Gisele Bündchen’s diet has fascinated people ever since her Boston-based chef revealed that she and husband Tom Brady follow a super-restrictive diet to help them look and feel their best. Now she’s sharing a few more tidbits about what she uses to fuel herself.
In a new interview with People, the supermodel says she starts each day by drinking lukewarm water with lemon, followed by a homemade green juice made with whatever she has hanging around in her fridge.
Bündchen isn’t the only celebrity who starts her day with warm water and lemon: Elle Macpherson told the Daily Mail last year that she started drinking the combination after she had a health scare. Miranda Kerr, Gwyneth Paltrow, and Lauren Conrad also say they’re fans of the beverage. In a 2012 blog post, Conrad said it makes her “feel more energized than ever.”
New York–based Jessica Cording, R.D., who drinks the combo first thing in the A.M. herself, tells SELF that the drink is a “gentle way to stimulate digestion in the morning and to get your body used to the idea of being awake.”
The hydration aspect is especially important, Karen Ansel, R.D.N., author of Healthy in a Hurry: Simple, Wholesome Recipes for Every Meal of the Day, tells SELF. “It can be a great way to work in fluids after eight hours overnight without drinking anything,” she says. The acidity in lemon juice also can have a laxative effect like coffee does, but without the caffeine, she says, adding, “If you need something to get things moving, it can be a smart move.”
The lemon can also make the water more palatable if you’re not a “water person,” Alissa Rumsey, M.S., R.D., a spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, tells SELF.
But why are Bündchen and other celebrities specifically into warm water? Gina Keatley, a C.D.N. practicing in New York City, tells SELF that it’s a little easier on your stomach. “By drinking warm water, the body has to do less work to increase the temperature of the water, therefore it leaves the stomach faster,” she explains. “With cold water, it takes energy to heat it to body temperature, thus more calories are used, and there is a delay in it leaving the stomach.” The effect may be small, but mornings need all the help they can get. The warm temperature can also provide a gentle laxative effect, Ansel says.
As for the claims that warm lemon water helps people feel energized, Rumsey says there may be some truth to that. “Being well hydrated will help your energy levels,” she says. However, she adds, you’re likely to get the same feeling from drinking plain old water too.
Ansel agrees. “Being dehydrated can sap your energy,” she says. “If you didn’t drink enough the day before, starting your day with warm water and lemon can definitely help replace fluids and give you an energy boost.” Other than that, the benefits are probably just psychological, she says, although water with lemon can provide you with around a third of your recommended daily intake of vitamin C, an important nutrient for boosting your immune system.
With that said, lemon water isn’t for everyone: Cording points out that it may cause issues for people who suffer from acid reflux. And if you notice that it’s making your stomach feel off, Keatley says that’s a good sign you should stop drinking it.
Even if lemon water treats your body well, the drink won’t revolutionize your life. Cording says the effect is similar to taking probiotics in that you probably notice it more when it’s gone—but it can make you feel good. “People notice an effect when they travel and don’t have lemon water,” she says. “They don’t feel the same, and that’s what’s missing." It’s gentle, Cording says, but it can have an effect.
Related:
- Here's What Gisele Bündchen and Tom Brady Eat—Yes, It's Ridiculously Strict
- Gisele Bündchen and Tom Brady Have a Seriously Rigorous Diet While On Vacation
- The Truth About Lemon Water and Weight Loss
You may also like: We Took a Ballet Class with Misty Copeland
