Lemon water has become a popular trend lately thanks to the internet and in particular social media.
Lots of people are now getting into the act of drinking lemon in water or lemon water often if not daily.
The question though is; should you drink your lemon water hot or cold?
Or should you take the middle of the road approach and drink it at room temperature?
Everyone will have their preference as far as this practise is concerned and I will tell you mine straightaway.
I prefer my lemon in water drink cold and I mean ice cold. Yes, you read that right, ice cold lemon water is what I prefer.
Why do I like my Lemon Water cold or ice cold?
Here are my reasons why I like my lemon water ice cold.
Reason #1 for cold lemon water – It tastes better
The first is based on a little experiment that I did at home and of course you can replicate the experiment too. What I did was I prepared my lemon in water drink in 3 different cups. One cup had the lemon in water drink at room temperature. The second cup had the lemon in water drink in hot water and the third cup had the lemon drink in ice water with ice cubes in it.
I tasted all three cups, seperately of course, specifically looking for what my taste buds preferred. With the lemon in water drink in hot water, the lemon flavour was very shallow. It felt like drinking fluid for the sake of drinking it. That cup lacked excitement. So, you could describe the hot lemon in water as a plain medicinal drink without any storm. Not even an ounce of taste storm came out of it.
Next I drank the lemon in water drink at room temparature. The taste was okay. Still not exciting but rather described as less shallow than the taste coming out of the hot lemon in water drink cup. A slight improvement in flavour bounce but still unimpressive.
So, with so much weight of expectation, I proceeded to the third cup holding the lemon in water drink in ice-cold water. Yes, it did not disappoint. The lemon flavour in that cold cup hits your palate like a volcano. Boom, I felt it and there was no going back. This cup with the cold lemon in water drink was a clear winner. No contest. And that was it – I was sold as far as taste preference goes. Perform the experiment yourself and see what you come up with.
Reason #2 for cold lemon water – It preserves vitamin C nutrient
One thing people don’t know is that vitamin C is a very fragile water soluble vitamin. And the fragility of vitamin C begins at temperatures as low as 86 degrees Fahrenheit (30 degrees Celsius). Obviously cooking time does affect vitamin C stability too. There is no cooking time involved here but if you use water that is fairly hot, it will take a while to cool down at which time the vitamin C would have become denatured rendering it ineffective.
So, if you have your lemon in water in hot water, you are running a risk of consuming a denatured vitamin C which defeats the purpose of having this lovely drink.
But drink your lemon water in iced water or at room temperature and you are guaranteed to have the vitamin C nutrient intact and therefore useful.
Reason #3 for lemon in cold water – helps lose some extra calories
There is a physiological process that occurs when you drink water that is cold. That singular act of drinking an ice cold water triggers the diving reflex in humans. This is due to a shock effect and subsequent increase in sympathetic activity resulting from the release of noradrenaline as a result of the diving reflex. When norepinephrine is released into circulation, it revs up the metabolic rate which enables you burn some calories.
There is research evidence to support the view that drinking cold water does increase energy expenditure and oxygen consumption. In fact, this research suggest drinking 2 litres of water will result in burning 400 KJ of energy (100 calories) at rest.
So, whereas 16 oz (500 ml) of cold lemon in water enabling you burn 25 calories might not sound like much, it is still calories all the same. You should accept any extra energy expenditure that comes your way for free especially when it is effortless.
Those are my reasons for preferring my lemon in water drink ice-cold rather than hot. I know some people dislike the idea of drinking anything cold in the morning but at the very least have it at room temperature if you hate cold drinks. Ultimately the choice will be yours. How do you prefer yours? Share your thoughts below if you don’t mind.
This was the question one of my YouTube subscribers asked me a couple of days ago. She had recently watched a video that went viral and she had concerns and understandably so. Unable to resolve this issue satisfactorily in her mind, she turned to me for an answer.
