The lemonade diet, also known as the Master Cleanse, was originally formulated as a method to detoxify the body by cleansing the colon. The diet was created in the 1940s by naturopath Stanley Burroughs. Burroughs believed all disease originated in the colon; and that by maintaining a waste-free colon, people could avoid and cure disease. In more recent years the Lemonade Diet has regained popularity as a detox and weight loss method after Peter Glickman, an ex-alternative medicine clinic director wrote and heavily publicized a book describing the benefits of the cleanse.
Ease-in
Three days before starting the lemonade diet, switch to eating only natural uncooked fruits, vegetables, seeds and nuts. The following day, consume only fresh vegetable or fruit juice, and the day before you start the cleanse consume only pure water and around three pints of freshly squeezed orange juice. The ease-in period is not mandatory, but Master Cleanse practitioners claim that it will help prepare you for not eating solid foods during the cleanse and will make your detox symptoms milder.
Salt Water Flush
After the three-day ease-in period is completed you can start the cleanse. During the cleanse every morning you should perform a "salt water flush." This involves drinking a combination of lukewarm water and non-oxidized sea salt, which has the effect of inducing the need for several visits to the bathroom in quick succession. In his book "The Complete Master Cleanse," Tom Woloshyn claims that if the taste of the salt water is too nauseating for you, you may replace it with laxative pills.
10 Day Fast
Burroughs taught the minimum time the diet should be followed is 10 days. During those 10 days you should consume no solid food, and you instead drink a mixture of fresh lemon juice, maple syrup, cayenne pepper and pure water. You may also drink plenty of plain, pure water and the occasional natural non-caffeinated herbal tea.
Ease-out
When you finish the cleanse, it is vitally important you do not return to eating solid foods too quickly. Your digestive system will be sluggish and regular eating could cause extreme discomfort. It is recommended you follow the ease-in protocol in reverse; the day following the cleanse drink three liters of orange juice plus plenty of water, on the following day add raw vegetable and fruit juices, and on the third day gradually begin to add solid raw foods to your menu.
References
- The Master Cleanse Website: The Master Cleanse
- Master Cleanse: What is the Master Cleanse?
- "The Complete Master Cleanse: A Step-by-Step Guide to Maximizing the Benefits of The Lemonade Diet"; Tom Woloshyn; 2007
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