# Lemon Juice and Tea?



## Heather1973 (Oct 1, 2013)

Not sure if anybody else has experienced this, but here goes. Sorry if gross or TMI...

Both at breakfast and lunch today I had tea with lots if fresh lemon juice in it.

Then this afternoon my brother and I were using the treadmills in his apartment complex' s little exercise room when the usual sudden urge struck. I hopped off my treadmill and stood over in the corner and I quickly began to have a BM in my diaper. It felt different going, it was actually a little tough for my body to push the movement into my protection. I was wearing stretchy yoga pants that had previously disguised my slim fitting disposable undergarment at least somewhat (we're the only two that use the room and my brother knows I wear them and I don't really yorry about him seeing it).

But after I had my BM, I looked in the mirrored wall and I swear I actually had a large visible bulge! I had brought a couple of diapers and wipes with me in my gym bag and when I was changing and I was rolling the poop up inside the used diaper for the garbage I couldn't believe how FIRM it was. And I felt less bloating it seems...

Maybe it is the lemon??? Will try tomorrow to see if it helps again!


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## IndianRopeTrick (Jul 25, 2013)

make a food diary. try to repeat this and see if it causes the same problem.

Good luck.


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## Heather1973 (Oct 1, 2013)

That's a great idea...I've started one in a notebook. I've tried the lemon tea at every meal so far today and it seems to help - I didn't have my usual morning BM and my bloating seems less.


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## skip1000 (Jun 5, 2010)

Although lemon starts off as being pretty acidic (which can help stomach digestion if stomach has low acids), it is also highly alkalizing, which means once digested, it becomes very alkaline. Alkaline minerals are the key ingredients in producing intestinal enzymes (which is important for intestinal digestion and helps with firming stools). However, the lemon juice still has to first be digested to become alkaline. I have blogged lots of info on this:

http://www.ibsgroup.org/forums/topic/159556-after-decades-of-ibs-d-i-am-finally-ibs-d-free/

it could be the alkalizing effects that you are experiencing, if lemon is what is causing the change in your BM.

I believe some teas (eg. green) are also alkalizing (although I can't say that for any really low quality teas that leaves an acidic aftertaste. one site shows that black tea is acidifying).


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## Heather1973 (Oct 1, 2013)

Thanks skip1000! Interesting reading, some foods that I thought were acidic are actually alkaline.

For the first time in ages, I didn't have a BM at all yesterday!


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## skip1000 (Jun 5, 2010)

well considering your condition, missing a BM might be ok. Ultimately, you want to have just normal BM every day. Otherwise, it could become something like IBS-A, which is also not pleasant.

Just document what foods bother you now and what don't. Try to understand the interactions between the foods and your body. If you can find the root cause and effect, you'll find your answer as well. As you get better, you can slowly introduce more foods into your diet and again do your analysis. The equation is often pretty complex, kind of like solving a chicken or the egg problem. Basically, you need enzymes to digest your food properly so the stool could be formed properly. To get the enzymes, you'll need to eat alkalizing foods that help you produce the enzymes. However, if you can't properly digest the foods, then how can you accumulate enough alkaline minerals to help the body produce more enzymes?

Note that not all alkalizing foods work for everyone. I can take the juice of about 1/2 lemon in water for a drink and feel great, but I can't drink too many glasses of OJ or eat too many oranges, esp. when the oranges are sour. This leads me to think that not all components of an orange, esp. the extra sour ones, alkalize properly in my body. Also, I truly believe that tomato sauces are acidifying. I never feel too good (feel drained) when I eat too much tomato based pasta sauces. This is why it is important to document your experience when you try different foods, and then try to understand the properties of the foods you eat. When you identify the properties of different foods, you can make the correlation between how you feel and what you believe is in the food's properties.

Good luck on your journey to better digestion!


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## sanjeev (Nov 6, 2013)

Hello Heather,

You can read about my experience with lemon juice and see if you want to try it for yourself!

http://www.ibsgroup.org/forums/topic/167787-fresh-lemon-juice-has-helped-me/


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