It is okay to eat eggs. There is nothing wrong with that. But how much eggs you eat may have repercussions on your health especially if you plan to eat eggs every day. If you overdo it, then the dose may make the poison as the saying goes.
Pros for eating eggs
Eggs are highly nutritious. They are one of the best sources of protein for the human body. If you are not a vegan and do not have any objections to eating animal products, then I will encourage you to keep eggs as part of your overall nutrition. For individuals who may struggle to get their protein requirements daily, eggs are a nice food to turn to. One large boiled egg (50 gm) supplies you with 6 gm of protein. Not bad.
Naturally the way you prepare the eggs may boost the protein content even further. For instance, if you make an omelette with the egg(s) you increase the protein content some more with the cheese you may choose to add.
Secondly eggs are a good source of choline. Choline is an important nutrient that our body needs. Choline helps prevent Alzheimer’s disease and helps the liver perform optimally too. It may help you fight fatty liver disease by optimizing your liver function. Choline is useful for brain function and indeed the entire nervous sytem making messages pass from one nerve to the next possible which translates to better muscular function.
In pregnancy, it is particularly important to consume adequate amounts of choline as deficiency of choline can lead to birth defects like hypospadias, heart defects and cleft lip and palate. So, pregnant women should ensure their choline intake is adequate.
On the affordabilty angle, eggs are quite affordable. One of the cheapest foods around or should I say one of the cheapest protein sources around, They make a convenient protein source for those who want to bulk up their muscle mass. Regular folks can also avail themselves of this affordable protein source.
Lutein is a xanthophyl seen abundantly in plants especially the dark leafy greens as well as in carrots. Lutein is a carotenoid antioxidant and is absorbed into the retina of our eyes more precisely into the macula lutea of the retina. Adequate lutein is essential for eye health as it slows down macula degeneration. As it happens lutein is not exclusive to plants only, eggs have lutein too and we are grateful for that.
Cons of Eggs
Yes, the cholesterol debate rages on and I don’t intend to resolve it in this article. The role of dietary cholesterol to overall cholesterol levels in the body remains a contentious issue. The liver does make most of the cholesterol we need daily.
One fried large egg has 185 mg of cholesterol. When you eat 4 eggs, that translates to 740 mg of cholesterol. In an omelette, the cholesterol content rises to 195 mg per egg making 4 omelette eggs push in 780 mg of cholesterol per meal. Now for people who disregard the role of dietary cholesterol, would adding an additional 740 mg or 780 mg of dietary cholesterol daily to your body make you feel comfortable?
That’s a lot of cholesterol that your liver that is also manufacturing its own cholesterol has to deal with daily. I have never understood the wisdom of loading more cholesterol into a system that is already self-sufficient in cholesterol manufacture just so you can test the machine production capacity some more.
And by the way, eggs are just one dietary cholesterol supplier. On the typical Western diet, you have more cholesterol coming in from red meat, processed meat, dairy in particular cheese, butter, prawns etc. That’s yet more saturated fat for a liver that is already over-burdened. These foods loaded with saturated fats typically raise cholesterol higher than eggs and we eat them in the West often.
This might seem okay for someone who is perfectly healthy but bearing in mind that lots of people living in the West have diabetes, high blood pressure and are seriously at risk of heart disease, then the gospel of eating 4 eggs a day might need to be spread with caution.
One more thing. Choline as a nutrient is a double-edged sword. Whilst we are grateful to Mother Nature for giving us choline through eggs, we don’t want too much of it. No, we don’t. Because excess choline does get converted by gut bacteria to TMAO (Trimethylamine-N-oxide). TMAO is a metabolite of choline when the trimethylamines are oxdized. TMAO raises our heart disease risk. Certainly excess TMAO raises our heart disease risk. So whilst choline is good for us, excess consumption of choline increases TMAO levels which is bad news for the heart.
So, should you eat 4 eggs a day?
Probably not. You can eat 4 eggs in one eating session if you don’t do it as a daily habit.
