Most of us discard the lemon peel after they squeeze and get its juice. But do you know that when you throw away lemon peels, you deprive yourself of the numerous health benefits? It is amazing to know that lemon peels are dense in nutritional levels compared to lemons! It contains a high amount of Vitamin C, d-limonene, pectin, alpha-hydroxyl acids and flavonoids, that can benefit our health in a multitude of ways. Let us learn more about the advantages of lemon peels and ways to include it in household remedies, skincare routine, and diet.
Nutritional Composition Of Lemon Peel
A lemon peel is packed with dietary fiber, vitamin C, potassium, AHAs, pectin, bioactive flavonoids like d-limonene and calcium, which offer innumerable health advantages to a person.
A 100 g portion of lemon peel provides following nutrients:
- 135 mg of calcium
- 165 mg of potassium
- 130 mg of vitamin C
- 7 g of fiber
- 165 mg of potassium
A lemon peel is beneficial in maintaining dental hygiene, and promoting skin health, cardiovascular health, and bone health. It helps reduce weight and boost the immune system in the body. In addition to these benefits, you can also use it as a non-toxic cleaner and natural insect repellent and deodorizer.
Health Benefits Of Lemon Peel
Lemon peel brings a broad array of impressive benefits for health, skin, and home. Let us learn about a few here.
1. Detoxifies The Body
Lemon peel is a potent antioxidant. The high concentration of Vitamin C in the peel controls cellular damage. It scavenges toxins or free radicals in the body and prevents cellular damage due to oxidative stress. Removal of damaging toxins clears all the cells and tissues of the body and enhances their performance. By destroying free radicals, lemon peel saves from the development of critical ailments like cancer.
2. Keeps Your Teeth Healthy
Vitamin C deficiency leads to oral issues such as bleeding gums, dental abscesses, oral cavities gingivitis and scurvy. The high amounts of this vitamin in lemon peel makes it beneficial for oral health and maintaining oral hygiene.
If you are suffering from any of these oral issues, you should start drinking lemon peel tea or lemon peel water tea regularly. The effective antibacterial and antimicrobial attributes of lemon peel lower bacteria-induced gum infections.
3. Improves Bone Health
Lemon peel contains a high amount of vitamin C, and calcium that makes it necessary for building bones and skeletal structure. The lemon peel is rich in ascorbic acid that helps manage bone ailments and enhance bone health too. It is packed with antioxidants that help lessen inflammation and assist in the effective management of autoimmune ailments such as rheumatoid arthritis.
4. Helps In Weight Reduction
Lemon peel is an abundant source of bioflavonoids, antioxidants, and several other types of essential minerals, and vitamins. The citric pectin present in the lemon peel shows anti-inflammatory effects that aids in weight reduction and fighting obesity in the body.
Pectin is a soluble fiber that reduces the emptying of the stomach. It curbs appetite and increases satiety in a person. In this way, it helps reduce obesity. Pectin works by increasing the secretion of digestive hormones and enzymes that leads to a reduction in food consumption, body weight, and fat content.
5. Maintains heart health
Lemon peel has flavonoids, pectin and vitamin C, which enhances blood circulation in the body. In this way, it helps manage cardiovascular ailments. The high amounts of potassium in the peel regulates blood pressure in the body.
6. Reduces cholesterol
The d-limonene and pectin are the two important constituents of lemon peel that reduces low-density cholesterol levels in the body. It does it by binding to the cholesterol and reduce cholesterol levels and plasma in the body. This helps regulate cholesterol levels and keeps obesity and diabetes at bay.
7. Shows Anticancer Properties
D-limonene and flavonoids are cancer-fighting substances. The presence of these substances in the lemon peel improves the death rate of mutated cells. It blocks the metastasis cascade and inhibits the mobility of cancer cells in the body. In this way, it is effective in the treatment of gastric cancers and breast cancer.
8. Treat Fungal and Bacterial Infections
A lemon peel possesses effective antibacterial attributes. It stops the development of drug-resistant fungi, and antibiotic-resistant bacteria in the body. Ingestion of lemon peel water and lemon peel tea is effective against the prevention of infections that includes common cold, ear infection, UTI, and flu.
9. Treats Gallbladder stones
D-limonene in the peel works as a solvent of cholesterol in the lemon peel. This makes it effective in dissolving gallstones in the body.
