The Master Cleanse: A Review of The Lemonade Diet
This is quite possibly the most popular detox cleanse out there right now. The 10 day juice fast comes in a close second, and has been gaining popularity lately. The Master Cleanser is definitely one of the oldest detox diets out there, and as a reader pointed out – “It’s a little embarrassing that cleanseyourbodyfast.com has not ever covered the famous lemon detox diet”
All I can say to that is touché my valued reader, touché!
So there are several varieties to the master cleanse –
- The Spicy Lemonade Diet
- The Cayenne Pepper Diet
- The Maple Syrup Diet
- The Lemon Detox Diet
Actually I am kidding, these all refer to the same cleansing diet. Why is has so many names I don’t know – it has even been called the Beyoncé diet, after singer/actress Beyoncé Knowles told press she lost close to 10 pounds doing the master cleanse diet. Again these all refer to the same diet.
So what is the Lemonade Diet?
The lemonade diet is a detox plan that is discussed in a book called ‘The Master Cleanser’ written by Stanley Burroughs.
What is special about this diet is, unlike all the current fads and gimmicks appearing lately, is the lemonade diet has been around longer than you have. ‘The Master Cleanser’ book was first published on April 24, 1974. Yes that says seventy four, as in over thirty years ago, and I bet you thought this latest craze was something brand new
What is even more interesting – in this book published over 37 years ago, Stanley wrote
“The lemonade diet first proved itself in healing of stomach ulcers over forty years ago.”
If you do the math you can see people have been using this detox diet since before you were born (most likely)
The lemonade diet typically lasts for 10 days, although some people have done it for an entire month and some even longer! During this time you do not eat any solid foods and only drink the lemonade. The lemonade is a mix of maple syrup, lemons and cayenne pepper. It tastes like a spicy lemonade (hence the name ‘the spicy lemonade diet’). I know it sounds pretty unappetizing , especially since you will be drinking it for over a week, but honestly its actually not nearly as bad as it sounds. I found myself actually craving the spicy lemonade concoction for a few months after I did the cleanse. I plan on doing the master cleanse again after the new years and will write about my progress as I do, so be sure to bookmark this page and check back starting January 3rd 2012 (I need a few days to recover from celebrating new years!)
The Master Cleanse Recipe
The receipt for the lemon tonic is actually extremely easy to make, and doesn’t require a lot of prep time, the only tiresome part is squeezing the lemon juice every day. To be honest there were a few days I cheated and used organic lemon juice
Straight out of the book The Master Cleanse Recipe from Stanley Burroughs
- 2 Tbsp lemon or lime juice (it turns out you can get about 4 Tbsp from a single lemon or lime)
- 2 Tbsp Pure Grade B Dark Amber Maple Syrup (do not substitute!)
- 1/10 Tsp cayenne pepper (red pepper) or to taste
- 10 oz water, medium hot (spring or purified water)
This is for a single serving of the spicy lemonade concoction. However, being that you can drink as much of this as you want and should dr
ink it every time you get the hunger, I would definitely recommend you do not actually make this one glass at time. If you get hungry and don’t have any lemonade available you are more likely to break the cleanse and eat solid food. The recipe scales and I would try to make a whole days’ worth of the master cleanser drink every morning. Almost everything can be picked up at your local market or at any Whole Foods Market and Trader Joe’s if you are lucky enough to live near either one of those.
I should have a recipe scaler for you pretty soon, so you can enter the size of your container and it will let you know what you need to purchase to make the spicy lemonade and also tell you the correct proportions for the size of you container.
- Nature’s Cleanser
Can you really lose weight on the master cleanse?
There is a lot of skepticism surrounding the lemonade diet and if it really even works. Everyone’s body responds differently and having the diet ‘work’ for you depends on what you want from the diet.
If your primary reason to go on the master cleanse is for weight loss, I would almost recommend against you doing the detox. You will lose weight on this diet, it is one of the ‘side effects’ so to speak, a moderately overweight person could expect to lose up to two pounds a day as your body rids itself of toxins and other waste. However, when you go and grab and in-and-out burger (which sadly, I love) to celebrate you completing the master cleanse; you WILLgain all the weight back and be right back to square one.
There are a few ways to keep the weight off, one of them being just doing that master cleanse forever. Seriously though, the only way to keep off any of the weight you will lose during the master cleanse is to commit to healthy eating and daily exercise. This doesn’t mean you have stick with only eating celery and hitting the gym every day for two hours a day.
Healthy Eating
I cannot stress enough the master cleanse should not be used strictly for weight loss. The lemon detox diet should be part of a life style change that continues well after the master cleanse is over. The most important being what you are going to put back into your body after the master cleanse. While some would recommend a life style change and go vegan or at least vegetarian, that is a little extreme for most.
I would at the very least eliminate the following things from your diet
- Artificial flavors and artificial colors – these are unnatural and our bodies were no intended to digest these
- Preservatives– the name says it all, we don’t need anything preserved in our intestines. Chances our if you can pronounce it, you shouldn’t put in your body
- High Fructose Corn Syrup– anything that contains trace amounts of mercury and is created with hydrochloric acid should stay far away from your stomach
This I would say should be the minimum you eliminate from your diet, reading labels can go a long way to keeping your body healthy. Don’t be discouraged if you favorite foods are now ‘tainted’ you can find great alternatives to almost everything at Whole Foods Market or Trader Joe’s.
If you are really serious about changing your life style I really recommend reading the Engine 2 Diet.
Daily Exercise
This is so much easier than most people think. I find that most people create an elaborate exercise plan that takes more effort and time than is require. If you are not going to compete for a gold medal, don’t try to exercise like a gymnast!
