Overview
The miracle lemon cleanse has several aliases, including the lemonade cleanse, maple syrup diet and the Master Cleanse. This controversial diet is one of the most popular—and stringent—cleansing fasts around. It also has sticking-power longevity—this diet has been around for decades. In more recent times, Beyonce Knowles used the diet to drop 20 pounds for her role in the 2006 musical “Dream Girls.” People who want to do this diet need to check with a health care professional first. This is especially true for people who take medications.
Identification
People who undertake the miracle lemon cleanse drink a tonic made from four ingredients: purified water, fresh lemon juice, cayenne pepper and maple syrup. No other food is permitted. Diet followers drink six to 12 glasses of the formulation daily. Each ingredient purportedly has a function. The lemon juice is a detoxification aid, the syrup is a person’s energy source and the cayenne is a metabolism booster. It’s best to use cayenne powder instead of capsules, advises Peter Glickman in his book, “Lose Weight, Have More Energy, and Be Happier in 10 Days.”
Time Frame
The miracle lemon cleanse lasts 10 days minimum and 45 days maximum. The shopping list for a 10-day cleanse is as follows: either 40 large organic lemons or 80 organic limes, 80 oz. grade B maple syrup, half a pound of non-ionized sea salt, 2.5 oz cayenne pepper, about 8 gallons purified spring water and one box of herbal laxative tea bags, advises Glickman. This allots for eight glasses of lemonade daily, so folks who want more or less have to adjust their quantities. Each glass has 2 tbsp lemon juice, 2 tbsp maple syrup, 1/10 tsp cayenne and 8 oz water. Dieters are supposed to drink the laxative tea each morning and each evening and use 2 tsp salt in the morning.
Benefits
Fans of this diet say they gain better skin tone, increased energy and even better vision in addition to losing weight, according to Diets In Review. The diet also combats “autointoxication,” asserts Glickman, which he defines as eliminated toxins in the colon leading to “dirty blood.” Autointoxication symptoms include depression, irritability, nausea, headaches, tiredness, tension, stress, mental fogginess, indecision and an increased susceptibility to illnesses. The diet also is billed as a good way to kick off a raw food diet. The theory is that dieters eliminate cravings during the cleanse, thus are better able to stick to a new eating regimen than they would be if attempting to simply switch eating plans.
Considerations
Critics of this diet point out that there’s no medical evidence that extreme fasting diets do, in fact, rid a person’s body of toxins. The diet also may have an adverse impact on a person’s metabolism, digestion and organ function and can cause side effects such as headaches, irritability and insomnia. This diet lacks long-term effect, as well, advises Diets In Review.
History
The Master Cleanse was developed by alternative health practitioner Stanley Burroughs, according to Glickman. Burroughs (1903 to 1991) formulated the cleanse in the early 1940s and released the diet in a book entitled “The Master Cleanser” in 1976. The book was somewhat jumbled, according to Calorie Lab. Glickman published his version of the book in 2004 after coaching 100 people through the diet, according to The Master Cleanse/Raw Food website. Glickman has worn many hats. He was a chiropractic clinic director from1994 to 1997, a chelation clinic director from 1996 to 1997 and in 2003 acted as a contributing editor to an alternative health E-newsletter. These days, Glickman’s Master Cleanse bulletin board receives 5,000 visits daily, according to his media information kit.
About this Author
Linda Tarr Kent is a reporter and editor with 20 years’ experience at Gannett Company Inc., The McClatchy Company, Sound Publishing Inc., Mach Publishing, MomFit The Movement and other companies. Her area of expertise is health and fitness. She is a Bosu fitness and stand-up paddle surfing instructor. Tarr Kent holds a bachelor’s degree in journalism from Washington State University.
