Golden Syrup Diet

The golden syrup diet presents the conundrum of a high-sugar, calorie-dense food being the main ingredient. Yet this diet--a fasting regimen also known as the maple syrup diet or the lemonade diet--has its followers, including star singer Beyonce, according to the website Celebrity Diet Doctor. On this diet, you don't eat anything for 10 days, but you do consume a mixture of golden maple syrup, water, lemon juice and cayenne pepper.

High-Quality Golden Syrups

Fashioned after the cleansing procedure popularized by Stanley Burroughs in his 1976 book "The Master Cleanser," the original diet calls for Madal Bal Natural Tree Syrup, or high-quality, organic, dark-hued maple syrup--the darker the better. Burroughs' contributions are detailed on the Master Cleanser website, which quotes portions of the book's second chapter, in which Burroughs discusses organic syrups' USDA-assigned grades. Grade A syrups, light golden and amber in color, are fine for the cleansing syrup drink, but the darkest Grade B syrups contribute richer maple taste and higher mineral content.

Detoxifying Drink Recipe and Plan

The recipe is a mixture of 2 tbsp. of Grade B maple syrup, plus 2 tbsp. of freshly squeezed lemon juice, 1 cup of hot or cold water and a pinch of cayenne pepper. Consuming 6 to 9 cups a day is ideal, if you are following Burroughs' original 10-day regimen. The website Weight Loss Resources lists three other less-Draconian versions of the diet: the once-a-week detox, requiring just one day of liquid fast; the five-day detox; or the "relaxed version," which allows lunch and utilizes the drink for breakfast and dinner.

Dangers of Crash Diets With Syrup

The golden syrup diet is indeed a crash diet and carries significant risks. Radically low calorie totals per day put your body at risk of infection and fatigue. Each cup of the maple syrup-lemon drink has only 52 calories. Even drinking freely, on a typical day of fasting with liquid, you might consume at the most 400 to 500 calories. This low calorie total decimates your energy resources and could leave you lightheaded, nauseated and irritable, with blood-sugar levels careening upward and downward.

Severely Low Nutrient Levels

This diet's complete lack of protein means your body will feed off its own muscle as well as its own fat. Its lack of fiber means you will become constipated. And, with so few essential vitamins and minerals, the diet compromises your metabolic health. Every vital organ in your body has independent metabolic requirements; thus, dangerously low calorie intake will force even your heart, liver and brain to conserve energy by slowing down. An MSNBC report published in 2010 confirms these and other dangers involving severe nutrient loss and retarded metabolism.

Proceed With Caution

The golden syrup diet may be highly effective in helping you shed some pounds, initially. But even Beyonce has admitted to quickly re-gaining the 20 lb. she lost and advises against the Master Cleanse diet unless medically supervised. If you like maple syrup--and cayenne pepper and lemon juice--you might do very well on this diet, if weight-loss is your goal. However, you should remain cautious with such severe calorie restriction and its immediate effects on your health.