The correlation between Vitamin C and lowering the risk of heart disease has long been studied. Specifically, “Vitamin C-rich fruits and vegetables contributed most to the apparent protective effect of total fruit and vegetable intake.”
As one whole lemon provides about 50% of the daily intake of Vitamin C, lemons are looking really good at supporting heart health!
Additionally, it’s not just vitamin C that has heart-protective qualities. The plant compounds also have been studied, and researchers believe they can lower some risk factors of heart disease.
Lemons May Prevent Stroke
According to a 2012 study, the flavonoids in citrus fruits may help lower the risk of ischemic stroke in women. The study observed 70,000 women over a total of 14 years, revealing that the women who ate the most citrus fruits had a 19% lower risk of ischemic stroke, as compared to the women who consumed the least amount of citrus fruits. As ischemic strokes are the absolute most common type of stroke, it is important to do all that we can to protect against them. Personally, we believe that men benefit from consuming lemons and citrus fruits as much as women— but that’s just us!
Lemons Prevent Kidney Stones
Ever had a kidney stone? Or know someone who has had one? Yikes. Those small little lumps can be excruciating to pass! Kidney stones are small lumps that begin to form in the kidneys when waste products build up and crystalize. They’re common! And it’s not unusual at all to get them repeatedly. Lemons may aid in the prevention of kidney stones by increasing the pH of urine and actually creating a less “hospitable” environment for kidney stones to form. It’s the critic acid that really does the trick.
Lemons and Anemia Prevention
Anemia is a condition where a person lacks enough healthy red blood cells to carry enough oxygen to the body’s tissues. The most common cause? Not having enough iron. Lemons don’t have iron! Right, right. What lemons do have is the magical ability to help a body absorb more iron from plant-based foods. That’s how lemons help with anemia prevention. Phew! It all makes sense now.
The Health Benefits of Lemons Are Far From Sour
Sure—lemons are bitter, sour, and highly acidic, but it should be clear by now that the health benefits of lemons are anything but sour! They’re more than appealing! Give our Lemon EatToHeal Real Foor Bars a try and get a big boost of benefits. With only six whole-food ingredients, this bar will nourish and delight your mind, body, and soul!
