Salt Water Flush Lemonade Diet

The lemonade diet is a cleansing plan developed in the 1940s. For 10 to 14 days straight, you drink a lemonade cocktail, a laxative tea and a saltwater flush. The diet claims to cleanse toxins from your digestive tract, glands, internal organs, joints and cells. Because the plan contains very little nutrition and has no scientifically proven benefits, most health experts warn against following it. You should talk with your doctor before embarking on the lemonade diet or any other diet.

Features

The Lemonade Diet consists primarily of a drink made up of spring water, maple syrup, lemon juice and cayenne pepper. You drink multiple glasses of this mixture daily, amounting to between 600 and 1,000 calories. A laxative tea taken once in the evening helps your digestive tract flush out waste, as there is no fiber included in the diet. Stanley Burroughs, the developer of the diet, also advocates the use of a salt water flush in your daily regimen. The flush consists of a quart of lukewarm water mixed with two level tsp. of uniodized sea salt. Burroughs says you must drink the entire quart in the morning. If you cannot do the saltwater flush, Burroughs recommends you take a second dose of laxative tea. If you leave out the flush, Burroughs notes you may not experience complete eliminations and colon cleansing. No scientific evidence supports the supposed benefits of the flush, tea or lemonade.

Indication

The diet is intended for detoxification, not weight loss. If you do lose weight you should expect to gain it back within a few days of resuming a regular diet plan, nutritionist Steve Gomberg told the "Los Angeles Times." According to Burroughs, the lemon juice naturally cleansed your body, while the maple syrup provides some calories for energy and the cayenne pepper acts as a mild metabolic stimulant. He contended that the diet helped your kidney and liver detoxify your body. No studies prove these benefits.

Warning

The lemonade diet may cause extreme discomfort, especially during the first few days. You may experience hunger, dizziness and nausea. If you often consume caffeine, alcohol or tobacco, expect to experience side effects resulting from the withdrawal of these substances. You should always check with your health care provider before beginning a diet plan, especially one as extreme as the lemonade diet. You could experience extreme cravings, weakness and hunger while on the plan. People with chronic health conditions, pregnant or nursing women and children should never follow the plan.

Considerations

The original diet plan details a pre- and post-diet regimen. Burroughs prescribed a gradual ease-in period before beginning the actual lemonade diet. The lead-in consisted of a gradual reduction of food and caffeine to reduce your withdrawal symptoms. When you come off of the lemonade diet, Burroughs recommended you gradually add whole food back to your meal plan to prevent stomach upset.