10. Improves Digestion
Lemon zest is a great appetizer. The high amounts of soluble fiber like pectin give the much-needed relief from indigestion, and constipation in the body. When you consume these peels, it stimulates the secretion of bile juices that in turn helps improve the digestive function.
11. Improves Immunity
The high amounts of vitamin C and flavonoids in the lemon peel increase the number of white blood cells in the body. This in turn strengthens the immunity of the body. Due to its powerful detoxification action, it flushes out harmful toxins and lowers tissue damage from the body. As deficiency of vitamin C can lead to a compromised immune system, it is important to add lemon peel into your diet to keep your immunity strong and healthy.
Benefits Of Lemon Peel for Skin
Lemon peels are an effective anti-aging compound that helps fight away the signs of aging in a person. This is due to the high amounts of vitamin C and ascorbic acid in it. Both of these ingredients are potent detoxifiers. They are beneficial for the skin and helps delays aging signs such as wrinkles, blemishes, fine lines and more.
Lemon peel helps prevent pigmentation and acne on the skin. The presence of Vitamin C lightens and brightens the skin and improve your skin complexion too. Vitamin C is a potent antioxidant that stimulates collagen production and helps firm the skin naturally.
Citric acid and Alpha-hydroxy acids treat cellulite and acne on the skin. It rejuvenates the skin and exfoliates the dead skin cells from it. It is also effective in getting rid of sun tan in the body.
How To Use Lemon Peels For Skin?
Lemon peel shows remarkable benefits on the skin. The best way to incorporate it in your skin care regimen is in the form of face scrub, body scrub and face mask.
1. Lemon peel face scrub
This scrub eliminates all the dirt from the skin and brings a natural glow to it.
- five to six lemon peels
- half a cup of sugar, and
- Olive oil
Preparation and application instructions:
- Grind the lemon peels to form a paste.
- Now add sugar in it
- Make your skin wet, and massage this mixture on the skin in circular motions. This action will remove all the dead skin cells from the skin. Be gentle on the skin while you perform the step.
- Rinse it off with fresh water.
- Use it once a week.
2. Lemon Peel Body Scrub
This scrub can be applied to your elbows to make it dry and soft.
- five to six lemon peels
- half a cup of baking powder or powdered sugar
Preparation and application instructions:
- Soak lemon peels in baking power/ sugar.
- Wet the area around the elbows. Gently scrub elbows or any other rough surface of the skin. Wash the skin with water.
- Use it once a week.
3. Lemon Peel Face Mask For Clean Skin
Lemon peel contains alpha-hydroxy acids that effectively exfoliates the skin. This face mask removes dead skin cells, and lightens age spots, or acne from the skin surface. In this way, it makes the skin refreshing, rejuvenated and clean. To prepare the mask, you would need
- a pinch of lemon peel powder
- two tablespoons rice flour
- Cold milk to form a paste
Preparation and application instructions:
- Mix all the ingredients and form a thick paste.
- Wet the skin and spread it uniformly on it.
- After ten minutes, wash your face. Do not leave it on the skin for a long time as it can rob away the natural moisture and oils from the skin.
Note : Do not immediately go in the sun after any of the above lemon peel treatments. This is because the application of lemon makes your skin photosensitive. Wait for some time, and apply a good quality sunscreen lotion to keep your skin protected.
4. Lemon Peel Scrub To Treat Cracked Feet
If you have sore and painful feet, then this scrub will help make it soft and moisturized.
You will need:
- a cup of dried lemon peels
- one tablespoon petroleum jelly
- socks
Preparation and application instructions:
- Grate the lemon peels to form a powder.
- Now add petroleum jelly in it to form a paste.
- Apply it all over the cracked areas of the feet.
- Wear socks and leave it on overnight
- wash the paste with water the next morning
5. Lemon Peel Mask Treat Skin Infections
Lemon possesses potent anti-bacterial and anti-microbial properties that can treat any type of bacterial infection. This is an effective mask that when applied to infected areas on the skin gives quick relief.
- 3 cups of freshly prepared lemon peels
- six to seven cups of water
- Milk/Epsom salt/ olive oil or any essential oil
Preparation and application instructions:
- Take a container and fill it with water. Add lemon peels in it. Bring the water to boil.
- Strain the mixture and discard lemon peels.
- Add milk/olive oil / Epsom salt, or essential oils to it.
