4 Surprising Reasons to Drink Hot Water With Lemon Every Morning-Trying to cut coffee out of your morning? A cup of hot water with fresh lemon juice is an ideal alternative that manynutritionists drink every day — and it’s not just because of its tangy flavor! Here are four compelling reasons to make this quick concoction part of your morning ritual.

It helps you detox every day: While lemons may seem quite acidic, they’re a surprisingly good source of an alkaline food that can help balance your body’s pH; internist and doctor of integrative medicine Dr. Frank Lipman is a big proponent of a hot water with lemon habit, since the combination wakes up your liver and flushes out nasty toxins.

It wakes up your digestive tract: This simple yet powerful beverage stimulates your gastrointestinal tract — improving your body’s ability to absorb nutrients all day and helping food pass through your system with ease.

It supports weight loss: Lemon juice contains pectin, a soluble fiber that has been shown to aid in weight-loss struggles. And if you’ve been sipping on a cup of tea loaded with sugar or honey every morning, this beverage will slash calories from your daily diet.

It soothes an upset tummy: When you go to bed on a full stomach, pesky heartburn or a bloated belly can get in the way of your morning. Hot water cleanses your system, while the flavonoids from lemon juice may helpreduce acidity in your stomach.