I know this has been about for a while (I think it tipped after Beyonce’s Dreamgirls publicity) but it is really starting to pop up everywhere in mainstream Australia now, and I’m sure it is in the UK too - but I really cannot understand the logic behind the lemon detox diet (Master Cleanse).
I can see how people are attracted to it - lots of celebs and celeb magazines banging on about losing weight but in reality, have any actual, unbiased, uninvolved nutritionists come out and said that this is a good idea? I would doubt it.
My principle concern is this: where is the nutrition?
I’ve spoken about this in my post on lemon water and I need to make this distinction clear: lemon water (thats just water with lemon) in the morning, or as a refreshing drink in the afternoon is great, cleansing and alkalising. Sustaining your entire body 24/7 on just lemon, water, sugar and pepper is madness!
I also advocate cleansing for 3-7 day periods, but this cleanse involves flooding your body with raw, live, fresh vegetables, eating 6 times a day and having as much food as you need. Not relying solely upon one drink. The alkaline clease actually gives your body MORE nutrients to work with (because cleansing is stressful for the body) not LESS.
I would absolutely question any diet that involves consuming only one thing - where are you going to get the range of vitamins, minerals and nutrients your body needs to sustain, detox and flush out the toxins - let alone just do the normal bodily processes.
A typical meal on an alkalising cleanse would involve a raw soup made from:
- avocado
- broccoli
- celery
- spinach
- capsicum/pepper
- cucumber
- garlic
- sping onions
- and any other greens you like
Compare that to a meal of water, lemon juice, syrup and cayenne pepper.
Even as a one off there is a clear winner - now compare that for every meal, of every day for 10 days!
Now I know this is a rant. And rightly so. The Lemon Detox is ludicrous.
And I haven’t even touched on the metabolism argument. By consuming nothing but lemon water and sugar for 10 days your metabolism is going to grind to a screeching halt, meaning that when you go back to eating normally again you WILL gain back the weight you have lost.
One thing the lemon detox does do is cut out the crap, but sadly it doesn’t replace it with anything. To have a healthy body and feel great you have to give it the resources it needs. And besides, even Beyonce doesn’t endorse it.
Interesting Reads on the Master Cleanse/Lemon Detox/Lemonaide Diet
Jim’s Diet Blog - the comments are particularly interesting
A real life account of the clease at Sarah Lane’s blog
Another reflection at day 10 by Bill
HumbleBeeHealth have a three point critique/discussion on the Master Cleanse, giving a bit of a balanced viewpoint to mine, but in some parts agreeing with mine too!
Note: This blog is only my opinion. It is not medical advice or diagnosis. Only opinions based upon our own personal experiences or information detailed in medical/academic journals or other publications is cited. WE DO NOT OFFER MEDICAL ADVICE or prescribe any treatments. Please consult with a medical professional before making any diet or nutrition changes. Refer to our full disclaimer for more information.
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I am completely surprised! I shed 4.4kg’s in just 5 days. I was only expecting to shed around 2.
Day 3 was the hardest but I never got hungry, although I did have a dream that woke me up thinking I was going to die because I had not eaten for a few days.
Anyway, I started Mon 19th Jan and the last day was Friday 23rd. Sat-Mon I followed the book suggestions exactly with fruit and soup and gradually went back to solid food.
My friends all said I will put it all back. Well they were TOTALY wrong. Its two weeks off the diet, and I am still losing weight. Not only that but amazingly I simply cannot eat the amount I used to. At a restaurant I have to order entree sizes because I cannot eat a normal sized meal like I used to. I also crave fresh fruit which I found bizzare.
From my last post you saw my metabolism was mega slow, but somehow the lemon detox sped it up once I was off it. I eat 6-8 times a day now, small amounts, I get full really fast.
I have given up NO snacks, I still eat pop corn with butter and corn chips. Again, as a vegetarian my food intake is pretty good.
