The new year is just around the corner – a time where a lot of people make resolutions to get healthier and lose weight… The gyms get CRAZY, wellness books jump to the top of best seller lists, and people get radical with their diets. A lot of us start doing all sorts of things we don’t intend on doing for the rest of our lives. This is where the problem lies with new year’s resolutions.
Instead of doing something just because it’s the new year – why not take it a step further and develop a healthy habit for the rest of your life? This might seem crazy and idealistic considering the rate of people that fall off the wagon come March, but it’s really not. Especially since your health should be your number one priority for the rest of your life. Period.
For the next few days – I will share some habits that are really worth developing this year and strategies that will hopefully help you stick to them beyond this year’s resolutions.
Here’s the first one…
#1 Drink Warm Lemon Water and Cayenne Pepper first thing in the morning on an empty stomach.
How does one successfully do this every single day?
Every night I fill my electric tea pot with filtered water, place one lemon on the counter from the fridge, along with the cayenne pepper bottle and a cup filled half way with water. As soon as I get up in the morning, I put on my robe on and walk into the kitchen to turn the electric kettle on. I then go into the bathroom and by the time I finish putting in my contact lenses and splash my face with water to wake up – the electric kettle has finished warming up my water. I then pour the water in the glass half full with room temperature water, squeeze one half of the lemon on top, sprinkle with cayenne and drink.
I usually drink this mixture with a straw, so my teeth aren’t exposed to the acid and I gulp down at least 15 ounces. Followed by another 8 ounces of water later before I eat or drink anything else. I’ve done this every morning for last 5 years. I even bring lemons with me when I am on vacation or when I am not sleeping in my own house. I just throw a few lemons right into my luggage – it’s too easy not to do…
Adopting this daily habit has amazing health benefits. Imagine getting sick less, feeling lighter, having regular eliminations, clearer skin, more energy and having a boost in your metabolism leading to weight loss over time…
Doing this ritual every morning provides a super stimulant to the liver, your main detoxing organ in the body. Your liver will release uric acid and create bile to safely eliminate environmental and lifestyle toxins that would otherwise be trapped in your digestive system longer. Remember keeping your liver and digestive system clean and in optimal condition will help your body prevent diseases like cancer in the future. Combining cayenne with lemon increases the detoxing effect and raises the temperature of your body increasing your metabolism.
Drinking this combination will cleanse your body every single day safely and naturally. I plan to do it for the rest of my life. Join me and watch your vitality increase!
A few more tips about lemons –
- Store your organic lemons in the fridge – they will last longer because they do not contain fungicide like conventional lemons. I take one lemon out of the fridge each night, because lemon at room temperature is easier to juice.
- Remember not to squeeze your lemon directly into boiling water, you will destroy the live enzymes in the lemon. This is why I use half of water at room temperature and half hot water.
- Using a stainless steel lemon juicer will allow you to get most of the juice from the lemon and is much easier on your hands too. You can get one off the Food Babe Shop here.
Want more motivation? Check out these articles on the additional benefits of drinking lemon water –
Who’s already adopted this habit? I’d love to know! Leave a comment here or visit my Facebook Fan Page and share your story!
When life gives you lemons, make lemon water with cayenne. Duh. 🙂
Food Babe
P.S. Check out 4 other habits that will change your life!
Habit #2, Habit #3, Habit #4 and Habit #5….
How I wish I could do this! Do you know of anything else besides lemon and cayenne pepper that would provide the same benefits? I have an issue with citrus fruits and with nightshades including cayenne pepper. I get skin rashes. It’s so frustrating! Thanks for anything that may come to mind.
TRY GINGER AND SORREL. AND SEE IF THAT WORK FOR U
I’ve never heard of sorrel, but I’ll see if I can find it. Thanks, Jackie!
I’ve seen expensive bottled lemon water concoctions at both natural food & health food stores, but I didn’t buy them. Plus I wasn’t sure what exactly a “cleanse” was. Your article plus the comments helped articulate what the benefits are, and how a cheap & simple lemon-cayenne remedy can be made.
How much cayenne do you add please? Thank you!
Just a sprinkle or 2. If you want to measure, it is about 1/8 teaspoon.
I wish I could do this, but this would have detrimental effects to a severe acid-reflux sufferer.
