8 Incredible Benefits of Lime for Your Health
Updated: Nov. 03, 2023
It turns out limes are good for more than Key lime pie! Just a squeeze delivers the benefits of lime, including clear skin and a healthy heart.
Boost your immunity
Just one lime contains 19.5 milligrams of vitamin C, which is 20-25% of your recommended daily value. It’s also packed with an abundance of calcium, magnesium, phosphorus and potassium and vitamins A, E and K, all of which are necessary for good health.
Get your daily dose with one of these juicy citrus recipes!
Reduce wrinkles
Vitamin C does more than fight the common cold. It also assists with the production of collagen, a protein that keeps your skin, hair and nails strong. You need collagen to boost your skin’s elasticity and smooth out wrinkles.
The benefits of lime water can help you here. Just squeeze the juice of a lime into a large glass of water. If you want to add a lime slice on your glass, here’s the proper way to cut a lime. Drink every morning when you wake up and you’ll see results in about 3 weeks, according to Livestrong.com.
Improve heart health
In addition to blasting away wrinkles, vitamin C helps protect against coronary heart disease by reducing free radicals’ ability to damage cell walls. The University Health News Daily also notes that lime contains potassium, which lowers blood pressure by releasing some of the tension held by blood vessels.
If you’re looking out for your heart health, be sure to stay away from these 13 foods.
Clear skin
The next time you wake up with an unexpected pimple, turn to limes for help. The juice contains citric acid, which is used in skin care products to initiate skin peeling and regrowth. After washing your face with a mild cleanser, squeeze a bit of lime juice into a dish. Dip a cotton swab in the lime juice and apply a small amount of juice directly on the pimple. Allow the juice to sit for 5-10 minutes, then rinse off completely. When applied every other day, you should see results in a few weeks.
PSA: Be sure to avoid any direct sun exposure while using lime juice on your face. Also, if you have sensitive skin, test the juice on another part of your body before applying on your face.
Reduce inflammation
The citric acid in limes can help those suffering from arthritis. As Meenakshi Nagdeve, director of organicfacts.net, notes, some types of arthritis are caused by a build-up of uric acid. This build-up, which is usually flushed out by the kidneys, causes painful swelling and inflammation in joints. But citric acid is able to dissolve uric acid, thus reducing joint swelling.
The vitamin C and antioxidants in limes are also anti-inflammatories that reduce swelling in joints and around the body, according to arthritis.org.
Fight foodborne illnesses
A 2017 study found that citrus, taken either alone or with antibiotics, helped protect the body from Helicobacter pylori, a bacteria that causes stomach ulcers and cancer, as well as Salmonella poisoning. Another study found that adding lime juice to food and sauces killed the bacteria Vibrio cholerae, which causes cholera.
Keep anemia at bay
Plagued by fatigue and lightheadedness? You might have anemia to blame. One type of anemia is caused by an iron deficiency that reduces the amount of hemoglobin in red blood cells, the substance that allows the cells to carry oxygen around the body. But a lime’s vitamin C boosts the body’s ability to absorb iron, increasing hemoglobin and alleviating the symptoms of anemia.
Help regulate blood sugar
Limes contain the soluble fiber pectin, which slows digestion. By slowing down digestion, the body is able to take its time absorbing carbohydrates, preventing blood sugar from spiking.
Next, read all about another kind of lime—black limes.
Originally Published: February 19, 2019
