When life gives you lemons…eat them! Instead of looking at lemons as a garnish for seafood dishes or as the main ingredient for lemonade, take these bright yellow beauties to another level in your diet. They are a superfood packed with vitamins and other great benefits. The juice of a lemon is an easy way to gain these benefits, and you will want to add them to your foods on a daily basis once you realize their power. Here are seven benefits to get you thinking, and eating lemons.

Knock Out Kidney Stones – The juice of lemons will raise the citrate levels in your urine. Incorporating a half-cup a day has been proven in studies to protect the kidneys from calcium build up, which causes kidney stones.

Aids in Weight Loss – Lemons are high in pectin, which is a soluble fiber that aids in weight loss because it helps aid in digestion to quickly eliminate waste. Keep a lemon in the freezer and grate it on top of salads, soups, and other dishes in order to use all of the lemon to get the fiber from the peel and the pulp.

Blood Sugar and Cholesterol – They also contain hesperidin that helps to control blood glucose. A study by the “Journal of Clinical Biochemistry and Nutrition” found that lemons can actually help to protect you if you are in the early stages of diabetes. They also reported that lemons also lowered cholesterol during this study.

Cancer Protection – Limonoids are what give lemons their tart flavor and they are also a powerful antioxidant that extinguishes cancer causing free radicals from the body. A study conducted by the “Journal of Nutrition” reported that limonoids rapidly killed cancer cells while inhibiting the formation of more.

High in Potassium – Most people reach for bananas, grapes, or strawberries when choosing potassium rich fruits. Reach instead for lemons to get a heaping 80 milligrams of this powerful mineral to maintain a healthy nervous system, keep your water balance where it needs to be, and enhance muscle strength.

Liver Protection – Lemons help to break down bile for easy elimination of excess bile. It also regulates oxygen and calcium in the liver, which will help the body’s oxygen levels to stay normal. It is advised drink a cup of warm water with the juice of a lemon first thing in the morning to get the most benefit for the liver.