This article has been Fact-Checked by Kendall Kennedy MS, RD, RYT
Fruits are sometimes surprisingly high in calories. Find out whether lime is one of these exceptions and how good they are for weight loss.
Limes are relatively low in calories and provide you with a nice amount of fiber. These things are enough to say that lime is generally helpful for weight loss.
Eating this food will help you feel fuller without eating that much extra energy. In turn, you will likely eat less of other foods that are less helpful for losing weight.
You can also add some lime to water to make your fluid intake just a bit more interesting.
One thing you do want to keep in mind is that just adding lime on top of your current diet is likely not enough to lose weight. You also need to make these other changes in your routine.
Additionally, some people want to limit their lime intake for other reasons.
Calories in lime
Calories are not the only detail of limes that influences whether you lose weight or not but it does offer some valuable information.
100 grams of raw limes contain around 30 calories per 100 grams (1).
Even compared to other weight-loss-friendly fruits, limes are relatively low in calories which is often a good thing.
26 of the calories above come from carbohydrates (10.5 g per 100 grams of which 2.8 g fiber). Limes are not that keto-friendly but you could be able to fit small amounts in this low-carb diet.
So while you definitely want to pay attention to what sources these calories come from, lime already looks relatively good for losing weight in this area.
Micronutrients in lime
The first thing to look at is the amount of micronutrients in lime.
Micronutrients are a group of nutrients your body absolutely needs to survive and thrive. Micronutrients include vitamins and minerals. These are involved in basically every aspect of your health, including weight loss.
100 grams of lime provides you with approximately (1):
- Vitamin C: 48% of the DV (Daily Value)
- Calcium: 3% of the DV
- Iron: 3% of the DV
- Potassium: 3% of the DV
- Copper: 3% of the DV
And some other vitamins and minerals in smaller amounts. Lime is not the food of choice if you want high amounts of a wide variety of vitamins and minerals. Only the amount of vitamin C in lime is really worth talking about.
Lime also contains antioxidants, substances that can help your body deal with oxidative stress.
Fiber in lime for weight loss
Another very important factor for weight loss is the amount of fiber in your food.
Lime contains around 2.8 grams of fiber per 100 grams (1).
That’s a good amount of fiber per 100 grams and this is a good thing.
Fiber has multiple benefits for weight loss. First of all, it feeds your microbiome, the microbes that live in your intestines. The health of your microbiome influences your body’s health and weight. Feeding it well is usually not a bad idea.
Fiber also helps you feel less hungry without adding a lot of calories to your diet. Hunger and cravings can be a big pitfall for people trying to lose weight, so avoiding this is a big plus.
With the amount of fiber in lime you can reduce the time you spend craving for food.
Will lime help you lose weight?
By now it should be clear that lime is relatively low in calories and contains a nice amount of fiber. This combination makes it so lime will often help you lose weight if you approach it right.
Most people will automatically eat less of other foods that are less helpful for losing weight by consuming more lime.
They could also help you hit your daily water goals by adding some flavor. This is typically helpful for weight loss too.
One thing you do want to keep in mind is that just adding limes on top of your diet without changing anything else will typically not lead to weight loss and theoretically even a tiny amount of weight gain.
Additionally, you want to make sure you consume enough of other important nutrients like protein too. Lime will not really help you with this.
Can you eat lime every day?
For most people eating a small amount of lime every day is not bad. Variety in your diet is generally a good principle. Limes are also not very nutrient-dense so you want to eat enough of other foods for good health.
That being said eating too many limes can cause negative side effects. First of all, if you are allergic to citrus fruits you should avoid limes.
Because of its acidity, some people may also experience acid reflux from eating limes.
The acid in limes can also erode tooth enamel (2). To keep your teeth healthy you can rinse your mouth with plain water after eating limes and drinking lime juice.
Does lime help burn belly fat?
Targetting fat loss in a specific area like your belly is generally not possible. Not by eating more of a specific food or by doing a specific exercise. To lose belly fat you have to lose weight overall.
Since limes can help you lose weight in general they can also help you lose belly fat once your body wants to lose fat in that area.
Is lemon or lime better for weight loss
A popular comparison people wonder about in terms of effectiveness for weight loss is lemons vs limes.
The conclusion is very simple. They are about equally effective for weight loss. They contain almost exactly the same amount of calories, fiber and micronutrients.
Lime isn’t better or worse than lemon in terms of nutrients. Which one is better depends on your personal preference. Both make a great addition to water.
