Is lemon water an amazing health secret or a myth?

Lemon water isn’t a brand-new idea. This health drink is a fan-favourite of celebrities like Jennifer Aniston, Gisele Bundchen and Gwyneth Paltrow - but is it just a health myth?

With alleged health benefits like aiding weight loss and boosting metabolism, tighter skin and decreased constipation, you can see why so many people are looking to lemon water to help their day-to-day health routine, but is it all it’s really cracked up to be?

Asking the experts

Women’s Health recently asked health experts whether simply adding a slice of lemon to your water can make that much of a difference to your diet. Here is what registered dietitian Wesley Delbridge. R.D had to say about it: “After eight hours of Z’s, a glass of H2O with a lemon slice is a great, low-cal (one slice contains two calories) way to start your morning. But, the water part of lemon water is to thank for most of the science-backed benefits of lemon water.”

Delbridge went on to explain the perceived health and weight loss effects of lemon water: “Most people don’t drink enough water, so when they up their H2O intake (with or without the slice of lemon), they’ll usually experience the so-called benefits of lemon water. While dehydration can slow metabolic rate, most lemon-water-linked weight loss happens when people use it to replace high-cal beverages like soda or fruit juice.”

So, it seems although the actual health benefits of adding a slice to your glass are minimal, simply the act of sprucing a usually dull glass of water up is making a big difference to the amount of water we are consuming and is a great aid for your detox.

SEE ALSO: The importance of meal prep

For a truly detoxifying experience, treat yourself to a spa weekend in Yorkshire, add a slice to your water and relax whilst being pampered.