One of the most popular detox diets today is the Master Cleanse Diet. It has even received attention from some celebrities who say they have used it to detox their bodies and lose weight quickly.
What is the Master Cleanse Diet?
The master cleanse diet is a detoxification diet during which dieters drink only a “lemonade” mixture made from fresh lemon juice, maple syrup, cayenne pepper and water. You will drink approximately 12 glasses of this lemonade daily.
In addition, dieters take a daily laxative or do a daily salt water flush to eliminate the bowels.
What Are The Objectives of The Master Cleanse Diet?
The master cleanse diet is said to rid the body of toxins in the colon. The cayenne pepper is specifically added to flush mucous from the system, and the maple syrup is there to provide energy, since you are not eating any real food.
The lemonade part of the master cleanse diet lasts for at least 10 days, during which most dieters lose at least 10 pounds. Some dieters will continue for 14 days, and some for even longer, when the cleanse is related to disease.
Most experts don’t recommend going for more than 14 days on the lemonade portion itself.
Keep Your Lemons In The Fridge
The master cleanse diet offers an “ease in” period of three days that is not mandatory.
During this period, you will eat only fresh fruits and vegetables. While experts on the diet agree that the master cleanse diet can be successful without this ease in period, they do recommend it to help get your body used to less food and to ready your mind for the diet as well.
When doing the master cleanse diet, be sure to store your lemons on the counter. The enzymes in the lemons are dormant when the lemons are cold, and these enzymes should be active when you drink the lemon juice.
Do not mix your lemonade in advance. It is best if you mix it right before you drink it. Drink the lemonade whenever you feel hungry or shaky, and plan to drink around 12 glasses a day to start.
Try To Stick To 12 Glasses of Lemonade Per Day
Some people drink as many as 26 glasses of lemonade per day on the master cleanse diet. However, you will lose more weight if you drink closer to 12 glasses.
You will need to use either nighttime laxatives or do a salt-water flush in the mornings. This salt-water flush requires drinking a liter of water with 1-2 teaspoons of non-iodized sea salt added. You drink the entire liter in one sitting, and will have a bowel movement soon after.
Since the purpose of the master cleanse is to cleanse waste from the body, you will take whichever form of laxative method you choose for the entire duration.
At the end of the lemonade portion of the master cleanse diet; there is an “ease out” portion that many dieters choose to complete.
The Final Phases of The Master Cleanse Diet
- On the first day, you will drink orange juice
- On the second day, you can juice other fruits and vegetables and have broth
- On the third day, you will eat raw fruits and vegetables
- On the fourth day, you can go back to your regular diet, but should remember that you will feel full on far less food now.
Many people have reported significant weight loss in just a few days with the Master Cleanse, or Lemon Detox diet. It has been pretty popular in Hollywood.
However, it is not designed to help you lose weight, but rather to help you detoxify one or two times a year. So, it shouldn’t be used for more than a few days or for more than that purpose. Following the diet for long (if you even could) would make you feel awful and would certainly result in you losing lean muscle mass.
However, it can be a great way to get rid of toxins before you start a more reasonable weight loss diet, and it might even help you lose more weight on the weight loss diet. Sometimes the buildup of toxins in our systems, and particularly the backup in our colon can cause bloat that makes us feel bad, carry excess weight and look bloated around the abdomen. This sort of diet could definitely help with that.