Lemon Juice Cleanse

The lemon juice cleanse is a detoxing routine that's also known as "the lemonade diet," "the lemonade fast," "the maple syrup diet" and "the master cleanse." The cleanse is supposed to help wash toxins from your body, eliminate cravings for junk food and caffeine and promote weight loss. The program isn't ideal for first-time detoxers or people with medical conditions because the regimen requires strictly adhering to a liquid diet that primarily consists of a homemade lemon drink. People who do the cleanse can experience such side effects as headaches, nausea, dizziness and vomiting due to their bodies purging the toxins and from not consuming any food.

History

According to the New York Times (see Resources below), nutritionist Stanley Burroughs invented the original lemon cleanse in the 1940s to treat such internal issues as ulcers. He published a book about the detox in the 1970s called "The Master Cleanser."

Program

The cleanse consists of drinking an herbal laxative tea in the morning and the evening, performing a sea-salt water flush first thing in the morning and drinking as much of the home-prepared lemon juice cleanse and distilled water as you want throughout the day. This routine is followed for 10 to 14 days.

Recipe

According to Homemadebodycleanse.com (see Resources below), the lemon juice cleanse itself is made by combining 2 tbsp. of fresh-squeezed organic lemon juice, 2 tbsp. of organic Grade B maple syrup, 1/2 tsp. of red or cayenne pepper and 10 oz. of spring water. Twelve glasses of this solution should be drunk each day of the cleanse.

Sea-Salt Water Flush

The sea-salt water flush is performed by drinking 1 lukewarm qt. of spring water that contains 2 dissolved tsp. of unrefined sea salt. All of the water is to be drunk as quickly as possible. For the next few hours your bowels will move repeatedly, and the waste will be watery. You need to be close to a bathroom at all times during the flush.

Recommendations

It's best to do this cleanse when you have time to pamper yourself or aren't juggling a lot of projects. Because of the potential side effects, a good time for the lemon cleanse is when you have a three-day weekend to get through the harsh first days of the detox or even a week's vacation, so you can rest as needed.

Controversy

The effectiveness and safety of the lemon juice cleanse has been hotly debated. The New York Times reported both sides of the issue when the cleanse resurged in popularity in 2006.

Fun Fact

Pop star Beyonce used the lemon cleanse to shed 20 lbs. for her role as Deena Jones in the 2006 Academy Award-nominated movie "Dreamgirls" (see Resources below). She discussed the cleanse during a visit to "The Orpah Winfrey Show," where she described herself as "cranky" throughout the detox.