Low in calories and an excellent source of vitamin C, lemons are used in fad diets such as the "master cleanse," an all-liquid fast favored by celebrities and crash dieters for rapid weight loss. However, lemons won't speed up your metabolism or make your body burn calories more quickly. You'll only see positive weight loss results when you reduce your calorie intake and increase your level of physical activity.
Metabolism Myths
Your age, gender and race influence your basal metabolic rate, or BMR — the number of calories your body uses just to sustain you. For example, African American women appear to have a slower metabolism compared to other groups. According to St. John Providence Health System, your BMR accounts for 70 percent of the calories you burn each day. As you grow older, your metabolism slows down, decreasing by roughly 1 to 2 percent every 10 years after the age of 20. Proponents of fad dieting often advocate fat-burning foods for weight loss — not just lemons, but celery, cabbage and grapefruit, another citrus fruit. However, the Weight-Control Information Network, or WIN, maintains that there's no truth to this assertion.
Fad Diets
A more notable fad diet craze, the "master cleanse," involves consuming nothing but a concoction of water, lemon juice, cayenne pepper and maple syrup for several days. A December 2006 "New York Times" article describes this fad diet, which dates back to the 1940s, as an Internet phenomenon supported by personal testimonials claiming that the lemon juice-based drink can also boost energy, get rid of acne and ward off chronic diseases. This lemon-based fad diet yields quick results, but not because it speeds up your metabolism. It's that fact that it's extremely low in calories that produces results by putting your body in semi-starvation mode. Dieters get only about 650 calories a day on the "master cleanse." According to "The New York Times," most women need around 1,650 calories, and men need around 2,400. Although nutrition experts advise against the diet, fad dieters remain undaunted and continue to pursue the quick and often temporary fix it offers.
Lemon Nutrition
Although lemons won't jump-start your metabolism, they are very low in calories. Data from the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention indicates that a 1/2 cup of lemon sections only contains 30 calories and gives you 0 percent of your daily value, or DV, for fat and an impressive 90 percent of your DV for vitamin C, based on a 2,000-calorie diet. A tablespoon of fresh lemon juice has only 5 calories and gives you 10 percent of your DV for vitamin C. Lemon juice adds a tangy taste to low-calorie, sugar-free beverages. Harvard School of Public Health suggests infusing water with lemons and other fruits and herbs or adding it to unsweetened carbonated water to make a refreshing spritzer.
Weight Loss
Barring a medical problem that does affect your metabolism, such as hypothyroidism or Cushing's disease, it's highly unlikely that weight gain is the fault of a sluggish metabolism. MayoClinic nutritionist and blogger Katherine Zeratsky states that taking careful note of the number of calories you consume and getting regular exercise are a more efficient way to lose weight compared to diets and other weight loss techniques that purportedly increase your metabolism. A healthful reduced-calorie diet should include an abundance of fresh fruits and vegetables, low-fat or fat-free dairy foods, lean proteins and whole grain foods, according to WomensHealth.gov. Restrict your saturated fat intake to less than 10 percent of your calories, and don't get more than 2,300 mg of sodium per day.
References
- "New York Times"; I Heard it Through the Diet Grapevine; L. Ogunnaike; December 2006
- WomensHealth.gov: Overweight, Obesity and Weight Loss Fact Sheet; March 2009
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Lemon
- MayoClinic.com: Metabolism: What's the Best Way to Boost It?; K. Zeratsky; January 2010
- St. John Providence Health System: The Reality Behind Metabolism Myths
- Harvard School of Public Health: Six Ideas for Low-Sugar Drinks
- Weight-control Information Network: Weight-loss and Nutrition Myths
- NutrientFacts.com: Raw Lemon Juice
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