Lemon water and lemon curd magic

Lemony Snicket!

 Daily cup of warm water with lemon… a Miracle Worker?

I don’t like sour. But Dr. Mike of 17-day diet fame advises a glass of warm water spiked with the juice of half a lemon every morning…the minute we get up.

At first this sounded dire… like voodoo… a magic-potion sort of thing straight out of the pages of Lemony Snicket. But in the interests of scientific experimentation, I gave it a shot.

The first morning out, I could barely bring this bothersome brew to my lips. But I managed. Grudgingly, I had to admit… it tasted fine!

But why was it such a key part of the doctor’s meal plan? Skeptical, I dug deeper for info. The verdict seems to be fairly widely acknowledged.

Lemon water’s benefits

1. Boosts your immune system.
2. Helps your blood stay alkaline for optimum functioning. How that happens and why it’s important is explained here.
   
3. Helps with weight loss if you’re overweight  AND with weight gain if you’re under weight. Why? Check out above link.
   
4. Aids digestion, nudging your intestines to move toxins out of your body.
5. Increases urination. Washes bacteria from urinary tract.
6. Decreases wrinkles and acne. Purges toxins from blood for clearer skin.
7. Regulates adrenals to help keep you hydrated and unstressed.

I’ve been drinking lemon water in the morning regularly and it seems to be working. Walking’s no longer a trial. I can slug through snow for an hour every morning without breaking a sweat.  I’m continuing to lose weight, getting closer to my healthy goal nearly every morning. Unfortunately, I still have wrinkles…

Beth, another writer on WordPress, agrees with me about the usefulness of lemon water. A diabetic, she says just one dose and her blood sugars are down all day! How good is that as a measure of lemon’s effectiveness?

Lemon Curd

Lemon curd is a British invention everyone should know about. They have it with scones for tea or with their morning toast. I like it as a topping on fresh berries for added tang. Sometimes I use it as icing on a low-sugar cake or muffin. Best yet is when I mix it half and half with low-fat Greek yogurt and eat it like a pudding or make a parfait with fruit for a fabulous dessert.

If you can find Meyer lemons, buy them. They’re tiny, perfect, juicy fruits… a cross between a lemon and a mandarin orange.

I make my lemon curd with whole eggs, sweetened with stevia to reduce my sugar intake. I find stevia works well in this recipe. See for yourself. Reducing sugar is always a plus.

Whisk over simmering water until it thickens

Lemon Curd

Makes about 2 cups

•     3 eggs
•     1 cup sugar or the equivalent in stevia powder or liquid stevia (Read the label – I’ve used 1/3 cup sugar plus 1/4 teaspoon New Roots stevia powder, carefully dissolved in the lemon juice. To leave out the sugar entirely, use 1/2 teaspoon stevia powder.)
•     1/3 cup fresh lemon juice (about 1 and a half large lemons)
•     1 tablespoon grated lemon zest
•     1/4 cup cold butter  (half a stick, preferably unsalted) or coconut oil

1. Simmer 1-inch of water in a medium pan over low heat. In a medium metal bowl whisk eggs and sugar (if using) for about 2 minutes until smooth. Mix lemon juice with stevia (if using in place of sugar) and zest, then whisk into the eggs.
2. Put the bowl on top of the pan (it should fit snugly, but shouldn’t touch the water). Whisk the mixture constantly, scraping the bottom and sides of the bowl as you stir, until it begins to thicken. It foams and froths for about 5-10 minutes. Then it turns creamy thick in an instant. Remove from heat immediately. DON’T let it boil.
3. Whisk in the butter, one slice at a time. Wait until each piece almost disappears before adding the next. Spoon into a clean glass container and allow to cool with a piece of plastic wrap laid on the surface to prevent a skin from forming.
4. Refrigerate until needed. Lemon curd keeps for 2 to 3 weeks.

After thoughts

1. I have used 30 drops New Roots liquid stevia and 1 tablespoon of sugar. But I’ve also used Stevia Sugar (Truvia) successfully here. And I sometimes use 1 tablespoon maple syrup, instead of the 1 tablespoon of sugar, just for the flavor boost. Then, I call the dish Canadian lemon curd :).
2. For a serving of 1/4 cup: 84 calories, Fat 8.0 grams, Sodium 67.5 mg, Potassium 36.7 mg, Protein 2.4 g, Vitamin A 88.4 RAE, Vitamin C 4.6 mg, Calcium 11.3 mg, Folate 15.8 DFE
3. And if you’re in need of a little light entertainment?  Kids of all ages turn to Lemony Snicket for dire diversions. You may have to read a few of these books, though, to get the most out Lemony’s unfortunate series of events.

Happy Reading!
Happy Eating! 
Have fun on the road to good health 🙂

Layer lemon curd with Greek yogurt (sweetened with stevia) and fruit.