2. I no longer need coffee and have become a {gasp} morning person.

The zing I get from lemon and honey first thing in the morning has become something I crave, and doesn’t leave me with headaches or the dreaded caffeine comedown. I also have more energy for longer and am quicker to smile in the a.m.

It used to take me at least an hour to open my second eye and stop grunting at people like a cavewoman, but I’m now annoying the people that love me in new and wonderful ways like throwing deep philosophical questions at them as I bound into the kitchen. I’ll need to find a new challenge soon though if I am to keep them on their toes.

Her recipe:

I generally use the juice of half a fresh lemon, and a decent teaspoon of organic, raw unheated honey in a standard mug with freshly boiled water that has cooled a little (but still hot enough to melt the honey). I then add a splash of cold so I can drink immediately in one go to rehydrate me as soon as I wake.

However, it does depend on the lemon and the honey, some lemons are juicier or more sour and some honeys more sweet, so experimenting is important! Also half a lemon may be too intense to start, my family uses a quarter.

I quit coffee about two months ago and now I drink Bragg's apple cider vinegar and honey in water in the morning.  It does improve digestion and keeps me hydrated.

What's your vinegar to water ratio? I never thought to drink vinegar.

Apparently the lemon is important. Do you not like lemon?

Two tablespoons Bragg's / two cups water.

I love lemon. Maybe I'll switch vinegar to night and lemon to morning.

What's the benefit of vinegar?

It's full of probiotics and other helpful bacteria.

Interesting, I didn't realize that. 

Will any vinegar do or does it have to be apple cider vinegar?

How much do you need to drink to have the beneficial effects?

It has to be apple cider, which is fermented.

I don't know what's optimal because there's not a lot of science-backedness but I'm good with one glass per day.

"There are a lot of wild claims about Apple cider vinegar on the Internet."

I don't argue with Hippocrates!

http://lifestyle.iloveindia.com/lounge/benefits-of-apple-cider-vinegar-466.html

Thanks for that link! Looks like you can add it to your warm water lemon honey drink:

Health Benefits of Apple Cider Vinegar  

• Pectin present in the vinegar is a fiber, which assists in lessening harmful cholesterol and monitoring blood pressure.
• The body’s need for calcium supplements especially in old age is well-known for maintaining strong bones. Apple cider vinegar used for marinating fruits, vegetables and meat assists in obtaining calcium from the same. 
• Apple cider vinegar is rich in potassium, whose depletion in the body results in a number of illnesses like hair loss, weak finger nails, brittle teeth, sinusitis and a continuously running nose.
• Potassium present in this vinegar also removes toxic waste from the body.
• The beta-carotene assists in defying damage brought on by free radicals, helping one maintain a firmer skin and thus, a more youthful look.
• Apple cider vinegar is apt for those people who wish to lose weight.
•  Apple cider vinegar comprises malic acid which is useful in combating fungal and bacterial infections. This acid melts uric acid accumulations that form around joints, helping relieve joint pains. The dissolved uric acid is steadily removed from the body.
• It is said that this vinegar is also effective in sicknesses like constipation, headaches, arthritis, weak bones, indigestion, high cholesterol, diarrhea, eczema, sore eyes, chronic fatigue, mild food poisoning, hair loss, high blood pressure, obesity, along with a many other bodily disorders.

How to Consume Apple Cider Vinegar?

There are numerous ways in which you can choose to have the apple cider vinegar. Instead of having a glass of water mixed with lemon juice, one can use a couple tablespoons of apple cider vinegar in water instead. If the taste is too acidic for you, then you can add few drops of honey also. Honey too is considered beneficial for health. Apple cider vinegar is also commonly used for marinating fish, meat and salads.

The article also points out what an unattractive color apple cider vinegar is.

great tips!  i'm totally trying the apple cider vinegar-honey-lemon-water combo.

Please let us know how it goes for you. I want to believe it makes a difference. 

Apple cider vinegar shows up again:

http://pandawhale.com/post/60731/3-hormones-that-interfere-with-weight-loss

The vinegar discussion continues:

http://pandawhale.com/post/61269/vinegar-is-a-fat-burning-waist-shrinking-cholesterol-lowering-superfood

20 reasons to drink lemon water in the morning:

http://pandawhale.com/post/61764/20-reasons-you-should-drink-lemon-water-in-the-morning

I suggested adding two tablespoons of apple cider vinegar, too.

Why does warm honey water with lemon work? 

Well, according to websites thehealthsite.com and Underground Health, there are at least nine major benefits to drinking warm honey lemon water every morning. But I’ll list my favourites here:

Keeps you regular and protects from UTIs

Because this mixture when taken first thing in the morning stimulates the digestive system, as well as hydrating the colon and more, honey lemon water keeps constipation at bay. It also acts as a diuretic, cleansing the urinary tract and ensuring no urinary tract infections. I can certainly verify this one!

Improves digestion

Every part of this drink aids in the digestive process; lemons assist your liver in producing more bile so you can break down complex foods better and use the good stuff from your meals. Honey is antibacterial which protects you from any infections you might have. It also helps with the production of mucus in the stomach, helping to flush out toxins. For this reason, it also assists with healthy weight balance.

Makes you glow with health and beauty

Lemon has many benefits for skin, but it also helps purify the blood as well as aiding in the production of new blood cells that act as cleaning agents. The water and honey create a restorative, antibacterial and collagen boosting powerhouse for your skin too.

If you do anything healthful and helpful every day for a year it will become a habit and something you crave to do for comfort, instead of the less desirable things you are currently doing now... in fact, you simply only need to do 100 unbroken days of practice to make any habit stick in a way that the momentum gained from it will continue indefinitely up until the point you decide to change again, or you become influenced in other ways beyond your awareness and/or self-control:

Choose how to experience ideas, environments, events, services and goods – these are the five manufactured forces of human intention that will define and redefine you.  

And each of us has the agency to decide how much we change throughout our shared and similar arc of birth, life and death ...and in what ways.  And we are always choosing, every day.

Choose wisely...

That's a lot of things to choose. A lot of decisions every day. 

You're already making them...

Satisfied with what you got... or do you want to upgrade?

And if so, just start where you are, at whatever level of improved choice you want... it's all good.

Yeah, I think the key is to keep improving. You have that right on.