- Apply this solution on the infected area on the skin.
- Leave it for half an hour
- Now rinse and moisturize the feet.
Home Benefits Of Lemon Peel
Lemon Peel can make your house fresh and sparkling clean. Let us see some ways to use it:
1. Stain Remover
Lemon peel is a chemical-free solution to make your home stain-free, clean and refreshing. The lemon peel water is rich in powerful disinfectant agents that eliminates stubborn stains, and mineral deposits from any utensil, tiles, floor or any other surface. To make it more effective, add some white vinegar or baking soda in it.
2. Freshens Up The Room
Prepare a citrus-scented jar by adding lemon peel, essential oils, and dried flowers. Place this jar at the central location in your home. It fills the air with refreshing, and scented smell.
3. Repels Insect
Place lemon peels at strategic locations in the house to ward off insects such as mosquitoes, cockroaches, and ants. This is one of the easiest, and natural ways to control pests in your house.
Best Ways To Eat Lemon Peels
The zesty flavor of lemon peels can be enjoyed in so many ways. Here are some of the ways:
- You can grate it and add it to your food, soups, salads, dressings, and flavored yogurt.
- You can also add the grated lemon peel powder to your marinades, pasta, noodles, or use it as a seasoning for the preparation of lemon pepper chicken, and e lemon pepper fish etc.
- The powder of lemon peels can also be consumed in the form of baked products like pie and puddings.
- Have you tried lemon tea? It is very easy to prepare. All you need is to boil some water, and add lemon peel powder to it. To make it more flavorful and nutritious, you can even add a little ginger powder to this healthy beverage.
- Prepare lemon water by adding lemon peel extract in boiled water. Sip this refreshing, energizing and delicious drink throughout the day.
Side Effects Of Using Lemon Peel
There are certain situations when you should avoid consuming lemon peels. If you are suffering from the gallbladder, or kidney stones, or are susceptible to allergies, or are expecting or breastfeeding, then you should not consume lemon peels.
- Large amounts of oxalates in lemon peels can cause the formation of stones on crystallization with minerals like calcium.
- Lemon peels have a high amount of d-limonene that can result in a potential carcinogenic impact on the body.
- Frequent use of lemon peels can be corrosive or harsh on the skin. There is a possibility that it can cause skin dryness and swelling. A lemon peel is highly concentrated with chemical compounds and nutrients that can irritate the skin in some people. A patch test is recommended before you use it on the skin.
So, it is advised to always ask your doctor before incorporating it into your diet.
Frequently Asked Questions about Using Lemon Peel
Here are a few commonly asked questions about the advantages of lemon peel for skin, hair and home.
1. Can I use lemon zest in place of lemon peel?
Yes, you can substitute lemon zest in place of lemon peel. The zest of lemon is a small section of the dried peel. Peels are highly potent and concentrated in flavor. So, you need only smaller amounts in the recipe.
2. Is it possible to store lemon peels for a longer duration?
Yes. You can preserve lemons for a longer time. You can freeze it for a week and grate it. Another way to increase its shelf life. you can dry or bake the peels at 200°F for one minute. You can later crush these dried peels to form a fine powder that can be safely stored inside the refrigerator for one week.
3. What is the permissible amount of lemon peel that you can eat a day?
Lemon peel shows an amazing nutritional profile. As it is very concentrated, you should consume it in moderation. Consuming more than three teaspoons of the peel a day can increase the amounts of oxalates in the body that can lead to gallbladder stones and kidney ailments in the body. So, you need to limit your consumption to three lemon peels a day.
4. How To prepare Lemon Peel Powder?
You can prepare lemon peel powder in two ways. Either you can freeze lemons and then grate them or bake the peels at 200°F (93°C). Now crush the peels to obtain its powder. You can use lemon peels powder in the form of tea, lemon water, marinade items, in your curries, baked foods etc.
5. How can I use lemon peel for cleaning purposes?
Lemon has remarkable properties that effectively cleans the dirt from any surface. All you need is to prepare some boiled lemon peel water and add baking soda or vinegar in it. Your potent natural cleaner is ready.
Conclusion
Lemon peel is commonly used to brighten skin, reduce acne, dissolve kidney stones, and prevent stomach infections and fungal infections. You can add it to your dishes in moderate amounts or use it in a self-care routine in varying ways to reap its benefits.
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