I don’t eat eggs often but I normally will eat 2 eggs when I want to. There have been times when I ate 3 eggs in one day but that’s not a problem because I don’t do that often.
Body builders may eat 4 eggs daily to meet up with the increased protein demand. A safer bet is to eat 4 egg whites per day if you are keen to keeping the egg habit up. Egg whites have albumin which is a protein and eating egg whites only means you don’t have to worry about cholesterol issues. The cholesterol is in the egg yolk. Skip the egg yolk and you can eat 6 eggs a day if you want. A very safe bet.
As a lot of my YouTube subscribers have high blood pressure and high cholesterol problems, my advice is for them to avoid eating 4 eggs daily. Doing so will elevate their risk of heart disease even more.
Don’t let the dose make the poison for you. Eggs are good for you. Having 4 eggs a day may make the poison for you. My view.
Share your opinion below if it’s okay with you.
So, let’s weep up a smoothie that lowers cholesterol on this page.
Using a cholesterol lowering smoothie is a nice way to use diet as a fighting weapon for high cholesterol problems. You need to lower your LDL-cholesterol, the so-called ‘bad cholesterol’ to protect your heart.
If your LDL-cholesterol is raised, your Total cholesterol will be raised too.
So, if you reduce your LDL-cholesterol level, you reduce your total cholesterol which is something we all want.
This cholesterol lowering smoothie recipe will be oat-based. One reason is; oats do contain a nice soluble fiber called beta-glucan.
You need soluble fiber like beta glucan in foods to help you deal with cholesterol problems.
Soluble fiber in foods helps form a gel with the aid of water. This gel acts as a cholesterol mop. It binds to the cholesterol delivered to the bowel from the liver, mops it up and escorts the cholesterol out with our faeces.
For this oats smoothie for cholesterol reduction, we’ll be getting a whopping 13 gm of soluble fiber. Not bad!
So, what do we need for this cholesterol reducing smoothie recipe?
Ingredients:
Rolled Oats x quarter cup
Ground flaxseeds x 5 tbs (50 gm)
Strawberries x 200 gm (8 good size strawberries)
Mango x three-quarter of a big mango
Oat milk x half a cup
How To Make the Oats Cholesterol Lowering Smoothie
This is as simple as it gets.
Pour in the rolled oats, and the ground flaxseeds into the Nutribullet cup.
Add the strawberries into the cup. Then add the sliced mango pieces.
Now pour in the oat milk and blitz the content in the Nutribullet container.
You can add more oat milk if the smoothie turns out to be too thick.
Make it to the consistency you are happy with.
Now enjoy your cholesterol busting smoothie. Have it about 4 times a week along with good exercise and you will see your bad cholesterol begin to decline.
**Something else and very important too**
When you consume this smoothie, please ensure you drink enough water throughout the day. This smoothie requires good enough water consumption to have it well optimized.
Do let me know how you get on with the smoothie, if you can, through the comment section below
I was someone who used to hoover up spirulina at least about 3 times a week. You really cannot blame me.
It was one of those superfoods that blitzed into our lives. After all, I wanted to be healthy. I was seeking good health.
Show me a superfood with nice health benefits and I will be all over it like a rash.
Spirulina was one of those foods just like dried purple laver (Nori). I used it because it’s an algae food.
At the time, I was strictly vegan and I wasn’t using any vitamin B12 supplements. But my dalliance with spirulina came to an end when I found out a shocking truth regarding spirulina and vitamin B12.
Why did my relationship with spirulina end?
Keep reading to find out…
Old thinking
Plant sources of Vitamin B12 are rare. Quite rare.
Spirulina was one of those foods that was considered a viable plant source of Vitamin B12.
That was old thinking.
The thing about science and nutrition is that the landscape keeps changing.
And that’s a good thing.
What was true yesterday will not be considered true today. And that’s because research does uncover new grounds, new discoveries.
You have to be prepared to change your position as science evolves around you. Otherwise you’ll be left behind.
