Lemon Nutrition Facts

Lemons are sour tasting fruit that form part of the citrus family. They are yellow or green in color and both the juice and rind are used in cooking, baking and may also be added to drinks for a zesty flavor.

About 5% of the lemon juice is acid. Its pH is around 2 to 3 and it is what gives lemons their sour taste.

Lemons are believed to have some heath benefits due to their chemical structure and unique flavonoid compounds. Lemons have anti-oxidant properties which are believed to fight off free radicals and cancer cells. According to old housewife's tales and now Ayurvedic medicine, having a cup of hot water with a squeeze of lemon juice has been used to release toxins from the liver.

Most notably, lemons are jam-packed with vitamin C. A mere tablespoon of lemon juice has 7 mg of the vitamin and is considered a source. A half-cup of juice meets 100% of the RDA for vitamin C. One lemon would also contain about 12 grams of carbohydrates, 1 gram of protein and 3 grams of sodium. Lemons contain no fat and around 2g of sugar per fruit.

In a research study, presented at the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology's Annual, 2004 Meeting, the inability to identify the smell of lemons was among the top ten smells that could predict Alzheimer's disease.

Like the other senses, the sense of smell is affected in dementia, but anecdotal evidence suggests that the ability to smell and identify some odors disappears faster than the other senses. The 10-smell odor identification system was founded to be a better predictor of Alzheimer's disease than the brain and memory imaging tests that are used as the standard.

Author: Dimi Ingle
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