Lemon water is a pretty standard drink ordered at restaurants. Lemons add a little zest to plain H2O, which sets the tone for some great food that’s to be ordered soon after. But, did you know getting lemons in your water could be a dirty little habit? Check out the slides to see why.
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According to this environmental health study done, 70 percent of the lemons collected from 21 restaurants had microbial growths on them. In other words, bacteria were growing on them! Yuck!
The samples were actually retrieved before the water (with the lemon) had been touched. This means that the lemons already had bacteria on it before it was even served. The bacteria could have come from a variety of places, including raw meat contamination. Lemons actually have anti-microbial properties, but certain organisms manage to stay alive on the rind of the lemon.
To prevent any food-borne illnesses, squeeze the lemon juice into your water rather than dumping the whole thing or better yet, don’t get lemons at all. Better safe than sorry!