Although you might not have thought much about it, limes nutrition is not to be taken lightly.

For starters, if losing weight is on your list of priorities, a simple morning routine can aid in getting off those unwanted pounds. First thing each morning, drink this mixture on an empty stomach:

8 ounces of warm water, preferably spring water or filtered water

juice of one fresh lime

1-2 teaspoons of raw, organic honey

Although this is not a miracle tonic for weight loss, it can jumpstart your metabolism as well as provide a natural detox for your digestive system. Limes contain the phytochemical limonene that acts as a powerful detoxifier, so there’s no need to spend a lot of money or time on expensive and complicated detox programs when limes are included in your eating plan.

Limes nutrition includes vitamin B6; potassium; flavonoids; folic acid; iron; phosphorous; calcium; more vitamin C than oranges; as well as the outstanding phytochemical limonene.

Limonene has anti-cancer properties and can help increase the level of enzymes that detoxify carcinogens associated with cancers of the mouth, skin, lung, breast, stomach, and colon. The white, spongy inner parts of the lime contain the most limonene, so consuming the whole lime, including the peel, provides the most nutrition and cancer fighting advantages.

Including some of the whole lime in water, tea, or juice gives you the opportunity to enjoy all the beneficial properties of limes’ nutrition, including the added benefit of increasing the absorbability of your drink’s other nutrients up to five times!

I’d like to interject a comment about buying organic. To protect them from bruising during shipping, conventionally grown limes may be waxed. Waxes that might be used are typically plant, insect, animal, or petroleum-based, with carnauba palm being the most common plant-based wax. Other compounds such as ethyl alcohol, or ethanol, are added to the waxes to give the proper consistency; milk casein (a protein linked to milk allergy) is used for film formers; and soaps for flowing agents.

Because you can’t be sure that washing limes will get rid of all potentially harmful substances that could be used in the waxing process, choosing organic limes removes the possibility of ingesting unsafe additives.

In addition to the previously discussed benefits of limes’ nutrition, limes have powerful anti-viral properties and have been administered in cholera outbreaks to kill harmful cholera bacilli. The common cold, as well, can be successfully treated and other infections deterred by drinking equal parts of lime juice and water. A sore throat can be relieved by gargling with lime juice mixed with water.

Lab tests reveal that including limes in your diet can reduce bad cholesterol levels. The studies show that when exposed to limonene, human liver cells produce less LDL (bad cholesterol).

When it’s time for a mid-afternoon break, settling down with a good book and a slice of lime probably didn’t cross your mind before reading this article. However, now you know that limes’ nutrition is such that you might want to add that slice of lime (including peel) to a healthy cup of herbal tea or cold glass of cranberry juice, knowing that by adding lime, the absorbability of the other nutrients in your drink can be increased up to five times.