The amount of lemon juice needed will depend somewhat on what you’re using the lemon water for. In my particular area (Corpus Christi, Texas) our tap water has a slightly gritty taste due to “hardness” from minerals like calcium, magnesium, etc. so I will make a lemon water solution of about 1 teaspoon of lemon juice (this is about one capful if using bottled juice or a couple of squeezes from half a lemon if using fresh) for each 16 ounces of water. In order to mix it evenly without needing a spoon you can put the lemon juice into the glass first, then add water from the tap. This will take the gritty taste out of the water and make it much more palatable.

Another interesting use for lemon water that I discovered about 15 years ago is that it significantly increases the speed of donating plasma. In some cities you can donate plasma (a component of blood) for extra cash, usually about $20 per session. One of the doctors at the plasma center told me that drinking lots of water with some lemon juice in it would speed up the blood flow because the lemon juice acts to break up fats and grease in the blood while the water increases the overall plasma volume. For this purpose I used a little more lemon juice than in the example above, usually about 1 tablespoon (half an ounce) per 16 ounces of water. This technique significantly sped up the plasmapheresis process and allowed me to finish faster. You can probably use about this same strength, or perhaps slightly more if you can tolerate the taste without adding lots of sugar, if you are using the lemon water for dieting or cleansing types of uses.

Thanks
Bonita