Let’s make one thing clear: when it comes to weight loss, there is NO substitute for a well-balanced diet and moderate exercise. Sorry to burst your bubble, but the only magic bullet when it comes to shedding extra pounds is healthy whole foods and physical activity. Sure, you can take detox products like Yogi Detox tea or follow juice cleanses, but at the end of the day, nothing beats eating right and taking a walk in the park.
That being said, there are some natural remedies you can take to augment your weight loss journey. One of these concoctions might sound a little strange: parsley and lemon water. Weight loss options don’t get any stranger than this, but trust us (and scientists!) when we say: it actually does help.
But, again: parsley water for weight loss is NOT a substitute for a proper diet and an exercise regimen, it’s merely there to augment and enhance your weight loss efforts. Yes, it does sound weird but hear us out: alone, these two ingredients are rich in natural antioxidants, have natural anti-inflammatory and anti-bacterial properties, and are both delicious. Put them together (a hint of ginger wouldn’t hurt either!) and you get these amazing drink that helps your body regulate digestion, blood pressure, blood circulation, and prevent your health from spiraling out of control.
Fitness enthusiasts swear by the mixture, but again, let us reiterate: drinking parsley and lemon water for weight loss isn’t enough. You will still need to back this up with moderate exercise and a balanced diet that’s low in trans-fats, sugar, and rich in vitamins, nutrients, and minerals. Now that that’s out of the way, let’s take a look at Parsley lemon water and why it’s good for you:
Parsley and Lemon for Weight Loss? How?
It might sound great on a salad or a steak but as a drink? Yes, parsley and lemon water sounds a bit strange, but it’s just as delicious as it sounds, not to mention packed with your RDA of vitamins and minerals. Let’s start with parsley.
Despite being very low in calories (a 100g bunch of parsley, stems, and leaves, only has about 30 calories), parsley is basically a superfood with the large amounts of essential nutrients it contains: parsley leads its other leafy green herbs in terms of vitamin A, B, C, and K levels, not to mention potassium and iron levels.
Parsley’s vibrant green color comes from its high levels of chlorophyll, an essential nutrient that helps our bodies process toxins and other pollutants while helping your weight loss journey by acting as a mild appetite suppressant and aids in breaking down fat. Enzymes within parsley help digest food, releasing more of their nutrients and actively working to deconstruct fat cells more quickly. This improves your body’s natural digestive functions, which, in turn, helps you shed off more weight in the process.
It also helps you reduce water retention which, again, results in faster weight loss. As a natural diuretic, parsley encourages your bladder to empty itself more regularly, flushing your system of excess fluid without causing dehydration.
To further its weight-reduction powers, parsley is also effective at managing blood sugar levels, a critical factor in long-term weight management and a highly effective deterrent against diabetes. Parsley is also rich in zeaxanthin and lutein, two carotenoids that can purportedly reduce your risk of cancer. The jury is still out on that last bit, but most of the studies look very promising.
As for lemons? Well, this popular citrus fruit’s health benefits have been well-documented over the last few decades, but let’s take a quick rundown:
Most citrus fruits are very much high in vitamin C, and lemon juice is no different, with the juice of just one medium-sized lemon yielding more than 18mg of vitamin C, which is almost 20% of a person’s vitamin C RDA. Vitamin C is one of the most important vitamins your body needs: it lowers blood pressure, lowers the risk of stroke, lowers the risk of cardiovascular disease, and can shorten the duration of flu symptoms (not to mention prevent scurvy).
Lemons are also rich in polyphenol antioxidants, a crucial mineral that burns fat cells, making it essential to weight loss. Beyond weight loss, the polyphenol antioxidants in lemons can also help regulate blood sugar levels, adding to the long-term weight management properties of parsley. Meanwhile, the citric acid in lemon juice helps prevent kidney stones by making the urine less acidic while breaking up smaller stones that are already present.
Combine these two superfoods, and you get a weight loss drink that is palatable, refreshing, and effective. Adherents to this wonder drink swear by its weight-loss powers, although scientists are not so quick to agree. Most studies about parsley and lemon water and weight loss are finding only a tentative link, but researchers do agree that having the nutrients of both these foods will do more good than harm.
Making Parsley Lemon Water for Weight Loss
Making Parsley Lemon water for weight loss is as easy as it sounds: just take some parsley, some lemon juice, and some water, blend it all together, and then strain. Here’s a step-by-step breakdown and ingredients list in case it’s still confusing:
- Parsley: 60g or one bunch (including stems)
- Lemon: 1 medium-sized Meyer lemon, or any other ‘sweet’ type of lemon
- Water: 1 cup. Add ice if you want to.
These ingredients are good for a day’s dose of Parsley Lemon water. If you want to scale it up, do so in the same proportions and store it in your refrigerator.
Procedure:
Step 1: Chop up the parsley and put it in your blender
Step 2: Squeeze the lemon juice into the blender with the chopped up parsley
Step 3: Add water
Step 4: Blend
Optional step 1: strain the mixture until you get a smooth liquid.
Optional step 2: add a thumb-sized piece of sliced ginger
That’s it. That’s all it takes for you to make a health supplement that can help you with your weight loss journey. For your Parsley Lemon Water to be an effective weight-loss tool, most people drink it in the morning as soon as they wake up. The idea behind it is that lemon’s natural laxative properties will help your body stave off constipation and kick-start your digestive system while the parsley’s natural appetite suppression properties will help you regulate the amount of food you eat throughout the day.
