Versatile ingredient in the kitchen, the lemon is a citrus fruit, considered a hybrid between cedar and orange, which is never missing from the shopping list.
Let’s find out the nutritional properties that distinguish it, to better understand how to use it and what it is right to pay attention to. The juice made from lemon it is made up of water for about 90%; low in sugar and totally fat-free, it has a low energy intake and can therefore work very well as a low-calorie supplement.
On the other hand, however, it is very rich in Vitamin C and provides a good dose of potassium with the presence of phosphorus and calcium. Another component of lemon is citric acid which, together with vitamin C, makes it very useful for absorbing the iron contained in food and is often recommended, especially in the case of anemia, to take it freshly squeezed onto vegetables and fruit.
At the same time, however, the presence of citric acid requires a little attention if you consume lightly diluted lemon juice.
Despite having so many digestive propertiesdue to its strong acidity, lemon is contraindicated in cases such as reflux and gastritis and in order not to damage the tooth enamel, when drinking it, it is advisable to use a straw.
Attention! In order to use the lemon zest in the kitchen or consume it in slices, it is important to read the labels and make sure that it is an organic and untreated product.
Furthermore, the lemon peel is rich in nutritional properties exactly as much as the pulp but in addition it contains limonene, the molecule which is recognized as having good anti-inflammatory properties and which helps to give the citrus its unmistakable scent.
The lemonade it is also one of the components of lemon essential oil which is used both in cooking and in cosmetics.
However, it is certainly important to know that some citrus fruits can be dangerous for our health, especially those that come from foreign countries and are treated with chemical preservatives.
Many of the lemon treated contain preservatives which, if ingested, are carcinogenic and toxic to human health. In some cases, the doses allowed in agriculture are not respected, and this allows harmful substances to penetrate up to the citrus pulp and, consequently, also to our body, risking serious damage to the liver and nervous system..