The latest diet craze is the Lemon Detox Diet. Mariah Carey loves it and regularly uses it, Beyonc © lost weight on this diet and celebrities across the world tout its cleansing benefits. Sought after as a quick-weight loss solution, this diet can be purchased in kit form for $150 for a 14-day regime. Is it really healthy or a scam developed by expert marketers to make quick money? Nutritionists claim that it is a starvation diet but you will lose weight quickly. However, as soon as you start eating normally again, you will gain back the weight in triplicate.
Proponents and herbalists of the Lemon Detox Diet claim that it is a detox solution that gives fast weight loss and starts you on a healthier lifestyle. Who is right?
Components of Lemon Detox
Over sixty years ago Stanley Burroughs designed the Master Cleanse Lemon Diet. You drank water, lemon juice, cayenne pepper and maple syrup. Burroughs first recommended the diet for patients with stomach ulcers. Burroughs prescribed the lemon/cayenne/pepper/syrup diet for eleven days. At the end of the session, the ulcer-suffering patient was cured. In addition to losing the stomach problems, weight reduction was experienced by several of Burroughs’s patients.
Drink eight glasses of the lemon, water, and cayenne paper and syrup concoction every day for about ten to twelve days. You will also need to drink laxative tea and salt water flushes or enemas should also be utilized. Proponents claim that the Lemon Detox Diet works to improve toxic and overweight conditions and helps the body cleanse and heal itself naturally. You do not eat any solid foods on this diet; you just consume the prescribed liquids.
Side Effects
While you are losing weight and gaining that awesome thin body, you may be suffering sinister side effects. There are no proteins in this diet and the loss of muscle mass can be a result. Your metabolic rate (or the amount of energy expended) is quickly falling. When you finishing “cleansing” you will be starving and you will eat. Even though you might be committed to eating well, you can gain back the weight you lost plus more.
Nutritionists and dietitians state that the Lemon Detox Diet is dangerous. It does not supply the essential daily nutrients. On the opposite side of the fence, herbalists claim that you are not on the diet long enough to loss muscle mass or develop protein deficiencies. Herbalists state that this diet improves your digestion and increases your energy. It is recommended that you drink the lemon concoction every two hours to keep from going into starvation mode.
Those who have used this diet claim that they starve, have unusual cravings, do have massive diarrhea attacks, and lost little or no weight in comparison to the discomfort and hunger they experienced.
Proponents of the diet claim that it cleanses the body of toxins, provides weight loss and vitality and increases energy reserves. Those on this diet have reported stronger nails and shinier hair. Clearer skin and eyes, and a digestive system that is recharged and balanced are by-products of the lemon detox diet.
How it Works
To efficiently utilize the lemon detox diet you need to completely abstain from solid foods of any type. You drink your breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks. You are not burdening your body with solid food that consumes much of the body’s energy reserves and you are focusing on using the body’s energy to cleanse. Nutritionists say that it is actually a good practice to periodically abstain from solid food to achieve balance.
Your body is actually performing the cleansing and rejuvenation process and the drink just assists. By supplying the nutrients necessary for alert functioning, restoring biochemical and mineral balance in tissues and cells, the lemon detox diet is actually helping your body. You will find that the liquids are assimilated into your bloodstream and provide a flushing of wastes from your digestive track.
Lemons are very acidic and this acidity actually assists the cleansing process. It is almost like a detergent dissolving excess fats. The cayenne pepper speeds up metabolism and promotes circulation. This helps with the elimination of toxins.
Want to look great in a bikini or speedo this summer? Proponents of the Lemon Detox Diet, claim that you use this diet at least two times before you head to the beach. You will find that you have lost weight and look great while feeling energetic and confident.
The Lemon Detox Diet or Master Cleanse Diet uses the principles that getting rid of toxins in the body will reduce the likelihood of diseases relating to digestion, stomach disorders, and general blood issues. It is claimed that correcting disorders in the body though this cleansing process corrects every disease. Nutrition and science studies have identified that improper diet, poor mental attitudes and no exercise are factors that create conditions for toxin build up. The Lemon Detox Diet is really just the tip of the iceberg in getting your body back to square one. After totally detoxing, it is recommended that you begin to eat a healthy diet, participate in a regular exercise program and use stress reduction mediums. These are the ways to fully balance your body.
Preparation
To prepare for the Lemon Detox Diet you do need to maintain your goals and do not doubt what you are doing. Realize what the side effects can be, identify what you want the diet to do for you, and realize that this weight control and health is an ongoing process.
It might be wise to prepare yourself for the detox diet by first beginning a vegetarian diet. This diet is not as stressful on your body as a meat diet and help makes the cleansing sessions easier. If you drink coffee and soda on a regular basis you might want to gradually stop these drinks. You will also need to take pantothenic acid or vitamin B-5 to prevent headaches that will be a symptom of caffeine withdrawal.
The Diet
Stanley Burroughs’s recipe has produced excellent results for over forty years. There have been commercialization and differ alterations of the original recipe, yet there is a reason the original mixture works and alternatives may or may not work efficiently. “When all else fails, follow the instructions.” Follow the program properly and you will see results.
The original purpose of the diet is to give your digestive system a vacation for at least ten days. If you add different components or ingredients to the diet, the results cannot be guaranteed. Do not take supplements and vitamins during the program. These additives will interfere with the he body’s elimination system. The natural vitamins and minerals in the lemon and maple syrup provide for the supplements your body needs during the 10-day detox program.
For a single serving use the following ingredients in the amounts listed:
- 2 tbs of either lemon or lime juice (from real lemons or limes)
- 2 tbs of authentic maple syrup (can be purchased in your grocery store, but make sure it is genuine with no other added ingredients.)
- 1/10 tsp of cayenne pepper (found in the spice section of your grocery store)
- 10 oz. of water. Preferably cold, but if you like it warm, do not use the microwave!)
Drink a minimum of six fresh glasses daily. When you feel hungry, drink the lemonade. You must take a laxative first thing in the morning and again in the evening. Use a salt water flush if you prefer. Make sure you have at least three bowel movements per day. This is to certify that the waste accumulated in your intestinal tract is totally removed.
Breaking the Diet
When you have finished your ten day regimen, you need to slowly introduce other foods into your diet. The first day present orange juice into your diet. The next day try vegetable soups and broths. The third day you can have fruits and vegetables and gradually bring together the foods you love. Do avoid meats, fish, milk and eggs, however. Keep introducing foods slowly, but make sure you are now eating healthy and regularly. If you need to detox a second time, do wait several weeks in-between detox sessions.
