Lemon water

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Wikipedia

Lemon water is a beverage made by mixing lemon juice with water.

Lemon slices floating in water

It is commonly consumed for its taste and as part of everyday dietary or lifestyle habits. Lemon water mainly provides hydration along with small amounts of nutrients naturally found in lemon juice, especially vitamin C.[1]


Common preparation

Lemon water is usually prepared by adding freshly squeezed lemon juice to cold or warm water. A common method uses the juice of half a lemon in a glass of water, though the amount varies by preference.[2]

Variations

Some people add ingredients such as mint or ginger for flavor. These additions mainly affect taste and do not significantly change the nutritional value of the drink.[3]

The main difference between lemon water and lemonade is that the latter usually contains sweeteners (usually in the form of sugar or honey, but it can also contain high fructose corn syrup or artificial sweeteners), while the former is typically unsweetened.

Nutritional content

Basic nutrients

Lemon water is low in calories due to the low amount of carbohydrates compared to other juices and the negligible amounts of protein and fat.[1]

Lemon juice contributes small amounts of vitamin C and citric acid, with a citric acid concentration of about 48 g/L[1]; however, when diluted in water, the overall nutrient content remains modest compared to whole fruit.[4]

Lemon water (prepared with juice of half a lemon in 250 ml water)
Nutritional value per 100 g (3.5 oz)
Energy20 kJ (4.8 kcal)
2.5 g
Sugars0.8 g
Dietary fiber0.1 g
0 g
0.2 g
Vitamins and minerals
VitaminsQuantity
%DV†
Vitamin C
17%
15 mg
MineralsQuantity
%DV†
Potassium
1%
40 mg
Estimated values based on dilution of lemon juice in water; actual values vary by preparation.
†Percentages estimated using US recommendations for adults,[5] except for potassium, which is estimated based on expert recommendation from the National Academies.[6]

Lemon water contributes to hydration and supplies small amounts of nutrients derived from lemon juice. Its nutritional value depends on the quantity of juice used and is substantially lower than that of whole lemons due to dilution in water.

Because the pulp and peel are typically removed during preparation, lemon water contains little to no dietary fiber.[7]

Comparison with whole fruit

Compared to consuming whole lemons, lemon water provides fewer nutrients because it consists primarily of diluted lemon juice and water. Whole lemons contain dietary fiber, particularly soluble fiber such as pectin, which is largely absent in lemon water due to the removal of pulp and peel during preparation.

In addition to fiber, whole lemons provide a broader range of micronutrients and plant-derived compounds, including amino acids, fatty acids, and polyphenols, many of which are concentrated in the pulp and peel and are present in reduced amounts when only lemon juice is diluted in water.[8]

References

  1. 1 2 3 "What Are the Benefits of Drinking Lemon Water?". Cleveland Clinic. 2024-08-21. Retrieved 2026-01-08.
  2. ↑ Osipov, Olena (2024-03-04). "Lemon Water Recipe". iFoodReal.com. Retrieved 2026-01-08.
  3. ↑ Badiche-El Hilali, Fátima; Medeiros-Fonseca, Beatriz; Silva, Jéssica; Silvestre-Ferreira, Ana C.; Pires, Maria João; Gil da Costa, Rui M.; Peixoto, Francisco; Oliveira, Paula A.; Valero, Daniel (2024-05-10). "The Effect of Lemon Juice (Citrus limon L.) Treated with Melatonin on the Health Status and Treatment of K14HPV16 Mice". Antioxidants (Basel, Switzerland). 13 (5): 588. doi:10.3390/antiox13050588. ISSN 2076-3921. PMC 11117883. PMID 38790693.
  4. ↑ Ross, A. Catharine, ed. (2020). Modern Nutrition in Health and Disease (12th ed.). Wolters Kluwer. ISBN 9781496381156.
  5. ↑ United States Food and Drug Administration (2024). "Daily Value on the Nutrition and Supplement Facts Labels". FDA. Archived from the original on 2024-03-27. Retrieved 2024-03-28.
  6. ↑ "TABLE 4-7 Comparison of Potassium Adequate Intakes Established in This Report to Potassium Adequate Intakes Established in the 2005 DRI Report". p. 120. In: Stallings, Virginia A.; Harrison, Meghan; Oria, Maria, eds. (2019). "Potassium: Dietary Reference Intakes for Adequacy". Dietary Reference Intakes for Sodium and Potassium. pp. 101–124. doi:10.17226/25353. ISBN 978-0-309-48834-1. PMID 30844154. NCBI NBK545428.
  7. ↑ "Is Lemon Water Good for You?". Cleveland Clinic. Retrieved 2026-01-09.
  8. ↑ Sánchez-Bravo, Paola; Martínez-Tomé, Juan; Hernández, Francisca; Sendra, Esther; Noguera-Artiaga, Luis (2023-11-28). "Conventional vs. Organic: Evaluation of Nutritional, Functional and Sensory Quality of Citrus limon". Foods. 12 (23): 4304. doi:10.3390/foods12234304. PMC 10706168. PMID 38231768.