Oh man, I think I really overdid it the other night. My husband got takeout from this incredible little Italian place nearby, and I just… I couldn’t stop. I don’t normally eat like that, stuffing my face until I can barely move, but it was one of those meals where every bite is better than the last. I told myself it was a special occasion, which, looking back, was just a flimsy excuse to eat all that pasta. So yeah, the next day, my stomach was not happy with me. At all. And when that happens, my first thought is always to call my dad.
My dad… he’s something else. He grew up on a sugarcane farm in a little working-class town in Colombia. He tells these amazing stories about his childhood, surrounded by rivers and all this lush, wild nature. It really shaped who he is, you know? He’s still 100% a campesino—a country person—at heart. He’s got this whole collection of old machetes in their original leather cases from when he was a boy. He’s just full of these practical, earthy tips for just about everything.
So, naturally, I called him up to complain about my self-inflicted food hangover, hoping he’d have some kind of natural magic for me. I really try to stay away from the pharmacy aisle unless it’s an absolute last resort, and honestly, I find I rarely need it. His advice was simple: lemon water. He just said to squeeze about a quarter of a lemon into a cup of warm water. He says you can even drink it every day to help keep your digestion on track.
My dad is pretty insistent that the water should be room temperature or warm, never cold. I never really questioned it, but me being me, I had to look it up. And you know what? He’s right. I read somewhere that warm water helps your stomach break down food more easily and just keeps things moving along smoothly. And lemons are full of Vitamin C, obviously, which is great for your immune system, but they also help flush toxins out of your body and give your liver a little cleaning boost. Sometimes, if I want something a little different, I’ll squeeze it into some mint or ginger tea. Both are super soothing on a grumpy stomach.
Here’s a little trick I’ve picked up. When I have my act together, I’ll make a cup the night before and just leave it on my nightstand or kitchen counter with a cover on it. I try to drink it first thing in the morning, before I eat anything solid, even before brushing my teeth. One thing to remember, though—and this is important—is to drink it through a straw. The acid can be a little tough on your tooth enamel over time. And definitely make sure to brush your teeth after!
I got curious about what’s actually inside a lemon, so I did a quick search. Here’s the breakdown for one squeezed lemon:
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10.6 calories
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18.6 milligrams (mg) of vitamin C, or 21% DV
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9.6 micrograms (mcg) of folate, or 2% DV
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49.4 mg of potassium, or 1% DV
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0.01 mg of vitamin B-1, or 1% DV
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0.01 mg of vitamin B-2, or 1% DV
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0.06 mg of vitamin B-5, or 1% DV
And just a random thought... I always assumed an orange would be the winner for Vitamin C. But it turns out, while half an orange has a tiny bit more C, it also comes with double the calories and three times the sugar! So, I guess for a simple, clean boost, the lemon is the way to go.
It’s just funny how these simple, old-world remedies that people have been using forever are often the ones that work the best. It makes me feel like I should call my dad more often, and not just when I have a stomachache. There’s probably so much more I could learn. So, for now, this little cup of warm lemon water has become my new morning thing. We’ll see how long it lasts.