Sometimes with devastating consequences.
And that’s the case with spirulina and vitamin B12.
New thinking about Spirulina and Vitamin B12
Spirulina is not a good source of vitamin B12. Period.
Yes, it is true that spirulina does contain vitamin B12. But recent research has shown that the vitamin B12 in spirulina is not the genuine vitamin B12.
The vitamin B12 in spirulina is a pseudovitamin. Pseudovitamin B12 is the B12 in spirulina. This is not the real vitamin B12. This is a vitamin B12 analogue.
Some people will describe the vitamin B12 in spirulina as a fake vitamin B12. “Fake” is a strong word to use but it sort of fits the descriptive purpose of spirulina vitamin B12.
What is wrong with the vitamin B12 in spirulina?
Here’s what’s wrong with the vitamin B12 in spirulina. The pseudovitamin B12 in spirulina is a competitor to the real vitamin B12.
It will compete for the receptor sites with the real vitamin B12. And that competition happens at the level of the small intestine meaning the real vitamin B12 will not get absorbed into the bloodstream.
Because the pesudovitamin B12 will take up the receptor sites responsible for transporting the real vitamin b12 from the small intestine into the bloodstream.
The reason for this competition is the pseudovitamin B12 in spirulina being an analogue means the structure of both the pesudovitamin B12 and the real vitamin B12 are similar.
The competition for receptor sites doesn’t end there. Even in target sites in tissues where vitamin B12 is needed, there will still be competition between the two vitamin B12 molecules.
What are the consequences of using spirulina for your vitamin B12 needs?
Competition between the pseudovitamin B12 in spirulina and the real vitamin B12 means you’ll end up with vitamin B12 deficiency.
What if I take vitamin B12 supplements along with my spirulina?
Taking vitamin B12 with your spirulina will be a complete waste of time and money.
Because the pseudo-vitamin B12 in spirulina will still compete with vitamin B12 in your supplement for receptor sites.
That will reduce the bioavailability of the vitamin B12 from your supplements.
You’ll still end up with all the consequences of vitamin B12 deficiency.
Don’t forget vitamin B12 from really good sources is poorly absorbed anyway.
Only a small percentage of the vitamin B12 that we consume is absorbed. Taking a food that provides a competitor for the genuine vitamin B12 will simply make the already precarious situation worse.
Why won’t the vitamin B12 in spirulina do the work of the real vitamin B12?
Well despite the similarity of the structures of the pseudovitamin B12 in spirulina and the real vitamin B12, the pseudovitamin B12 in spirulina is not effective in humans.
Hence, it does not perform the same functions in the human body as the real vitamin B12 from animal sources or supplements.
Bottom line is:
You should stop using spirulina as a food product forthwith unless of course you’d like to have the consequences of vitamin B12 deficiency.
Consequences like megaloblastic anaemia, significant neurological effects like degeneration of your spinal cord (which may be irreversible), psychiatric effects, cardiovascular effects like heart attacks and strokes etc.
As for spirulina, it is best left on the shelf, folks. Don’t bother with it.
Get your vitamin B12 either from animal sources or from vitamin B12 supplements.
Those sources are your best bet as far as fulfilling your Vitamin B12 needs.
Enjoyed this article? Say something below in the comments section
Colon cancer is the 3rd most common cancer in the US and it’s the 4th most common in the UK.
So, being so high up in the cancer leader board means taking steps to reduce your risk of developing colorectal cancer can only be a good thing.
In this article you are going to get 7 ways to lower your colon cancer risk.
Is colon cancer preventable?
The answer to that question is; yes it is. Colon cancer is preventable. In fact, of all the cancers that afflict the human race, colorectal cancer is one of the most preventable cancers out there.
The reason colon cancer is quite preventable is because of the nature of its beginnings.
Most colon cancers usually start of as little growths (what we call polyps) on the inner lining of the large bowel (colon).
