Will lemon water dehydrate you?

by Crystal
(Albuquerque)

Will lemon water dehydrate you more?

RESPONSE:

Lemon water is a mild diuretic (i.e., it makes you pee more.)

Thus, drinking more than 12 to 16 ounces of lemon water per day in place of plain (clean) water could lead to dehydration.

There is nothing that replaces the biological need for plain H20 in the body.

Of course, by plain water, I am referring to water that is filtered of contaminants with nothing else added.

As Dr. Batmanghelidj, author of "Water for Health, for Healing, for Life" writes: "The body needs water—nothing substitutes for water. Coffee, tea, soda, alcohol, and even milk and juices are not the same as water."

In general, for every 8 ounces of lemon water you drink, you should replenish with 8 ounces of plain filtered water.

Compare that to coffee and tea (stronger diuretics), for every 8 ounces of coffee or tea you drink, you should replenish with 12 to 16 ounces of plain water.

Batmanghelidj comments on the misconception many people have that tea, coffee, alcohol, and manufactured beverages can substitute for water:

"It is true that these beverages contain water, but most of them also contain dehydrating substances, such as caffeine. These substances rid the body of the water they are dissolved in, plus additional water from the body's reserves. . . . If you measure your urine volume after the beverage is taken, you will see that you have passed more urine than the volume of the drink."

Thus, even though lemon water does not contain caffeine, it still has a mild diuretic effect and it should not replace one's daily intake of water.