Lemons are citrus delights packed full of juicy wonder. We’re going to share how this wonder fruit is not only delicious in Italian food and drinks but how it has endless health and beauty benefits, and even serves as a fantastic cleaning aid.

Health benefits of lemon

Some people enjoy a good lemon tea instead of coffee or regular black tea in the morning. And it’s for good reason. Lemon has many health benefits as it contains a great deal of vitamin C, soluble fibre and various benefits from its plant compounds. Below is a list of our favourite health benefits and an easy recipe to consume lemons daily.

• Although lemons don’t top the list of citrus fruits high in vitamin C, they’re still an excellent source. And with a good intake of vitamin C, you may reduce your risk of cardiovascular disease and especially lower your blood pressure.
• Lemon peels in particular, improve bone health as they contain a high amount of calcium and vitamin C, which assist in the maintenance of bones. They also prevent common bone-related diseases like osteoporosis.
• Lemons hold a great presence of dietary fibre, which aids healthy digestion by regulating bowel movement.
   

Easy lemon drinks

Consuming lemons daily or a few times a week can be really easy. All you need to do is squeeze the juice of half a medium-sized lemon into a cup of hot water and add a couple of lemon slices.

For a bit of variation in flavour and extra health benefits for the co, add mint leaves, a teaspoon of finely chopped ginger or a teaspoon of ground cinnamon.

In hot weather, nothing’s as refreshing as an iced tea to cool you down! Here’s a lovely recipe, with lemon, lime and mint:

Ingredients:

• 3 cups of good quality black tea, cooled
• 8 fresh mint leaves
• I lemon, thinly sliced
• I lime, thinly sliced
• Ice cubes, frozen with a tiny piece of mint leaf inside

Preparation

1. Put the lemon and lime slices, and the mint leaves, in a jug or jar.
2. Fill the jug or jar with the ice cubes and the cooled tea and stir gently.
3. hill in the fridge for several hours and drink cold.

Beauty tricks with lemon juice

Lemon juice can do wonders in making your skin look and feel healthier. Check out these easy steps to make your skin glow.

• Apply fresh lemon juice to the skin around your elbows and knees and notice how it will brighten and soften your skin in those dry areas. Be sure to wash away the lemon juice residue and apply moisturiser to avoid dryness.
• To help reduce age spots, apply a small amount of lemon juice to the areas before bed and wash it off in the morning with cool water. After a few weeks the lemon will have cleansed the skin and lightened the colour. Please remember to only do this once or twice a week as lemon juice can quickly dry out your skin.
• Lemons have a wonderful citrus fragrance which is also a key ingredient in N.A.E.’s Vitalità range. When you use products from this range, you’ll feel yourself be carried away by this energising and fruity fragrance.
  

How lemon can aid everyday cleaning:

Not only is lemon fantastic in assisting your everyday health and being a great beauty tool, it’s also handy to have around the house as a cleaning agent.

• Remove those stubborn stains from your favourite plastic food-storage containers with dilute lemon juice and baking soda, and scrub away. Your container will look as good as new.
• If your kettle has a build-up of mineral residue, boil lemon slices in the kettle and then let the mixture sit for an hour or two before rinsing out the lemon.