And that’s a good thing because if you catch the growth early enough, you can prevent the polyp from becoming cancerous.
So, how can I prevent colon cancer or colorectal cancer?
I will give you 7 steps you can employ to reduce your risk of developing colon cancer. And the good news is that the steps are not that hard.
The measures to reduce colorectal cancer risks are simple strategies. It just takes a little effort and dedication on your part.
Let’s go…
Colon cancer prevention strategy #1
Screening – By far the best thing you can do to prevent colorectal cancer is screening.
You need to submit yourself to the screening available in your locality.
Screening for colorectal cancer comes in 2 forms:
Non-invasive
Invasive
By invasiveness we mean the degree to which a test intrudes your biological being.
How a test invades your physical body. Any test that requires medical instruments being inserted inside your body in one form or another is an invasive test.
On the other hand any test where the diagnostic instrument does not involve insertion of a medical instrument is a non-invasive test.
So, submitting urine for testing, for instance, is non-invasive because you simply pee into a pot and you hand it over to the Nurse and your test is processed.
But if you have to undergo say, laparoscopy (key hole investigative operation), that is an invasive test because an instrument is being inserted into your body cavity.
Anyway back to the screening tests for colon cancer.
Non-invasive colon cancer screening tests:
1. Stool test – simply submit your stool for lab testing. If it is negative for occult blood, you are fine. If it is positive, further testing will be required.
2. Virtual Colonography – also called CT Colonoscopy. This is a simple test where you have a CT scan of your colon and any polyps seen will require further investigation. It is very important that your bowel is well prepared for this test to avoid false positives. This means your bowel must be thoroughly cleansed prior to the procedure being undertaken.
Invasive colon cancer screening tests:
When any of the non-invasive tests are performed and are positive, this will usually lead to invasive testing.
I refer to the non-invasive tests as testing for further testing. A positive non-invasive test should trigger further testing by invasive test.
What are the invasive screening tests for colon cancer?
Flexible Sigmoidoscopy – a flexible instrument called sigmoidoscope is inserted into your lower bowel through the anus and that area up to the upper part of the lower colon is thoroughly inspected.
If any polyps are seen, they are resected.
Colonoscopy – this is similar to the flexible sigmoidoscopy but in colonoscopy, the entire colon is inspected from the anus to the earlier part of the large bowel (colon).
See video below on this page for description.
As usual, any polyps seen during the inspection are resected. Any resected polyp is sent to the lab for testing to exclude cancer in the lesion.
Why do I say screening is the best thing you can do to prevent colon cancer?
It is because cancers of the colon start off as small polyps and they are usually benign at the beginning. They gradually turn cancerous over time.
However, the progression from benign to cancer is not immediate. There is a progression scale. And this is from benign to precancerous before becoming cancerous.
So, to prevent colon cancer is to catch them at the stage before they become cancerous. Because once you resect the polyps at that stage, they stand no chance of becoming cancerous.
You have resected a potentially cancerous polyp. End of story.
Catching them early is key to survival.
And the only way to catch them early is to screen early. Opinion is divided as to what age screening should start.
Some countries start screening at the age of 55. Some others 50.
The US Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) recommends screening from 50 up to age 75. Beyond 75, that would have to be a decision between your doctor and yourself.
In the UK, the screening age appears to be 55 according to the NHS website.
However I know one or two people who are 55 and over and are yet to be invited for colon cancer screening test in the UK. There’s probably some sort of Post Code lottery involved.
Will it be more beneficial to screen people for bowel cancer before their 50th birthday?
Yes, there’s certainly an argument for that. This study from Austria seems to suggest that bringing the screening age down to 40 is a good idea, at least for men anyway.
Because the ‘Number Needed to Screen’ and detect Advanced Adenomas (precancerous changes) among men aged 40 to 49 years was similar to that of women aged 50 to 59 years.
So, bringing down the screening age for men to 40 was beneficial. It remains for the Health Authorities to listen and pay attention to this important finding in the study involving 44,350 participants.
