How To Cleanse The Body With Maple Syrup & Lemon Juice

The Master Cleanse is a fad diet that has been touted as a way to cleanse the body and lose weight. But fasting is not for everyone. In a New York Times article, Dr. Samuel Klein, the director of the Center for Human Nutrition at the medical school of Washington University, says fasting too long can cause serious health complications and is not proven to help cleanse the body. Stanley Burroughs, the creator of the Master Cleanse diet, was not a physician. If you do decide to try the Master Cleanse diet, it is best to do it under the supervision of a doctor.

Step 1

Allow your body to ease into the Master Cleanse diet by eating only fruits and vegetables three days before starting the diet. Two days before starting the diet, drink only vegetable broths and fruit and vegetable juices. The day before starting the diet, drink only fresh-squeezed orange juice and water, recommends Stanley Burroughs in his book, "The Master Cleanser."

Step 2

Prepare the Master Cleanse lemonade. Mix 2 tbsp. fresh-squeezed organic lemon juice, 2 tbsp. maple syrup, 8 oz. of water and 1/10 tsp. cayenne pepper in a glass.

Step 3

Drink the lemonade mixture as often as you'd like throughout the duration of the diet. Besides water, the lemonade mixture is the only thing you consume while following the Master Cleanse diet.

Step 4

Continue drinking nothing but the lemonade mixture for as long as you feel comfortable. "Some only use the lemonade diet for four to five days, while others take it out to two weeks," says EveryDiet.com.

Step 5

Ease out of the diet by drinking only orange juice and water the first day after the diet, only vegetable broth and fruit and vegetable juices the second day after the diet and only fruits and vegetables the third day after the diet.

Tips and Warnings

Carry a snack with you at all times while following the Master Cleanse diet in case you feel dizzy or lightheaded.
Stanley Burroughs was charged for practicing medicine without a license in 1984, when a patient died while following the Master Cleanse under Burroughs' care.