Lemonade Detox Drink

The Master Cleanse diet uses a concoction made up primarily of water and lemons to detoxify the body and lose weight. The diet as been made popular by celebrities and the media for its quick results and unique ingredients. The Master Cleanse--or lemonade--diet has also been the subject of several books and websites dedicated to following and understanding the diet.

The Diet

It begins with a short adjustment periods of three days where you start out eating only fruits and vegetables on Day 1. On Day 2, you adjust your liquid diet by simply pureeing the fruits and vegetables, and on Day 3 you drink only fresh-squeezed orange juice mixed with maple syrup. This routine prepares your body for the rigors of the lemonade diet where there is no solid food eaten for several days.

The main portion of the diet requires the drinking of a concoction of water, lemons, grade b maple syrup (not the kind you put on pancakes) and cayenne pepper. You make enough to create 2 liters that you drink throughout the day. When you begin feeling hungry, you drink from one of the lemonade bottles and follow it with a few drinks of regular water. At the end of the day, you need to flush your body in the form of a bowel movement. You take one of the lemonade mixtures and add sea salt. This natural laxative will usually start a bowel movement within the hour.

Finally, after a few weeks, you should follow the exact same instruction, but in reverse, for settling your body back into eating solid foods.

Risks and Benefits

The benefit of the diet is the inevitable weight loss caused by the expulsion of water and the lack of calories taken during the time of the diet. You can expect to lose about 13 to 20 lbs. depending on your size, metabolism and how long you stay on the diet. You should be careful of gaining the weight back after you resume eating regular food. It is also a natural way to clean your body of pollutants in a similar way to a colonic or enema.

The diet should not be a long-term project as it could be a contributing factor to an eating disorder. You should contact your doctor and discuss any new diet regime to make sure there are no worries attached to preexisting medical conditions or drug interactions.