I am too a severe acid reflux sufferer, however, I never felt any additional acid issues. About 30 mins after I do the lemon water, I take a spoonful of chia seeds to soak up any excess acid, then my regular medication. See if that helps!
Actually … the extra acid will help acid reflux! For 10+ years I was a chronic acid-reflux sufferer on prescription meds until I learned that the majority of people diagnosed suffer from *insufficient* acid instead of too much (counter-intuitive, I know, but the science does make sense). Google “Chris Kresser acid reflux” if you’re interested. I’m completely cured after following his protocol, I’m off the medication, and haven’t had any reoccuring issues – it’s so wonderful!!
I love your posts. You have helped me to make many live changing decisions. Thank you from the bottom of my heart. My question to yu is: How do you feel about drinking Alkaline water? My aunt has been doing it for years and swears by it. Thank you
Question: When I am doing this, I immediately begin to feel nauseous. When I started doing it, I did feel nauseous and hoped that if I stuck to it, the feeling would go away, I would get used to it, or perhaps it was detoxing. I stuck through for about a month. Within 2 days felt wonderful immediate results, I know it works wonders! But wanted to know if anyone else or Food Babe ever felt nauseous when first doing this habit and if after an extended period, the nausea stops? I would hate to not do this habit for that! I’ve tried a spoonful of chia seeds.
Gracias por compartir sus conocimientos tomare en cuenta y ademas hare conocer a mis amigas y familiares yo personalmente tomo una cuchara de acite de oliva y jugo de limon todas las mananas espero que tambien este bien,felicidades .
disculpe que escriba en espanol ese es mi idioma y puedo expresarme mejor.
atte
Martha Cusicanqui
I use to drink the warm lemon water first thing in in the morning when I was pregnant to avoid acid reflex and sick stomach later on after breakfast. I know it has a lot of benefits, but I get tired of the sour taste. I drink it on and off.
Does the lemon cayene water have to be heated or can I drink it with cold water like lemonade? If it needs to be warm or ‘not cold’ why?
Hi Janet – warm or room temp is best because cold water is harder on your digestive system.
Do you think turmeric is equally as beneficial as cayenne pepper?
I would be also interested in your thoughts regarding drinking aloe vera gel, and whether drinking the inner fillet only vs. the entire leaf is best. Lily of The Dessert seems to be the big market player, but Whole Foods offers the whole leaf version as well … seems to reduce internal inflammation, among many other things.
I have started doing this and everything seems fine. Question – Has anyone experienced any sort of rash or itching on their body after this? I have recently had this problem and I am trying to see if it is from drinking this or something else. I used to do this years ago with just the warm water and lemon then stopped. Could the cayenne pepper be it? Also the rash/itch seems to travel. Example, first my hands start to each. That will stop then behind my knees, or on my arms, etc. Any feed back would be helpful!
*itch
Chris~
You might have a slight allergy to cayenne. That’s normally what happens to me when I eat certain foods I’m allergic to. My doctor suggested that I keep eating them but introduce a smaller amount each day and slowly up that. Unfortunately that didn’t work for me but I have a pretty strong allergy 🙁 Hope this helps.
Thanks Alli. I think I will try it again to see if it was the cayenne. Or, maybe it was the gooseberries I tried for the first time. I took a homeopathic product that Borion puts out for allergies and it really helped!
what about putting in some maple syrup with it? I’ve about doing that.
Just curious if you can substitute lemon juice with orange juice. Will the effect be the same?
I don’t think so~in case you were still wondering. :-))
Hello Vani, I just ‘met’ you through Marie TV. Awesome interview. Thanks.
Having warm water with lemon every morning after scraping the tongue is an Ayurvedic daily ritual that I have been practicing for over 12 years. I am a Pitta (fire and water) Ayurvedic constitution and so avoid the cayenne especially would not be great for fiery Pitta every day but the lemon water has been an integral part of my wellness routine and I can’t go without it. From an Ayurvedic perspective cayenne with the lemon would be best for the Kapha (water/earth) Ayurvedic constitution, fresh ginger would be good as well with the lemon and for Pitta mint and lemon would be great. For the Vata types cayenne may be too drying on a daily basis and so just warm lemon water is great for dry Vata digestion.
