Lemon Juice
Why lemon juice is anti-inflammatory
Lemon juice is anti-inflammatory, and the compound that explains it is eriocitrin, the main flavonoid in lemons. Eriocitrin is an antioxidant, so it helps limit the everyday chemical damage inside your cells. Damaged cells release signals that call in the immune system, and that response is inflammation.
Almost all of the work on eriocitrin has been done on the compound by itself, in the lab and in animals, and a review of that research called for clinical trials that have not been run. Nothing yet shows that a squeeze of lemon over dinner does what the isolated flavonoid does in a laboratory dish.
The other thing lemon juice brings is vitamin C, and the amount matters. Pooled trials of vitamin C supplements found a small drop in one of the inflammation markers a blood test reports. Those supplements held hundreds of milligrams, while two tablespoons of lemon juice hold around twelve, a little over a tenth of what you need in a day.
Bottled lemon juice often carries a preservative such as sulphites, and its vitamin C fades the longer it sits on a shelf. Lemonade and lemon drinks are mostly water and sugar with a little juice for flavour. Look for lemon juice listed on its own.
Add it once the cooking is done, because heat destroys vitamin C. A squeeze over fish, beans or roasted vegetables also does the job salt would otherwise do. If you drink it, put it in a glass of water rather than taking it neat, since the acid wears at tooth enamel.
Lemon Juice on the AIP diet
Lemon juice is allowed on the Autoimmune Protocol from day one, elimination included. It is fruit juice, so it holds none of the grains, legumes, nuts, seeds, nightshades or dairy the protocol removes. It matters more here than on most diets, because AIP takes away pepper and the nightshade spices and leaves you short of sharp flavours. Check bottled brands for additives.
Benefits
- Eriocitrin, the main flavonoid in lemons, is an antioxidant
- Sharpens food with no sugar, no salt and almost no calories
- Two tablespoons add a little over a tenth of a day's vitamin C
- Plain lemon juice is allowed on the AIP diet from day one
Watch out for
- The eriocitrin research is laboratory and animal work, not trials with juice
- Bottled juice often carries sulphites and loses vitamin C on the shelf
- Neat, the acid wears at tooth enamel and can worsen reflux
- Lemonade and lemon drinks are mostly water and sugar
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Frequently asked
Is lemon juice inflammatory?
No, lemon juice is anti-inflammatory. It carries eriocitrin, the main flavonoid in lemons, along with some vitamin C, and it has barely any sugar of its own. The research on the flavonoid is still laboratory work, but nothing in plain lemon juice works against you.
Does lemon water make your body less acidic?
No. Your blood stays inside a narrow pH range whatever you drink, and your kidneys and lungs are what hold it there. Lemon juice is acid going in, and it changes the pH of your urine, not of your blood.
Is bottled lemon juice as good as fresh?
Close, but not quite. Vitamin C fades while the bottle sits on a shelf, and most bottles carry a preservative such as sulphites. For a dressing or a marinade it does the job, but for squeezing over food, fresh tastes better.
Can you use lemon juice on the AIP diet?
Yes, right through elimination. It is fruit juice, so the protocol leaves it in, and it is one of the few sharp flavours you still have once pepper and the nightshade spices are gone. Check bottled brands for additives.
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