Lemons with a Purpose

I want to blog with a purpose. So many of you share your gifts and talents with us. You show us how to make crafty things, save money, and organize our home.

I want to share my passion for nutrition and fitness with you! I hope you are excited. I want to help, and encourage all of you by sharing recipes, and fitness tips.  For women especially, weight control and body image is a thought that dwells in our minds.  I want you to be encouraged.  Being healthy is not about looking like a supermodel.  Good news right?

When I told my mom about what I wanted to do with my blog, she said, "If you are going to share healthy food recipes, I am going to make a blog and share DESSERT recipes!" Since it seems like many people have been passing along their favorite dessert recipes with me lately, I will have to share some of those too :) 

I believe in the more natural approach to health and nutrition.  The new trend is bombarding us with how calories, fats and carbs are BAD. Well, I dont agree, and neither do our bodies.  We will get to this in the days to come.

But first,  this is my new obsession. lemon water... with stevia. aka: lemonade.

We know that water is important. We learn this fact in kindergarten.  Water is essential to our health, but lemon water is even better!

 I drank lemon water all day while I was pregnant to aid in ridding my body of bacteria. Lemons act as a natural agent that prevents sepsis (harmful bacteria).  At restaurants, I used to pass my lemon along to my neighbor, or just place it on the table to be unused, or heaven forbid, given to the next customer who ordered water.  But now, I squeeze it into my water.  I do not put the actual lemon IN my drink, as it can have harmful chemicals and rat poo in the peel, unless you wash then thoroughly. Yuck.

Lemons have many health benefits. Mixed with hot water, lemon water can cure many digestive problems such as

• nausea

• vomiting

• heartburn

• constipation

It can relieve hiccups, and when taken every morning, can act as a tonic to the liver, helping it to stimulate bile production.  Bile helps digest food that we eat.  Lemon water can help dissolve gallstones.

Because of its high vitamin C content, it can help prevent and treat many infections, hasten wound healing, and bring down high fever.  Lemon juice can also relieve symptoms of asthma, tonsillitis and sore throat.

Lemon also acts as a diuretic.  This is good news for people who experience more than their fair share of urinary tract infections. (me).  It helps flush out bad bacteria and toxins, like I said before.

Is this convincing enough? I also read where lemons help improve memory storage and recall, treat depression, and are a GREAT cleaning agent.

To make your new drink an even better one, add some stevia!

My favorite is by Truvia.

Before you turn you nose up, stevia is very good for your health, and is a waaay better alternative to sugar than equal, sweet N low, or splenda. Yes, I said splenda.

Click here to read bad things about Splenda

Like I said before. I believe that the more natural, the better. The only sweeteners I have in my house are sugar and stevia.  We are trying to transition to mainly truvia, but my husband is the biggest sweet tea fan there is.  Stevia doesn't quite cut it for him.  So we are trying to do the un-sweet tea thing when we have tea. 

When life gives you lemons, stick them in your bra!

just kidding... you should make lemonade.