So thrilled to find your blog through Marie. Awesome work and thank you for the amazing tips.
How do you find out what type you are?
Oh and ps. Turmeric and lemon water would be fantastic for Pitta types as turmeric is a super-duper liver tonic! In Ayurveda there is no on-size-fits-all remedy and so knowing your own constitution can help you to customize your fantastically beneficial warm water with lemon in the morning : )
Hi Glynnis – I found your comments interesting. I have taken several quizzes to find out which type I am and they always come up inconclusive. I think most lean towards Pitta but not by much. It always seems that I am a little bit of everything, even among the specific questions themselves. Just wondering what your take on this is.
Hi Jessica, I know it can definitely be confusing. In Ayurveda we talk about our ‘prakruti’ (our true constitution determined at conception) and our ‘vikruti or our current state’. Often when we may be fluctuating in and out of balance our current state shows up as our constitution and this can be confusing when trying to determine our primary dosha.
The best way is though deep observation of how you were when you were younger, what are the most enduring qualities, mind, physiology and habits. This gives us a clue. There is also the possibility of being ‘Tridoshic’ which means we have a more or less equal balance of all 3 doshas.
Myself and my colleague Madhuri have just written a book on Ayurveda and daily practices through the seasons. “Your Irresistible Life: 4 Seasons of Self-Care through Ayurveda and Yoga Practices that Work” It is a very accessible guide to understanding Ayurveda and how to apply it in your life as the seasons change. The book will be out in a couple of weeks on Amazon, Barnes and Noble etc.
You can find out more at http://www.glynnisandmadhuri.com
I hope this is helpful! All the best and Namaste.
What about using lemon essential oil? I use Young Living brand. Is the juice or the oil more beneficial? Thanks!
For those of you who mentioned you get nauseous, or break out with rashes, that’s a GOOD sign. When your body is cleansing, it’s throwing off toxins, thus the symptoms you’re experiencing. Embrace the cleansing process, those poisons are LEAVING your body!
How long will the rash last? Mine is pretty small on my thigh, but I’m worried it’s going to continue to get bigger. Should I lessen the cayenne? Just looking for some more info on this ‘side effect’.
Luke, normally when you fast and detox, symptoms disappear in a few days. Just use natural, non toxic products like aloe vera gel, or vitamin E oil if you want. It shouldn’t last long. Keep putting natural, organic foods in, and if you have a DVR, record Dr.Oz every day. He’s a wealth of good info.
Thank u for all the awesome tips! So glad to have found you from Marie!! I too have done the lemon water without the cayenne though for a couple years! Makes such a huge difference!
Hello, would love your recommendation on an electric tea pot:) Thank you for your website!
Hi Laura – You can find the one she uses here. https://foodbabe.com/shop/for-the-kitchen/
I have been doing the lemon water, but I never thought to do the cayenne with it! Awesome! Thanks for sharing this!
I have had kidney stones multiple times, and this is the only thing that seems to dissolve them quickly. I just use room temp water, lemon, and cayenne – it helps to add a touch of agave to make it drinkable. The more lemon and cayenne, the better, however much you can use without it making you sick. Keep drinking it until you feel the stone dissolve and move through. Usually works with two glasses within an hour.
I drink green tea first thing every morning. Would it have the same health benefits if I squeeze the lemon juice into a glass of warm (not boiling) green tea???
I would love to start incorporating this into my morning routine! Do you have any reservations about drinking bulletproof coffee shortly after? I can’t live without my coffee.
New to the site and loving it!
I plan to adopt this habit but have same question as Shannon. Can you follow with an espresso? Or have you eliminated coffee? If you don’t have coffee is it best to follow with a green juice? Please advise. Thanks Very much!
Finally! Someone else spreading the truth about lemons! I’ll tell you this, I used to suffer from three ailments that I thought were going to drive me crazy. I had eczema, bleeding gums, and fecal odor. Sure, you think “everyone has fecal odor”…but trust me, not like this. I had tried everything from traditional medicine to eastern medicine. I’d tried meditation and fungicides and everything in between. But then I was taken prisoner off the coast of India — that’s a long story, and you don’t want to hear it — and my captors were not very kind to me. In addition to the beatings, the sodomy, and the verbal abuse, they fed me only rainwater and lemons. I lived for 183 days on about two glasses of rainwater and 8 lemons per day. I ate them, rind and all. And when I walked out of that prison I was healthier than I ever had been in my life. My skin was clear, my gums weren’t bleeding, and the fecal odor problems were completely gone. I did have some occult blood in my stool, but I think that was from colon tears from the repeated sodomizing with broomsticks and batons. Lemons make you strong!
