Lime juice for Uses and benefits

Limes are very similar to lemons, but are slightly smaller, green, and can be either sweet or sour (although sweet limes are not easy to acquire in the USA).

Traditionally, they were used by British sailors to stave off scurvy (hence the historical slang term "limeys" meaning someone from Britain) due to their high levels of vitamin C.

In addition to staving off scurvy, lime juice has been proven very helpful in getting rid of kidney stones in their early stages. By drinking a glass of lime juice each day, you increase the level of citrate in your urine, which helps to prevent the formation of calcium crystals that result in kidney stones.

One cup of lime juice provides over 45% of your daily requirement for vitamin C - and it's a wonderfully versatile food. The juice can be used to bring out the flavor of fish, can provide a wonderful zest to rice, or can be used as a light salad dressing. Here are some suggested recipes.

Food:

Squeeze lime juice onto avocado. Delicious, easy, and very healthy.

Combine lime rind, lime juice, olive oil, chili powder, garlic powder, and onion powder and mix. Cut some potatoes into wedge shapes, and coat them in the mixture. Bake the wedges for around 25 minutes at 425 F. Remove, sprinkle with cheese, and bake for a further 10 minutes. Serve with sour cream.

Mix the zest of six limes with 2 1/4 cups sugar, to create lime sugar - great for sprinkling on fruit or adding to iced tea.

Whisk together 1/4 cup lime juice and 3 tablespoons olive oil. Add cumin, salt and pepper to taste. Great with carrot, avocado or carrot based salads.

Household:

Brighten hair with a mixture of lime juice and warm water.

Clean coffee pots by scrubbing with lime juice.

Get rid of unwanted odors by grinding a lime into a garbage can or down a garbage disposal tube.

Medicinal:

Drink one glass lime juice each day to get rid of kidney stones in their early stages. (Note, kidney disease can be dangerous, always see a doctor).

Mix lime juice and honey in hot water to soothe sore throats.

Add lime juice to drinking water to help combat excessive thirst