Are you beginning to see the importance of screening in whatever form as being the best colorectal cancer preventative strategy out there?
Colon cancer prevention strategy #2
Use of daily low-dose Aspirin.
Aspirin is a blood thinning agent. It is usually prescribed as a daily pill to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease.
Some studies suggest that in individuals who are at risk of cardiovascular disease, using a low-dose aspirin daily reduces their risk of developing colorectal cancer.
However, not everyone qualifies for this. The age group 50 – 59 are best suited for the use of aspirin for prevention of colon cancer.
This is the age group that the US Preventive Services Task Force feels the benefits of taking daily low-dose aspirin (also called baby aspirin) outweighs the risk.
Users of daily dose aspirin for colon cancer must however commit to taking it daily and for 10 continuous years to see the benefits.
Some research like this one suggests that aspirin use prevents cancer more in the proximal colon (the earlier part of the colon) than the later part which is the rectal area.
The importance of aspirin use in colo-rectal cancer prevention goes beyond primary prevention.
Aspirin is also useful for secondary prevention of colorectal cancer. This research concludes that regular daily aspirin use is associated with lower risk of recurrence of the cancer and a lower risk of dying from the cancer.
Have a conversation with your doctor to see if you’ll be a suitable candidate for daily aspirin use.
Colon Cancer prevention strategy #3
Eat a high fiber diet
Fiber is generally good for your health and that includes prevention of colorectal cancer. Having a high fiber diet prevents constipation. Moving your bowel regularly is a cleansing action in itself.
Nitrosamines are carcinogenic. The longer toxins like nitrosamines hang around your large bowel in particular, the distal part of the large bowel (colon) the higher the likelihood of harm.
So, getting rid of toxins in your stool regularly will potentially prevent nitrosamines and other toxins from inducing cell changes that can lead to polyps and cancers later on.
One way to do achieve regular bowel movement is by eating a high fiber diet. This study supports the view that a high fiber diet reduces the incidence of colorectal cancer in the later part of the bowel.
Colon cancer prevention strategy #4
Avoiding processed meat and red meat
If you cannot avoid processed meat and red neat, you should at least reduce your consumption of both. Processed meat in particular is usually impregnated with nitrates to preserve the meat and to enhance their flavour.
In the presence of the heme factor in processed meats like salami, bacon, chorizos, sausages, hot dogs etc and red meat too, there’s an upregulation of the nitrosamines produced from these animal products.
The net result is an avalanche of nitrosamines in the colon. This is potentially carcinogenic.
Best avoided. If you can’t, you must reduce your consumption of processed or red meat to less than 50 gm per day or at worst 70 gm per day
Harm is more likely if you exceed that threshold.
Colon cancer prevention strategy #5
Avoid tobacco
Is there any cancer that tobacco has not been implicated in?
This is just sensible advice. Tobacco does you no good and using tobacco does not certainly do you any good in colon cancer prevention. Avoid!
Colon cancer prevention strategy #6
Limit consumption of alcohol
I know you love your drink. Excessive alcohol consumption is bad news all round.
How about you limit your drinking to less than moderate levels.
Doing so will reduce or lower your colon cancer risk amongst other benefits.
Going teetotal is even better.
Colon cancer prevention strategy #7
Regular exercise.
The concept of doing 150 minutes of moderate intensity exercise per week is one way of reducing your colorectal cancer risk.
Or doing 75 minutes of vigorous exercise.
Either way you’ll be doing your health a whole bunch of good including reducing your risk of colon cancer.
If anything, regular exercise will keep your weight in check. Lean body mass will be preserved. Excess body fat is a cancer risk all round.
Hopefully you got some benefit from reading this piece.
Leave your comments below if you can. Remember to get yourself screened. The best thing you can do to help yourself prevent colorectal cancer.
The contents of the site are for informational, educational and entertainment purposes only. The content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read on this website!
Dr. Joe