Omg, I can’t even imagine. Bless your heart Frank. Obviously God had a bigger plan for your life. You must be an incredibly strong person.
I have been doing hot water and lemon for some time now. I recently read about the benefits of adding cayenne and have out that in here. Cayenne can also help with pain and inflammation in the body. After doing this for a few weeks, I have noticed that my minor aches and issues are almost gone. I can’t help but think it is from cayenne.
How soon can I eat after I drink the lemon water?
I have read at least 30 minutes – 1 hour, ideally.
Thanks for all of your helpful information! I learn something new and helpful each time I visit your website. : ) Is it OK to substitute limes for the lemons?
Hello! I was wondering where you did you purchase your electric kettle? What brand is it? I have been looking for a safe one that won’t leak anything bad into my water.
Can you use the juice from those little lemon looking bottles and red hot cayenne sauce to save a few minutes?
Personally, I would not. Most of those lemon juices are not organic, are made from concentrate, and have additives and preservatives, often preserved with sulfites and GMO based ingredients. You are likely going to run into some of the same problems with the hot sauces, plus you don’t really know how much cayenne you are getting.
To save time in the morning try this:
– Ahead of time: Buy your organic lemons in bulk and juice them all at once.
– Pour the juice into ice cube trays and freeze. Once frozen, transfer to a container and keep in the freezer.
– Each morning: Add a few lemon cubes to your warm water and a sprinkle of cayenne pepper (or you can freeze the cayenne with the lemon).
– Stir and enjoy!
Can warm cayenne lemon water be drank any time of the day, in addition to the mornings? I love the taste
Nice tip – but go easy on the Cayenne Pepper as it causes bloating if used too much.
Take care yaw’ll 🙂
Eric
Hey! I just stumbled across your blog today. I love it! Our family has been drinking ‘lemon water’, as we call it, for years now. No cayenne though. And your right. It definitely helps with clear skin. Even though lemons are acidic they help make the body more alkaline, which is great for health.
I noticed she mixes boiled water and room temperature water. Can we just consume all room temp water. Is the boiling required.
I just found your blog yesterday and you have such amazing advice. Lots of things I had some idea about before but not specifics (i.e. problems with tea, beer, juicing issues, and more). I just started drinking lemon juice this morning but used tumeric instead of cayenne (I don’t have any right now) as a commenter suggested. I am an American that has been living in Turkey for the last 7 years. When I turned 30 (3 years ago) I gained 20 kilos (I am 85 kilos now) and have not been able to shed more than a few. Things are not very regulated in this country and even when you eat what you think is healthy the fruit and veg are covered in pesticides and chickens and beef have so many hormones you can see what it is already doing to the population. I will be signing up for your news letter and hope it will be a map for better health. Thank you!
I like to buy my organic lemons in bulk, about 1x a month. I juice them all at once, then freeze the juice in icecube trays. That way all I have to do is drop a few lemon cubes in warm water, add a dash of the cayenne pepper, and there you go! SO EASY!
Such a great idea, thanks for sharing!!
I use about 10 drops of concentrated liquid cayenne from the health food store, is that as effective as the powder?
Can I do this with my kids? They are 13 and 8 yrs old. I’ve given them warm water with lemon before but not on a daily basis and not this much. I gave it at night too and not in the morning.
don’t forget to use the skin of the organic lemon for zesting into dishes and salads –it’s super nutritious, perhaps more so than the actual fruit part, and tastes very good–mildly sweet, not bitter at all.
it’s amazing in baking as well.
Moving my body out of extreme acidity is very challenging to me. The only thing I’ve found that helps is drinking lemon water and taking organic chlorella. Does anyone else have tips on balancing ph levels???
