You see them all around you. Girls walk around in Lululemon leggings. Beyonce’s latest album, Lemonade, is blasted from passing cars on the street. Lemon bars are a staple of southern desserts. Lemon wedges are cut up and hung on the edge of your water glass in restaurants. Everywhere you go, it is clear that our society is obsessed with lemons. So, what’s the big deal?

Lemons have crazy amounts of benefits. Drinking warm lemon water has a multitude of benefits such as skin care, nail care, hair care and intestinal care, just to name a few. It is most beneficial to drink it warm because it helps flush out toxins, helps the digestive system and more easily rehydrates the body. It is also best when consumed in the morning or after a workout.

In the morning, drinking a whole glass of diluted lemon juice is very good for you. It helps  to rehydrate the body after a long night of sleep when the body hasn’t had any water for around eight hours. It is best warm because cold water would shock the system. If the water is warm or even just room temperature, it is closer to your internal temperature. As the body hasn’t had to digest anything since it went to bed, the digestive organs have virtually gone to sleep. Having cold water sloshed into them takes more energy to digest than room temperature. Since you haven’t eaten anything yet, there’s not a ready source of energy to digest it so the body feeds on reserves. Room temperature water will aid digestion, detox and absorbs quickly into the body.

Lemon water contains vitamin C as well as potassium, which is a great immune booster that is vital during cold and flu season. It also helps with internal acid levels so it helps those with bad heartburn. The vitamin C in the lemon also encourages collagen production, which leads to healthier skin. One glass of lemon water also contains three grams of protein and only 61 calories. Lemons also have a decent amount of pectin in them, a fiber that helps you feel full longer which means you eat less and leads to weight loss.

To get a good glass of lemon water, juice one whole lemon (or half of one lemon if you’re not used to the acidity yet) into a glass of room temperature water. I recommend a Meyer lemon, which is a very sweet type of lemon- it is believed to be a cross between a normal lemon and an orange. After drinking lemon water, make sure to brush your teeth or drink lots of filtered water after. Lemons can wear down the enamel on your teeth so always make sure you don’t leave lemon on them.