The Lemon Detox Diet, also called simply the Lemonade Diet, was originally conceived of as "The Master Cleanse" by alternative practitioner Stanley Burroughs. The cleanse is a modified fast that allows you to consume between 600 and 1,200 calories daily of a lemonade made from purified water, fresh organic lemon juice, grade B maple syrup and cayenne pepper. In addition to the lemonade, you'll consume a quart of salt water every morning and a laxative tea every evening. This radical detox diet is dangerous and can result in serious health problems.
Need for Detox
There is no medical evidence that you need to follow a detox diet to rid your body of accumulated toxins. Your body has a very efficient built-in detoxification system that includes your lungs, skin, liver and kidneys. In fact, detox diets may cause more harm than good and can be very unpleasant to do. The Lemon Detox Diet can be very low in calories, leaving you weak, tired and hungry. You may experience hypoglycemia, or low blood sugar, and mood swings, anxiety, headaches and hunger.
Resulting Weight Loss
Following a very low calorie diet, you will lose weight. But there is a difference between losing weight and losing fat. Most dieters want to lose fat while preserving or even increasing lean muscle mass. The Lemon Detox Diet isn't a fat loss diet. Most of the weight lost is simply water weight due to the extremely diuretic nature of the diet. Much of the weight you lose on this type of program will be regained as soon as you go back to your regular eating habits.
Possible Weight Gain
Not only will you regain the weight you lost, you may gain even more. The Lemon Detox diet can slow your metabolism, making it easier to gain weight in the future. Because of the low calorie intake, your metabolism may go into "starvation mode" thinking that food is unavailable and will hold onto to stored fat for survival, slowing weight loss. In addition, the lack of protein on the Lemon Detox Diet makes it likely that your body will convert some muscle into energy. Muscles require more energy than fat, even at rest. Losing muscle mass means your body needs fewer calories to function.
Other Results
The Lemon Detox Diet may affect your immune system, making it difficult for you to fight off illness and infections. A lack of essential vitamins, and the constant flushing of your digestive tract with salt-water flushes and laxative tea can remove beneficial bacteria, known as probiotics. Losing these bacteria weakens your immune system and can interfere with digestion. You may also experience constipation as you wean yourself off the diet and start eating foods that contain fiber -- there is no fiber on the Lemon Detox Diet. Help avoid constipation by increasing water and fluid consumption as you start to eat real foods again.
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