Most people are aware that lemons deliver a great dose of vitamin C (100% USRDA per half cup of lemon juice), but did you know that fresh lemons are also a great source of potassium, calcium, folate, vitamin B-6, and contain important trace minerals like copper, selenium and zinc?
A glass of water with lemon first thing in the morning is a gentle but effective liver cleanser -especially good for clearing up pesky skin blemishes!
But after squeezing out your juice, don’t throw away the peel!
Lemon peel is very high in vitamin C as well (13% USRDA per Tablespoon). It has a distinctive flavor that can be used in a variety of recipes, and unlike the sour fruit, has its own delicate sweetness. When cooked with vegetables or potatoes lemon peel reduces the amount of salt needed in a recipe. It also add great flavor to baked goods, like one of my favorites, lemon peel molasses cookies. A quick way to get the benefits of the vitamins and minerals is to make lemon peel tea. It is delicious and refreshing hot or cold, and since the lemon peel is naturally sweet, no honey or sugar is needed.
LEMON PEEL TEA
INGREDIENTS:
Peel of half a lemon
(use organic to avoid ingesting harmful pesticides and herbicides)
6 cups filtered water
Chop the peel into strips and place in a tea ball or tea strainer. Pour the water into a stainless steel or enamel pot with a fitted lid. Place over stove top on high heat and add the tea ball with the lemon peel (hint: if you don’t have a tea ball handy you can juts add the peel and strain the tea when you pour it). When the water comes to a boi, turn the heat to medium and let it simmer for seven minutes. Turn off heat and let the mixture sit for five minutes. Pour. Sip. Relax.
0 responses so far ↓
There are no comments yet...Kick things off by filling out the form below.