I did not have any side effects on the diet, tongue goes all white during it though but the book says it can take weeks for that to come back and when it does it means you have stabilised….well mine only took 3 days after the diet…mega fast.
All I can say is I am so happy with it, I will do it again in April, this time for the full 10 days. I never craved food and even when out with people who got take away I seemed content with just sniffing the food…I know it sounds strange but I just did not crave the food the drink kept me full and energetic!
Its totally brilliant, I feel better, the scales show I lost weight AND as my stomach obviously shrank, I eat less because I get full quickly. So all in all I love it.
With regards to “A Person”’s post I think that might work, the only problem is the “for lunch I will eat what I like” because if that means 2 vanilla slices and a large pizza that can be a problem.
I always get fresh vegetables and only eat brown rice and eat fruit daily and no carbs after 4pm now instead of after 6pm. All my carbs are in the morning mainly.
I don’t like the drink that much but I its worth it. The salt water in the morning is really hard though. The only way it worked is for me to put the teaspoons in a small amount of water, quickly drink that then follow up with the rest of the litre of NORMAL water else I would almost vomit. The senna tea at night is also foul!!! BUT its all worth it because I don’t have to do ANY loathsome exercise!
4.4kg in 5 days…lets see ANYTHING else match that without one second of ANY exercise! I know peoplesay its all fluid but the scales say 4.4kg less and thats all I care. I drink 2litres of water minimum per day now and that prevents water retention for me.
Lemon detox!!!! its the best!!!!!!!!!!
You are just saying that cos you want to sell a different detox/diet program. I’ve been using the lemon detox for ages and it makes me feel great, I lose weight and don’t put it back on, my skin looks amazing, I have much more energy, even during the detox and it doesn’t cost much. I recommend the lemon detox to anyone looking for a healthy cleansing.
Hi Paula
I respectfully disagree. I am saying this because this detox offers literally zero nutrition, in fact it encourages malnutrition.
When you want your body to repair itself you have to give it the tools and quite frankly lemon, sugar and water for days on end will only do harm. You may feel better in the short term, but I am convinced that a detox of fresh raw vegetable juices, soups etc (all free ingredients from your local supermarket/grocer I might add - I don’t have shares in Tesco or Walmart) will give your body everything it needs to rebuild and repair itself whilst boosting your energy no end.
Thanks
Ross
A lot of egos clashing on here! Amazing!
I have done the Master Cleanse Programme… and most importantly… I READ THE BOOK by Dr. Stanley Burroughs. If you did not read the book, how the hell will you have an understanding of the detox? People are just squeezing lemons without any clue as to the mechanics of the cleanse. Then, they get on forums such as this, and criticize the programme saying it doesn’t work, or they became ill from it?
I am not going to get into why the Master Cleanse works, or any other debate. If you ask a million people for their opinion… you are going to get a million different opinions. For all of you in support of the Master Cleanse (like myself), don’t be upset when people bash it, just observe them… and continue your path to longevity and enlightenment.
Lastly, for those that are interested in Lemon Detox.. DO YOUR OWN RESEARCH. This is the best single advice I can give you. I have learned a wealth of knowledge from all of you in this moment… so thank you!
P.S. I recommend the book “The Power of Now”, and “The Four Agreements” to this forum. These reads will greatly assist in the deconstruction of the egoic mind.
Peace
Hi The Being
Great post - thanks for sharing, I really like your philosophy. We have more of a forum here
http://www.energiseforlife.com/alkaline-diet-forum
I’d love to see you posting there
Ross
Can anyone tell me which water is the best to mix the syrup with, spring, mineral or tap? Thanks
Thanks Being!!
