Lemon slices floating in a glass pitcher of ice water look pretty, but the benefits go far beyond looks. Lemon in water can help you save money, help you stay healthy, make you feel better if you're under the weather with a sore throat, and even help you lose weight.
Expense
Sometimes tap water doesn't taste very good, but bottled water and water purifiers are expensive. High mineral content can make tap water taste salty or metallic, while even a very low level of hydrogen sulfide can impart a rotten-egg odor, according to the Alabama Cooperative Extension System. If water tastes only slightly off, adding lemon slices can help mask unpleasant flavors, so you don't have buy packaged water or filters.
Hydration
Even if your tap water tastes normal, you might not like the taste of plain water. Putting lemon slices in water makes it more appealing. This will improve the taste and help encourage you to drink it. That's good, because water is half of your body's weight, and every part of your body requires water to function properly, according to the Family Doctor website.
Vitamin C
If you squeeze your lemon slices into your water before dropping them in, they can provide vitamin C. Three lemon wedges provide 12 percent of the recommended daily allowance for this important vitamin, according to the food and nutrition information database Fat Secret. Vitamin C helps build healthy bones, cartilage and tissues, the Mayo Clinic adds.
Cold and Sore Throat Relief
Though vitamin C's ability to fight colds remains controversial, according to the Mayo Clinic, water with lemon is an old home remedy for sore throats, and so time-tested that it's even recommended by the National Institute of Health's MedlinePlus medical encyclopedia. For the greatest effect, heat the water and add one or two spoonfuls of honey.
Weight Loss
If you drink water with lemon slices instead of sugar-sweetened beverages, such as soda, putting lemon slices in water can help you lose weight. The average can of soda contains 150 calories, according to the TeensHealth website. If you drink three cans a day, you could cut your caloric intake by 450 calories by drinking lemon water. That's almost the 500-calorie-per-day requirement for losing a pound a week, Family Doctor notes.
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