March marks the start of lemon season in the Southwest, and those of us with friends who own lemon trees are soon besieged by requests to take some lemons off their hands.  😉  Next time they ask, take them up on their offer!  Lemons are SO versatile in their uses and benefits, they really are our friends.  Let’s get to know them better.

Back in 1980, a movie came out called Atlantic City, with Susan Sarandon.  It was required viewing for my movie class, and in the first scene you see Susan’s character rubbing herself all over with freshly cut lemons.  Her reason?  She works at a clam bar and the lemons take the smell off of her.  Can they do that?  Absolutely!  Pungent garlic and seafood odors are easily overcome by the power of lemons.  After you cut garlic or process seafood, just rinse your hands with lemon juice before washing, and your hands won’t smell!  If you want to get rid of those smells on your cutting board, just rub it down with a lemon slice, and voila!  The odor is gone!   For household odors you can put some lemon juice in your humidifier, or add some essential lemon oil in your diffuser.  (More on lemon essential oil in another blog, so keep reading!)

As we all know, lemons contain Vitamin C, as do all the other citrus fruits, which is great for our immune system.  Lemons also contain vitamin B6, vitamin A, vitamin E, folate, niacin thiamin, riboflavin, pantothenic acid, copper,  calcium, iron,  magnesium, potassium, zinc, phosphorus and protein. Lemons are one fruit that contains flavonoids, which are composites that contain antioxidant and cancer fighting properties. Having lemon in your daily routine helps to prevent diabetes, constipation, high blood pressure, fever, indigestion and many other problems, as well as improving the skin, hair, and teeth.

Are there bad side effects from lemons?  My dentist friends will tell you NOT to suck on lemons because it will erode your enamel, which you can’t get back!   There is a BIG difference between sucking on a lemon and drinking warm lemon water.  For those of you who haven’t heard, drinking warm lemon water in the morning helps to flush out nasty toxins from your body. Because of all those great vitamins included in lemons, it promotes healing as well as freshens your breath, and some say it can help your metabolic system, encouraging weight loss.  What is the “recipe” you may ask?  1/2 of a fresh lemon juiced into at least an 8 oz glass of warm water.  For me, I prefer using essential lemon oil and I just add a drop or two along with a teaspoon of honey (check out my blog on the benefits of honey  ).

Perhaps that is enough lemon info for one day, so I’ll stop, but keep checking back here – more lovely lemon lore to follow!  😉