Nothing beats a cold glass of tart lemonade on a hot summer day. While lemonade contains a large amount of sugar, plain lemon juice is low in calories and high in vitamin C. Lemon juice is often recommended to dieters as a fat-free way to add flavor to salads and steamed vegetables.
Macronutrients and Calories.
A 1-fluid oz. serving of freshly squeezed lemon juice contains seven calories and only a trace amount of fat. One fluid oz. provides .11 g of protein and 2.1 g of carbohydrates, with .7 g of naturally-occurring sugar. One whole lemon yields about 1½ fluid oz. of juice.
Additional Nutrition Information
One fluid oz. of lemon juice provides 23 percent of the recommended dietary allowance for vitamin C, based on a 2,000-calorie diet. Vitamin C is an antioxidant that helps fight disease-causing free radicals in the body. It is also critical to tissue repair and growth and helps with the development of collagen. Lemon juice also provides 1 percent of the RDA for thiamin, folate and potassium.
Bottled Versus Fresh
Bottled varieties of lemon juice lack the fresh flavor of fresh lemon juice. To keep them fresh, manufacturers add preservatives -- usually sodium bisulfate and sodium benzoate. As a result, bottled lemon juice has about 6 mg of sodium per fluid oz., while fresh lemon juice has none. Bottled lemon juice only provides 13 percent of the RDA for vitamin C.
Tips
Look for firm lemons with smooth skin. To maximize juice extraction, roll the lemon on a hard surface with your palm. Use a fork, or a lemon juicer, to coax the liquid from the pulp. Another technique for better juicing involves microwaving the whole fruit for 20 to 30 seconds before slicing and squeezing.
Considerations
In addition to being an ingredient in marinades, drinks, sauces and desserts, lemon juice with warm water acts as a diuretic and laxative. Lemon juice with honey or tea and honey can help soothe symptoms of the common cold. Daily consumption of lemon juice can lead to erosion of tooth enamel.
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