Is Lemonade Good for You? Unveiling the Truth

Ice-cold lemonade on a hot summer's day is a popular drink of choice among Americans. In fact, leading lemonade brands across America sell 100's of millions of dollars of lemonade per year. Lemonade contains nutrients like vitamin C and water, but is lemonade good for you? Keep reading to learn about the potential health benefits or downsides of lemons and lemonade.

What is lemonade?

Lemonade is a sweet drink typically made with water, lemon juice, and added sugar. The sugar in lemonade typically comes from sugarcane, but honey or other sweeteners may be used instead.

Lemonade may be homemade or store-bought and is commonly found in many American restaurants.

Are there any health benefits of lemonade?

Lemonade is a good source of water and typically vitamin C. Let's explore the health benefits of these nutrients.

Vitamin C

According to the National Institutes of Health, the average recommended daily amount of vitamin C for adults over 19 years is 90 mg for men and 75 mg for women.

The average glass contains a significant amount at about 10 mg per glass. However, the NIH recommends fruits and vegetables are the best sources of vitamin C as they contain dietary fiber and other vitamins and minerals that are essential for good health, whereas lemonade lacks these additional nutrients.

Vitamin C is an essential nutrient that is important for several bodily functions:

• Acts as an antioxidant that helps protect the body's cells from free radical damage
• Helps generate collagen, which is vital for skin health maintenance
• Increases iron absorption from plant-based sources of iron
• Supports the immune system

Vitamin C deficiency is uncommon in the U.S.; however, deficiency can lead to scurvy, which may cause:

• Fatigue
• Swollen gums
• Corkscrew hairs
• Petechiae (tiny red or purple spots under the skin caused by bleeding)
• Delayed wound healing
• Joint pain

Although lemons and lemonade offer some vitamin C, if you are consuming a balanced diet, it is typically easy to get enough vitamin C from food without specifically focusing on citrus fruits or citrus lemonade.

Hydration

The Institute of Medicine recommends an adequate intake of 3.7 L of water consumption daily for men and 2.7 L for women to prevent dehydration. However, individual fluid needs can vary based on several factors, such as environment and physical activity levels.

Lemonade is made up of mostly water; lemonade may help you meet your daily fluid needs but is not considered the preferred choice to help prevent dehydration by American health authorities due to its high sugar content.

Potential drawbacks of drinking lemonade

Although lemonade is a source of fluids and has some vitamin C, it has some potential drawbacks. Particularly, it is usually high in sugar at roughly 25 grams per cup.

Lemonade may be made with natural sugar like honey; however, no matter what the source of glucose is, it may still impact the body similarly as well, and lemonade does not contain significant amounts of other beneficial nutrients.

The FDA recommends limiting added sugars to less than 10% of calories per day. For instance, in a 2,000-calorie diet, this would be no more than 200 calories or 50 grams of added sugar per day.

High intake of sugar is associated with an increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes and tooth decay.

Type 2 diabetes

There appears to be a link between the consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages (SSB) and the increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes. Further, those with type 2 diabetes appear to have poorer overall health outcomes when consuming large amounts of SSB.

Although there does appear to be a link between SSB and type 2 diabetes, what constitutes large amounts of SSB was not discussed in this study. As well, this is a cross-sectional study, and these types of studies can not determine causation. More in-depth research is needed in this area to explore this association and its significance.

The risk of developing diabetes is based on a number of factors like genetics and overall diet long-term dietary choices, including consumption of SSB.

Current guidelines on SSB from the American Diabetes Association recommend consuming sugary drinks less often for those managing type 2 diabetes.

Tooth decay

Another potential drawback of consuming lemonade is the possible increased risk of tooth decay.

The American Dental Association recognizes the link between sugar consumption and the risk of developing cavities and the impact of sugar on tooth enamel. However, due to the complexity of dental caries, it is difficult to determine the exact nature of this relationship.

Current guidelines from the American Dental Association recommend no more than 10% of energy intake from added sugar, and less than 5% is considered preferred.

How to make homemade lemonade healthier

If you enjoy drinking lemonade but are looking for a healthier option, you can make your own at home. Here are some tips to make a lower-sugar lemonade:

1. Cut the sugar in half. Your lemonade will be less sweet and more tart but will still have a similar taste to lemonade.
2. Remove the added sugar and replace with a sweetener like stevia or monk fruit.
3. Add chopped fruit to your lemonade for more flavor like strawberries and citrus fruits like oranges and lemon. Pairing food or drinks high in added sugar with fiber (like that found in fruit) helps reduce potential blood sugar spikes.

Alternatively, try swapping lemonade for a homemade lemon smoothie. Smoothies have many overall health benefits as they typically contain fiber and other nutrients that may help to lessen the impact of blood sugar spikes. Try this strawberry lemon smoothie:

• 1/2 cup frozen strawberries
• 1/2 cup unsweetened yogurt
• 1–3 tsp fresh lemon juice or lemon juice concentrate
• 1 tbsp honey
• 1/2–3/4 cup of plain water or lemon water
• Optional: add citrus fruits on the rim if you like your smoothie on the sour side

Finally, if you enjoy the taste of lemon but are looking to remove the sugar, try drinking lemon water in place of lemonade.

Final word

Lemonade contains water and vitamin C, which are both important for good health. However, lemonade is typically high in added sugars, and added sugars, particularly from SSB, should be limited, according to the American Diabetes Association.

If you enjoy drinking lemonade, try making your own with less sugar or swapping the sugar for a sugar-free sweetener like stevia or monk fruit, or consider switching to lemon water. Lastly, try swapping lemonade for a smoothie, as smoothies typically have more fiber and add nutrients like protein.