I tried the lemon detox diet late 2008 - I’ll admit it - I looked smaller but I lost mainly fluid and precious muscle that I worked so hard to gain! So, it left me looking smaller but squishy, not lean… To top it all off, I ended up with a stomach ulcer due to the high acidity in my gut from all the lemons… and I didn’t even do the full version! I have since been following a very sensible meal plan of 5 -6 small balanced [protein, carbs and good fats] meals per day, 2.5 litres/day of water and regular exercise - what do you know? I am leaner than I have ever been… go figure! Everyone knows that there are no shortcuts to a great physique - you will get out of it what you put in so if you eat crap… you know the rest! It’s common sense to know better, yet I fell for it…! I wanted to share my experience so that someone else doesn’t have to experiece it themselves…
Hi Ross,
Like your blog! I agree with your review on the Lemon Detox Diet, with maybe a slight difference! I really belive it is a dangerous diet for people to follow and that they will end up with more weight problems than they had before they started. Please check out my web site, OptimalBodyWeight.com. Your readers may find it interesting as they can use the free online food diary to monitor their food intake. It also BMI, MER and ideal body weight calculators, weight tracking tools, and so forth.
Cheers
Im sorry!
But i think You RREEAAALLLYYY wronge!
I did it for 16 days…
And I fell GREAT!
I lost 17 pounds..
And i havent gained any back.
I do not crave food as much anymore and i actually after the diet I lose 3 more pounds…
Because my regular diet go cut down becuase I dont eat alot anymore and i dont crave food.
There are many reasons the “Master Cleanse Diet” to be sensibly used. Reading the book it tells you that it is meant to flush the body of toxins so naturally one of the best ways is to stop the in-flow of foods while it thoroughly cleanses. Your diet or system sounds like a great alternative for those who may fear fasting with only fluids or other good reasons but I think your original message seemed a bit biased. It made it look like you are bashing a diet that has helped people since about 1976 when it was written and still to this day helps people for your “new improved ” variation. It has a strong positive history. Just a quick look at YouTube show several people charting their success and great feeling during and after it along with great weight loss accomplishments. The method you describe is obviously a positive one as well, but If I’m trying to cleanse my system I would see the sensibility in limiting or eliminating my intake. It make sense, I wouldn’t try to clean my toilet while still using it.
Attention Connie!
I can almost guarantee that your ulcer was NOT from the lemons since stomach ulcers are the result of an over active type of bacteria. Acids only upset them. Your stomach does a great job of neutralizing acids but you may have had a pre-existing condition. Secondly, being a person of fitness myself I can see how your muscle loss was disappointing. Being healthy is one thing but eating more of course will allow your muscles to remain. The most important thing is, no matter what you do, exercise. Too many people think that good strong muscle comes from just eating right. Yeah if you want to look like the boring joe or sally. But if you want a nice healthy physique you MUST exercise. Your physique comes from a bit of Muscle and a bit of natural fat. Stay healthy you seem like you’re on the right track as it is.
i went fourteen days fasting, just drinking water with lemon juice, i wasnt told to put lemon in my water i just craved it, at that time i had no idea it was a powerful detox. i have to say detoxing while not eating is the best way to go, you feel born again like a new person and you do eat less. The reason i fasted was for spiritual reasons not to lose weight. But i do have a massive craving for fruit as well. If your looking to lose weight and get all that crap out of your system you cannot do it while eating you have to stop eating for atleast 2-3 days minimum, this will not hurt you, your body can handle it trust me, i have been there.
I suffered from stomach pain and burning mostly, couldn’t sleep well and just hated those extra pounds I couldn’t get rid of no matter what I did. Now I stumbled upon this system that is easy and it doesn’t require expensive medication or difficult exercises.
I recently tried the Lemon Detox Diet. Holy crap I thought I would never recover. After two and a half days my eyesight started to go. It took over three weeks to recover. My health and bowl functions also took a few days to recover. I would not recommend this my worst enemy.
I just finished the lemon detox diet and I feel like a million bucks. The incredible focus, and attention to other parts of your life besides food is amazing. Eceryone has to try the lemon detox diet once, you wont regret it. I see the two arguments here as apples and oranges almost. The master cleanse is a “cleanse”, while the other might be a healthier way of eating.
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