Most people say ‘When life gives you lemons – make lemonade’. In this post we’ll tell you why we prefer to say ‘When life gives you lemons – freeze them’!
Lemons are probably the most versatile and popular type of citrus fruit.
There is an incredible amount of hype around this fruit, while a lot of these claims are true and substantiated some are exaggerated.
We will discuss the history, nutrition level and health benefits of consuming lemons, we will also tell you why freezing them is a hack that will make it easier for you to harness all the benefits at once!
Lemons are consumed in many different ways. People have found uses for all parts of this fruit – the juice, the flesh and even the peel.
Some people drink lemon juice and consume the peel while others apply the pulp externally for various benefits.
Freezing lemons, however, is a trick that can help you easily capture all of their benefits.
A Brief History of Lemons
Lemons, known scientifically as Citrus Limon, originated around the border regions of present day North-Eastern India, Myanmar and China. (1)
They spread to Europe through Arab traders and European crusaders, and were brought to the Americas by Christopher Columbus on his second voyage to the new world! There are two main types of sour lemons: the Eureka and the Lisbon. (1)
Generally, lemons are an excellent source of vitamin C, potassium, calcium and folate. (8)
The juice and the flesh as well as the peel of lemons are rich in vitamins and minerals. Lemon peels have a high concentration of oxalates, which are form of naturally occurring organic acids. The flesh and peel are higher in fiber and contain higher amounts of special antioxidants such as d-limonene. (2,3)
7 Health Benefits of Lemons
Lemons offer a wide range of benefits, here are some of them:
- They can freshen your breath (4)
- The support weight loss and weight management (4)
- The vitamin C from lemons will strengthen and support your immune system (1)
- They promote adequate hydration (4)
- They aid and improve digestion by acting as a laxative and preventing constipation; Ayurvedic medicine states that the sour lemon taste helps stimulate your ‘Agni’, which in turn jump starts the digestive system, allowing you to efficiently remove toxins and more easily digest your regular food (4)
- They can help reduce the risk of cancer because their peels are an excellent source of terpenes such as d-limonene which have fantastic anti-cancer effects and possibly treatment (1,5,6,7)
- The citric acid in lemons can help prevent kidney stones by increasing the volume of urine and the urine pH level (7)
Why You Should Consume Frozen Lemons
Freezing lemons can make it easier to consume the entire fruit (and more of its nutrients)!
As we know the peel is extremely rich in nutrients and should be consumed.
Once the peel has been grated and frozen its ready to eat in a crunchy and cold state.
Frozen lemons will also hold the juice in place with the flesh and therefore are less messy to eat.
How to Freeze Lemons Properly
We always recommend purchasing organic lemons. If you’ve purchased organic lemons or grown them yourself a simple cold water wash will do.
- We always recommend purchasing organic lemons because commercially grown fruit usually have a layer of wax coating on them to protect them during transportation. (1) If you’ve purchased non-organic then this layer can be washed off using apple cider vinegar. If you’ve purchased organic a simple cold water rinse will do.
- Remove the ends of the fruit to avoid ingesting the stem when they are consumed.
- Rinse and properly dry your fruits before putting them in the freezer.
- Freeze the lemons overnight, you can do this by placing them in zip lock bags or by themselves in the freezer.
- The next morning once they are fully frozen take them out and grate them in their entirety, the peel, the pulp and the seeds included.
- At this point you can consume some of it right away and keep the rest in an ice cube tray back in the freezer and save it for future use.
You can add some to your smoothies and protein shakes, or sprinkle some on top of our meals for flavor!
Keep in mind however that if you are keen on following a low oxalate diet then you should peel the lemon and discard the peel before freezing them, as the peels are high in oxalates. (1)
Lemon seeds offer a range of benefits too but if you dislike the taste or have an aversion to them you can purchase the seedless varieties of lemons.
When life gives you lemons…
Enjoy them – because you’ve been blessed!
You don’t necessarily have to freeze them to enjoy their benefits, you can enjoy them in any way that you like!
You can make a lemonade, squeeze some juice over your food or apply them externally on your skin.
Freezing them will just make it super easy to take advantage of the health benefits of the fruit and its peel!
Read More: 30 Genius Ways to Use Lemon Peels at Home
(1) http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=27
(4) https://www.healthline.com/health/food-nutrition/benefits-of-lemon-water#aids-digestion
(5) http://doctormurray.com/lemons-to-fight-cancer/
(6) https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5491624/
(7) https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/6-lemon-health-benefits#section1
(8) https://www.livescience.com/54282-lemon-nutrition.html
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