The Real Reason You Should Never Put A Lemon In Your Drink
Lifestyle - News
By JORIE MARK AND ANJANA RAJBHANDARY
Drinking water is a great habit for remaining healthy, but more than 50% of Americans don’t drink enough, with many claiming they don’t like the taste. A lemon can give your water a slight citrus taste, in addition to providing vitamin C, but squeezing lemon into your water at home and adding lemon to your drink at a bar are two different things.
When eating out, lemons seem like a low-calorie flavor option, but Toby Amidor, the best-selling author of "The Best 3-Ingredient Cookbook," warns that lemons "can actually lead to pathogenic microorganisms landing in your drink. As fresh lemons may be handled by unwashed hands or sliced on contaminated cutting boards or knives, there is a chance for cross contamination."
Both the lemon rind and the flesh can contain bacteria, made worse if the lemon is handled in a restaurant or bar situation where it may not have been washed properly. A study by the Journal of Environmental Health examined the rind and flesh of 76 lemons at 21 restaurants right after serving them, and found 70% of them had some kind of microbial growth.
As with everything, moderation is key, and drinking a large quantity of lemon water can cause health problems for people prone to heartburn and acid reflux, because it can worsen reflux and GERD symptoms. Likewise, people with sensitive teeth should completely avoid lemon water, as its high levels of citric acid can wear down tooth enamel.