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Lemons Nutrition Facts and Health Benefits

Lemons, with their bright yellow skin and tart, citrusy flavor, have long been revered for their versatility in the kitchen and numerous health benefits, including aiding digestion and boosting the immune system.
Jyothi Shenoy, MD, MBA

Written by Jyothi Shenoy, MD, MBA. Updated on December 23, 2022.

Lemon is a fragrant citrus fruit with a bright and yellow peel, available in different varieties.

The uses for lemons are numerous. Its versatile flavor and pleasant aroma make it a welcome addition to any number of culinary applications, including but not limited to sweet and savory dishes, beverages, and condiments.

Because of its pleasant aroma, it is also included in cosmetics such as soaps, lotions, and perfumes.

Just like oranges, lemon, which contains high vitamin C, acts as a strong source of antioxidants, strengthens immunity, and supports skin health.

Thanks to the flavonoids it contains, it reduces the risk of cancer.

In addition, it helps to prevent anemia, especially in vegan individuals, as it increases iron absorption. It will be beneficial to consume it, especially with iron-rich foods.

Thanks to its citric acid content, it also reduces the risk of kidney stones by preventing the appropriate environment for the formation of kidney stones.

In this article, we discussed in detail what the composition of lemon is and what health benefits it can offer you.

Lemons Quick Nutrition Facts

Here's a quick nutrition overview for 3.5 ounces (100 grams) of lemons:

  • Energy: 29 calories
  • Carbs: 9.32 grams
  • Sugar: 2.5 grams
  • Fiber: 2.8 grams
  • Protein: 1.1 grams
  • Fat: 0.3 grams
  • Saturated Fat: 0.039 grams

Jump to a section where you can learn more about lemons nutrition value, including macronutrients, vitamins, minerals, protein quality, and more.

Health Benefits of Lemons

Thanks to a significant amount of specific vitamins and minerals, lemons could provide several health benefits.

Continue reading to discover the potential benefits of consuming lemons.

They May Support the Collagen Formation

Vitamin C is essential for several critical metabolic processes occurring in the body. It also supports the formation of collagen in the skin and other tissues.

Collagen is a protein that forms the basic structural network of several organs in the body. The primary role of collagen is to strengthen the bones, skin, and blood vessels, thus maintaining the structural integrity of these tissues.

It can reduce or slow down the age-related degenerative changes occurring in these tissues.

Vitamin C can also help in the healing of wounds.

The deficiency of this nutrient can prevent the efficient healing of the damaged tissues, due to which the patient may suffer from chronic inflammatory damage that can lead to cancerous changes.

It can act as an antioxidant. It regulates the metabolism of oxygen in the body and reduces the release of molecular compounds known as free radicals, which can otherwise damage the cell membranes.

It can also support the process of iron absorption and play a role in infection-fighting by stimulating the activities of immune cells like lymphocytes.

Vitamin C is also needed for the production of brain chemicals called neurotransmitters.

Lemons Nutrition Facts

Continue reading to find out the following lemons nutrition information:

  • Macronutrients
  • Vitamin Content
  • Mineral Content
  • Amino Acid Profile
  • Fat Breakdown
  • Carbohydrate Breakdown

Macronutrients

Macronutrients, often called macros, are most commonly used term when it comes to eating a healthy diet or losing weight. There are three types of macronutrients: carbohydrates, proteins, and fats.

Macronutrients provide energy to your body and allows it to function properly. The following table contains the information on lemons macronutrients, while reading further will give you a better understanding on each of these macronutrients.

Carbohydrate3% DV9.32 g
Protein2% DV1.1 g
Fat0% DV0.3 g

Vitamin Content

Lemons are excellent source of Vitamin C.

They also contain Vitamin B5 (Pantothenic acid), and Vitamin B6 (Pyroxidine) in a small amount.

Here's the full lemons vitamin content per 100g:

Vitamin A1% DV22 IU
Vitamin C59% DV53 mg
Vitamin D0% DV0 µg
Vitamin B1 (Thiamine)3% DV0.04 mg
Vitamin B2 (Riboflavin)2% DV0.02 mg
Vitamin B3 (Niacin)1% DV0.1 mg
Vitamin B5 (Pantothenic acid)4% DV0.19 mg
Vitamin B6 (Pyroxidine)5% DV0.08 mg
Vitamin B9 (Folate)3% DV11 µg
Vitamin B12 (Cobalamin)0% DV0 µg
Vitamin E1% DV0.15 mg
Vitamin K0% DV0 µg

Mineral Content

Lemons are not an excellent source of any particular vitamin.

However, they contain Copper in a small amount.

Here's the full lemons mineral content per 100g:

Calcium2% DV26 mg
Copper4% DV0.037 mg
Fluoride0% DV0 mg
Iron3% DV0.6 mg
Magnesium2% DV8 mg
Manganese1% DV0.03 mg
Phosphorus1% DV16 mg
Potassium3% DV138 mg
Selenium1% DV0.4 μg
Sodium0% DV2 mg
Zinc1% DV0.06 mg

Protein and Amino Acid Profile

Lemons contain 1.1 g of protein per 100 g, or in other words, lemons provide 3.79 g of protein per 100 kcal.

Similarly to most other plant proteins, protein in lemons contain all nine essential amino acids, however, they are a little bit low in histidine, isoleucine, leucine, lysine, methionine, phenylalanine, threonine, tryptophan, and valine.

Histidine Low0% DV0 g
Isoleucine Low0% DV0 g
Leucine Low0% DV0 g
Lysine Low0% DV0 g
Methionine Low0% DV0 g
Phenylalanine Low0% DV0 g
Threonine Low0% DV0 g
Tryptophan Low0% DV0 g
Valine Low0% DV0 g

Fat Breakdown

Around 9% of the calories in lemons are from fat. Lemons have 0.3 grams or 0% of recommended daily values per 100g.

Saturated fat and trans fat can increase cholesterol levels and increase the heart disease risk.

Lemons fat content mostly consists of healthy unsaturated fats.

According to FDA, dietary cholesterol should be kept below 300 mg per day. Luckily, lemons is cholesterol free.

Lemons do not contain trans fats. Trans fats should be kept as low as possible.

Total Fat0% DV0.3 g
Saturated Fat0% DV0.039 g
Monounsaturated Fatdo not have a %DV0.011 g
Polyunsaturated Fatdo not have a %DV0.089 g
Trans Fatsdo not have a %DV0 g
Cholesterol0% DV0 mg

Carbohydrate Breakdown

129% of the calories in lemons come from carbohydrates.

Carbs in lemons are mostly starch (43%), followed by fiber and sugars.

When it comes to sugars, lemons are relatively low in sugar, containing grams of sugar per 100g.

Lemons are a great source of fiber, and considered as a "high fiber food", as the contain 5.9 grams of fiber per serving.

According to U.S. government's National Labeling and Education Act (NLEA), food must contain 5 grams or more of dietary fiber per serving to be labeled as high fiber food.

Total amount of fiber in 100g of lemons is 2.8.

Total Carbohydrate3% DV9.32 g
Dietary Fiber10% DV2.8 g
Sugars5% DV2.5 g

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