(to Lori)
To keep my Ph levels in the 7s or better, I drink vegetables I juiced through my Breville juicer. Kale, beets, cucumber, ginger, spinach, celery, romaine lettuce, red apples, and lemons. I use all organic vegetables and my juicer is powerful enough to drop the lemons and apples in whole, yes, no need to cut them unless the apples are too big. It detoxes, gives me energy all day, my skin cleared up and “glows,” and I lost 30 lbs in a month. I was never over weight to begin with and I am now at a healthier weight, I fluctuate between 150 to 160 lbs. I was inspired by watching the documentary, “Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead,” by Joe Cross. Cancer runs in my family and I know that it cannot grow/survive in an alkaline environment. Hope this helps.
bpez – if you’re out there – your juice sounds wonderful. Do you use all those ingredients in one recipe? What are the amounts? Do you drink it once in the morning? Just wondering how one juice can have so many benefits that you mentioned. 🙂
I remember reading (in a macrobiotic book, maybe?) that lemon was the only citrus that converted into an alkali in the digestive system. Is that true?
I used to drink this combination daily for years until my dentist told me that it was bad for my teeth. Now I wonder if that’s true, either!
Lemons and limes both….only two fruits recommended for someone with cancer and trying to increase alkalinity and eliminate the sugars that fuel the cancer cells. Avocados are the “other fruit” considered ok, per a couple of my cancer prevention/alternative books, such as Never Fear Cancer Again.
I drink green tea every morning if I add lemon to it will it still have the same benefits as warm water with lemon?
Per Dr. Russell Blaylock’s Health & Wellness Report (I subscribe) green tea is naturally high in fluoride and aluminum – so unless your green tea has been testedand guaranteed pure and free of trace metals – adding lemon to green tea can actually make the trace aluminum found in the tea bind and increase absorption of the aluminum into the body. Blaylock recommends adding mint instead. Hope this is helpful!
I wash and freeze my lemons with the zest (cut them in 4) and put a piece on my warm water every morning. Will add the pepper from now on. Thank you!
oops… meant skin, not zest
meant skin, not zest
Will Limes work as well as Lemons?
Hi,
Thanks for your awesome website full of great tips and info, which I am hooked to 🙂 keep up the great work!
Jida from Algiers, Algeria.
We are delighted to have you look at our website all of the way from Algeria! It is great to know Vani has fans across the ocean!
Going to try this. What kettle is pictured? Can you recommend a water filter? Thank you.
Is this safe for someone in the first term of pregnancy?
Hi Caitlin,
Another commenter asked FoodBabe the same question (see page 1 of comments). Thought I’d copy and paste it for you here:
____________________________________________
Kim
May 21, 2012
Do you know…is this safe to do if your pregnant or breastfeeding? I don’t see why it wouldn’t be, I always eat lots of spicy foods and peppers throughout my pregnancies (this is my third) but not when breastfeeding, I am just wondering about the detoxification property of this…..thanks for any info!!
__________________________________________________
Food Babe (to Kim)
May 26, 2012
I don’t know of any issues with doing this while pregnant or breastfeeding (but I am not a doctor… so you might want to check)…You could still do just the lemon without the cayenne while your breastfeeding too! Good Luck.
I have been doing this for about 2 weeks and it really kick starts my day. Curbs my appetite and warms me up in the morning!
Same question as Caitlin, I want to know if its ok for someone in their early term of pregnancy. I have been taking one lemon and a teaspoon of cayenne pepper for over 6 months and its helped me lose weight and maintain my weight. Now I am pregnant, i stopped. I want to know if its ok to continue.
Hi ljay,
Another commenter asked FoodBabe the same question (see page 1 of comments). Thought I’d copy and paste it for you here:
____________________________________________
Kim
May 21, 2012
Do you know…is this safe to do if your pregnant or breastfeeding? I don’t see why it wouldn’t be, I always eat lots of spicy foods and peppers throughout my pregnancies (this is my third) but not when breastfeeding, I am just wondering about the detoxification property of this…..thanks for any info!!
__________________________________________________
Food Babe (to Kim)
May 26, 2012
I don’t know of any issues with doing this while pregnant or breastfeeding (but I am not a doctor… so you might want to check)…You could still do just the lemon without the cayenne while your breastfeeding too! Good Luck.
Would any healthy benefits be lost if i used bubbly water instead of warm water? I did it that way before my green tea and loved it! Thanks.