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Can lemon water with cayenne pepper before breakfast burn fat?

Myth

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Can lemon water with cayenne pepper before breakfast burn fat?

Lemon and cayenne pepper drinks have recently been promoted as a type of ‘detox’, and ‘fat burning’ drink that can easily be consumed before breakfast. It claims to that ‘kickstart your metabolism’ and help you lose weight. Sounds too good to be true? I’m afraid it is….

Read on below for the low down on this type of Fad diet..

The science

There is a lack of scientific evidence behind the proposed benefits of lemon water and cayenne peppers for weight loss and overall health. An obvious effect of using lemon water as a replacement for meals is that it is naturally low in energy (kilojoules), because, well, its just water! You will find that in most cases all fad diets will help in weight loss by creating a kilojoule/ calorie deficit. However, replacing food with just lemon water is likely to create nutritional deficiencies, and isn’t really a sustainable option in the long term.

The bottom line

Overall, it appears that lemon and cayenne pepper water isn’t the magic trick to weight loss or a healthy diet! Adding cayenne pepper can help to naturally flavour your recipes, but cutting out meals or food group isn’t a sustainable dietary pattern. If you are worried about any aspect of your health, speak to your GP or seek out a dietitian!

For tips on how to lose weight without FAD diets check this out: https://theconversation.com/health-check-six-tips-for-losing-weight-without-fad-diets-52496.

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What is healthy eating?

Eating healthy is making sure you enjoy a wide variety of foods from each of the five major food groups daily, in the amounts recommended. The five major food groups as recommended by the Australian Guide to Healthy Eating are:

vegetables and legumes/bean
fruit
lean meats and poultry, fish, eggs, tofu, nuts and seeds, legumes/beans
grain (cereal) foods, mostly wholegrain and/or high cereal fibre varieties
milk, yoghurt, cheese and/or alternatives, mostly reduced fat.

Foods are grouped together because they provide similar amounts of key nutrients and eating a variety of foods from the list above helps to promote good health and reduce the risk of disease.

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Why is healthy eating important?

Your HEQ score and personalised feedback report is based on the frequency and variety of healthy core foods you usually eat. This is important because no single food contains all the nutrients we need to stay healthy. Some foods are higher in nutrients than others and people who have a lot of variety in the foods they eat are more likely to be healthy and to stay healthy. In other words, if you can eat a large variety of vegetables as opposed to only 2-3 types of vegetables, the benefits are much greater. This type of diet also helps you to feel better, think better and perform better during your usual daily activities.

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The University of Newcastle Australia