The Lemon Detox Diet


The Lemon Detox Diet

The Lemon Detox Diet, originally known as the Master Cleanse, has developed a cult following as consumers - mostly women - seek a quick weight-loss remedy.But is this master cleanse a master scam? Is this diet healthy for the body? Nutritionist Matt O'Neill says it is a starvation diet, and those that embark on it will gain back the weight, and more, as soon as they start eating. But herbalist Richard Carney says it is an excellent detox that provides fast weight loss and kick-starts a healthier lifestyle.

The lowdown
American naturopath Stanley Burroughs invented the Master Cleanse 60 years ago. It consisted of a cocktail of water, lemon juice, cayenne pepper and maple syrup. The formula was reinvented three years ago as the Lemon Detox Diet, the only difference being that the maple syrup was replaced with Madal Bal syrup, using sap from several species of palms.

During the cleanse, participants drink about eight glasses of this concoction daily for about 10 days. Laxative tea and salt water flushes are also taken. The company says the diet "works to ease and improve toxic and overweight conditions and lets the body cleanse itself naturally while you take a break from solid food".

Sweet or sour?
O'Neill, who conducted a scientific analysis of the diet, concludes: "It strips weight off, but there is a terrible, sinister downside." O'Neill says the diet is extremely low in protein, which results in loss of muscle mass. "Your metabolic rate is going to plummet. Chances are, when you go off the detox you are going to be fatter than when you started," he says.

Nutritionist Rosemary Stanton agrees, as does dietitian Susie Burrell, who says it is "quite dangerous" because it is not supplying the essential daily nutrients. But Carney says the detox is not long enough to cause loss of muscle or protein deficiency. "It's helped my clients achieve quick weight loss and kick-started lifestyle changes." He says his clients also report increased energy and improved digestion. He says the drink is consumed every two hours to ensure the body does not go into starvation mode.


Lemon Detox Diet and Colon Cleanse


Lemon Detox Diet and Colon Cleanse

As with any detox diet, releasing toxins in the body is serious business and should not be taken lightly.

After years of eating an improper diet, the body starts to feel tired and sickly due to the toxins building up in the body. When first starting any detox diet, such as the lemon detox diet, these toxins are being reintroduced into the body and into the colon for elimination. This can make a person very sick at first. This is why it is important to add a colon cleanse along with the lemon detox diet. You need to eliminate the toxic fecal matter as quickly as possible.

Prior to starting the lemon detox diet, it is recommended that you start with the colon cleanse for the first couple of days. This will help clear the colon of some of the toxic fecal matter before it is burdened with the extra toxins coming in from the detox diet.

The colon cleanse recipe is very simple. Take 1 teaspoon of sea salt or Epson ingestible salt and add it to a 24 ounce glass of warm purified water and drink it immediately. Do this when you are going to be near a bathroom for an extended period of time, for it is quite fast acting. If this is not too uncomfortable, drink two glasses of this colon cleanse recipe, one glass in the morning and one at bedtime.

Now it is time to start the lemon detox diet. The detox diet itself is quite simple and inexpensive, but at the same time not easy. For the next few days all you will be consuming is the detox diet recipe, water and your colon cleansing drink.

The lemon detox diet recipe is as follows: 2 tablespoons of fresh squeezed lemon juice, 2 tablespoons of natural maple syrup, 1/10 teaspoon cayenne pepper powder, and 10 ounces of pure water.

Drink a minimum of 60 ounces of this a day. Drink plenty of water and drink your colon cleanse drink at least once a day but no more than twice a day. That is all there is to it.

For new people who have never done a detox diet before, they should only stay on this diet for three days. Once you have dond this and succeeded, then you can do the lemon detox diet for up to fourteen days at a stretch, but no longer. This is a short term detox diet not a life long weight loss diet. Although at first you will lose quite a lot of weight rapidly, this is mostly just fecal matter that has been lying in your colon, full of toxins. It is possible to have twenty pounds or more of waste stored in your intestines.

You can do the lemon detox diet and colon cleanse several times a year. Any time you start feeling sluggish you can go back to the detox program.

You will be amazed at how good you feel after completing this detox program. Keeping the toxins from building up again will keep you surprisingly healthy. Your body will have the ability to function at a more optimal level to ward off many common ailments. Your kidneys, liver and colon will be better able to eliminate toxins out of your body quicker, resulting in less toxic build up.


LEMON DETOX DIET RECIPE


LEMON DETOX DIET RECIPE

To make 1 glass of lemon detox drink add:
  •     20ml (1 tablespoon) Palm Tree Syrup
  •     20ml (1 tablespoon) freshly squeezed lemon juice (half a lemon),
  •     Half a pinch of cayenne pepper (to taste),
  •     250ml of water

You can have the drink warm or at room temperature.

On the Lemon Detox Diet, dieters are encouraged to have a large glass of water each day with 1 teaspoon of salt, which helps stimulate bowl movements.  This can also be substituted with Senna tea (1 teaspoon) in the evening if the salt water drink can not be stomached.
In addition, the actual syrup used for the Lemon Detox Diet is enriched with vitamins.  As such if you follow a home recipe it is recommended you have a multi-vitamin or mega multi-vitamin each day.

To follow the diet you are meant to have between 6-10 glasses of the detox drink each day and nothing else (except for the morning salt drink or herbal tea).  The detox process is meant to be followed for between 3 – 7 days.