Will lemon water kick me out of ketosis?

#1

Someone told me while doing ketosos, you should drink lemon water to reduce the chance of kidney stones. If I’m having half of a lemon in water, is it likely to get kicked out of ketosis?
The only other carbs in eating is spinach, kale and avocados.

(Larry Lustig) #2

Lemon juice is 8 % carbohydrate. So figure out how much you’re taking in and add it to your daily carbohydrate count.

#3

I doubt it. Juice from one lemon is about 6 g net carbs. If you use quarter lemon in a mug of hot water, it will likely not be a problem. I drink black tea everyday, and a add fresh slices of lemon. It does not kick me out of ketosis. But, the best thing to do is test and see how your body takes it.

(Arlene) #4

Half a lemon in water should have no negative effects, in fact lemons are supposed to be detoxing for the liver. Go for it.

(Leona Allen) #5

Yes I have read in a post that lemon water helps reducing ketosis.

(Vicki Apokis) #6

My naturopath suggested to add a piece of fruit to my water. Her explanation is verbatim below:

“By adding fresh fruit, just 1 piece, to water you alkalise the water as fruit is high in minerals. The body absorbs water better in the presence of minerals. So it is more hydrating.”

Makes sense to me. I don’t use a piece of fruit, but squirt fresh lemon juice into my drink instead.

(Tom) #7

I’d be very interested in reading the papers your naturopath used to come to that conclusion. I’m a big fan of alternative and herbal medicine, but I fail to see how adding lemon juice with an average pH of 2 to a reasonably neutral glass of water (pH around 7) is going to push the pH up into alkaline ranges. If anything, it will lower the pH of the water.

(Larry Lustig) #8

Clearly not citrus, right? Would that not acidulate the water?

(Vicki Apokis) #9

You are correct. My naturopath suggested fruit, and obviously wishing to avoid fruits which are instant sugar hits I use lemon. Basic science was a few decades ago, so I didn’t quite think it through :slight_smile:

I’ll have to follow up with my naturopath.

#10

I’ve heard that fruit isn’t actually that mineral dense, so how would a small amount in water make a different?

(Camille ) #11

My understanding of the lemon water philosophy is that while lemon is acidic, it has an alkalizing effect in the body. However, since the stomach has a pH of 1, as do any contents leaving the stomach for absorption in the intestines, I fail to see how lemon juice can affect the pH of the body. If anyone can explain it please do!

(Lakilya Johnson) #12

I actually see a doctor that guides people into keto via classes and things like that, she said drink water with a teaspoon of lemon a day. For the reason you stated above, to prevent kidney stones

(Vicki Apokis) #13

Jayden, good point. Next time I see my naturopath I will ask her.

(Nick) #14

@TAC3400 You are right to ask that question. After examining the acid/alkaline theory in some depth, and having looked at the scant supporting evidence for it, I can only conclude that it is a pseudoscience fairy-tale based on one or two metabolic misunderstandings and over-simplifications.

I use this acid/alkaline belief as a handy shortcut to judge a clinician’s credibility, just as I use the confusion of ketosis/ketoacidosis as a shortcut to judge a more conventional clinician’s credibility.

The plus side of many naturopaths is that they have open minds compared with conventional pill-pushers; the minus side is that those minds can sometimes get filled with all sorts of bilge sans filtration.

As for the substantive question on lemon juice: I sincerely doubt that lemon water would lead to a significant change in ketosis. Not only is the sugar load minimal and diluted, but it may be mediated by the citric acid (citric acid and ascetic acid have effects in limiting rapid glucose absorption and in enhancing insulin sensitivity - the data are fairly robust for this, but I’m not sure about the mechanism).

(KetoCowboy) #15

“Fairy tale” may be more accurate than you think.

My brother schooled me on ketosis (bless him), but at the same time he tried to take me down the acidity/alkalinity rabbit hole.

He kept insisting that lemon juice and ACV are good for reducing acidity even though they are obviously acidic.

“How can acids have an alkalizing effect?” I kept asking.

“Because they become alkaline in the body,” he replied.

“But how does that work–exactly?”

“It just does. A lot of people say so.”

One of the people who says so is an “expert” in Switzerland named Christopher Vasey. In addition to his expertise on the alchemy behind acids becoming alkaline, he is one of the world’s foremost experts on gnomes, pixies, and elves: http://christophervasey.ch/anglais/books.html

Now that doesn’t disprove what he has to say about lemon juice “becoming alkaline” in the body, but it hardly bolsters my confidence in what he has to say.

(Nick) #16

Ah! Mystery solved! It’s the Amazing Alkalizing Pixie, serving a naturopath near you!

pixie_fairy_by_blehhxp-d3kd9lr.jpg730×1095 87.2 KB

(Jeremiah ) #17

Actually drink about 6 to 7 liters of sparkling water a day partly because I have a soda stream machine but I add at least a Tbs in each so that’s about half a cup of lemon juice concentrate a day and it has 0 carbs. Another good idea for flavoring the water is Bai antioxidant drinks. There flavored with stevia leaf and erythritol so it won’t spike blood sugar levels. I still only put a little in mine because I’m a little paranoid with sweetness and don’t want to have to go back thru the Keto flu.

(Doug) #18

While the supposed magic of things “becoming alkaline in the body” does sound silly, here, there may indeed be something to this deal. The body oxidizes all or almost all the citric acid we consume, as far as I know. The minerals in lemon juice are not metabolized, and pass through the kidneys and out of the body in urine, thus raising the pH of the urine. While lemon juice is indeed acidic, per se, it makes for a net decrease in the amount of acid the kidneys must work on and excrete into the urine. It is the pH of the urine that is raised.

(KetoCowboy) #19

Ah, ty for that explanation.

(Garry (Canada)) #20

I juice 1/2 of a lemon every day (produces aprox 2tbsp juice) and add it along with 2tbsp ACV(Costco Mother Earth brand) to a 500ml water bottle. I drink it everyday. No issues with Keto and it actually tastes fantastic. Very refreshing.