The minimum you need to help maintain a healthy body is 20 – 30 minutes of light exercise every day. You’re not going to get six pack abs and gluts of steel with 30 minutes of light exercise but you will lower your risk for heart disease, lower your cholestorol and you will feel great.
I highly recommend you exercise in the morning first thing; it really changes the tone of your entire day. I heard Tony Robbins talking about it a while ago and recently started doing it, it’s amazing. I do 15 sit ups, 15 push-ups and 20 jumping jacks first thing when I wake up (almost) every morning right when I wake up. My girlfriend things I am freak, but it really does make a difference in my day. Give it a try, I dare you!
However, if waking up like you’re a crazed army instructor doesn’t suite you, just walk. That’s right I said just walk, we can all do that with minimum effort. Walk for 20 – 30 minutes every day. Those of us that have stressful jobs, walking after you get off work can really help you decompress and not bring work home with you to your family.
So the answer is yes, the master cleanse diet can help you lose weight, but it’s not a miracle diet. Well maybe it is, but a miracle that requires dedication and some follow up effort.
The Lemonade Diet Plan – 10 Day Detox
Day -1 (the day before the cleanse)
Most people are tempted to pig out the entire day before they start a cleanse, I definitely recommend you do not, in fact to help ease your body into the detox, I recommend heating up vegetable broth for lunch and dinner the day before to help your body get used to not eating solid food. Also the day before you should buy all the ingredients needed for the cleanse so you are not tempted at the grocery store
Days 1-3
Start each day off by making the spicy lemonade – enough to last you all day. Drink as often as you like and every time you are hungry. At night drink senna leaf tea before bed, this helps move things along, expect to wake up in the middle of the night to use the bathroom. Some people drink it in the morning instead of at night, however you do not want to do this if you will be at work or anywhere in public to be honest.
The first three days are the hardest, you will be psychologically hungry and will constantly have to fight the urge to eat, if you can resist this is gets much better, and after day five you most likely won’t even be all that hungry.
Day 4
Day four continues as normal – drink the lemonade every time you feel hungry. The only difference on day for is you will start drinking senna tea in the morning and at night. Trust me it won’t be as bad as the first few days.
I said the first three days were the hardest, I lied. This is the tipping point where most people quit the detox, they can’t hang. You will most likely be feeling like complete and utter garbage this day. Your tongue will probably be white and you will most likely have a pretty gnarly headache. The toxins that have been sitting your body for years are now moving about and working their way through your system – which is why we up the senna tea to twice a day.
Days 5-9
Business as usual – drinking lemonade throughout the day, senna tea in the morning and at night. You might start to notice that you are not craving food as intensely or as often. Most people say they are not even hungry that last few days of the master cleanse.
Day 10
You made it, you are most likely feeling more energetic and sleeping better at this point. Well done. Tonight will be the last night you drink the tea, which at this point has done a pretty good job of clearing out your system.
Day 11
Your first day off the cleanse! You will be tempted to eat a huge meal to celebrate, but remember your body has not had solid food in over a weak – that might be a bad choice. I recommend you drink some oj for breakfast, just water it down so it’s not as acidic on your stomach, and vegetable broth for lunch and a light dinner – suggesting salad and not meats the first day off the cleanse.
The master cleanse is great way to start of the new year’s or any new beginning, it takes a bit of mental fortitude to complete the diet, but the results are worth it.
Medical Disclaimer: You should consult your doctor before starting any new diet or fast. If you start to feel light-headed, nauseous or develop a fever, you should seek medical attention immediately.
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Hi. Thank you for your article. I found it very useful. I’ve actually been surfing the net for a few hours to get information and reviews regarding this Lemonade Diet. Yours did not mention the salt flush in the morning…so is that not needed? Also do you know if it is okay to take a fat burner pill/appetite suppressant while on this diet? And what about things like acid reflux medicine? I have acid reflux and take Gaviscon liquid at least once a day. Will this affect the outcome of the diet and how much I may lose?
I choose the Senna leaf tea in place of the salt water rinse, I found those to be fairly unpleasant. Thought you should do one or the other to help with the cleanse. As far as appetite suppressants I would say stay away, it can be mentally challenging not eating anything, but just make sure to have a lot of the lemonade concoction made ahead of time so you can drink it anytime you feel hungry. If you are taking a prescription medication for heart burn then I am not going to advise against what your doctor has asked you to do. Hope this helps and happy 2012, first cleanse of the new year.
Hi there well I read ur article I so gone try it lol I’m just confuse about the proportions to prepare it..?
The lemon detox recipe is here -
2 Tbsp lemon or lime juice (it turns out you can get about 4 Tbsp from a single lemon or lime)
2 Tbsp Pure Grade B Dark Amber Maple Syrup (do not substitute!)
1/10 Tsp cayenne pepper (red pepper) or to taste
10 oz water, medium hot (spring or purified water)
just combine all the ingredients together, if you want to make larger supple just double or triple up on everything. If you had a half gallon water bottle, you would just multiply everything by 6, as there are 64oz in half gallon.
Let me know if that helps, if not let me know the size of the container you want to make it in.
Can you get away with using tap water instead of spring/purified?
Depends on where you live and how your tap water is, if you live in a major city then you should most likely be using distilled water. The reason distilled is recommended is because it is pure water with no other minerals or other elements in it.
Does the water have to be warm?, or can I make a days worth and keep it refrigerated, I’m not sure how tempting warm/hot and spicy lemonade would be after the first 3 days of not eating anything.
I always prefer it cold, I usually make a days worth and keep it refrigerated