Chances are as you are reading this you may not be feeling so well. If not yourself you probably know someone who is or has been “out sick” the past few days. Perhaps one reason that so many of us are so much sicker so often these days, is that we are living in a toxic soup. There are currently over 70,000 industrial chemicals in use in the US today, and all of those toxins play havoc with our immune systems.

For centuries many cultures have recognized the value of detoxification – cleansing the body of toxins to regain health by a fast. However, there are right ways and wrong ways to fast to detoxify. Many detoxification diets have come and gone over the years but one that has been proven to be effective for over 50 years is the Master Cleanse, or Lemonade Diet.

Basically, the Master Cleanse, is a modified juice fast popular with celebrities like Beyoncé, Demi Moore, and others looking to cleanse their bodies and lose weight fast. The Master Cleanse dates back to the 1940s, when Stanley Burroughs, a dietitian, wrote a book called The Master Cleanser. Though the book was published then, it only became mainstream when the revised version was released in 1976. The cleanse then captured the spotlight for its quick weight loss and its ability to detox the body and treat any health ailment.

The central feature of this program is the Master Cleanse lemonade drink itself, which is made with water, fresh lemon juice, cayenne pepper, and pure, organic maple syrup. This drink, which is the only calorie-containing item allowed, is consumed six to 12 times a day for 10 days. You must also take either a nightly herbal laxative, which you can buy at a drug store, or a morning saltwater flush made up of water and sea salt. These are meant to induce daily bowel movements.

Colon Cleanse

In addition to removing toxins from your body, the lack of solid food intake, laxative herbal tea and salt water flush help cleanse the colon. The absence of sold food means it will not accumulate in the digestive system and it will improve the digestion process. The laxative and flush will cleanse the colon and make sure that it remains clean. This can return your gut microbiome to a healthier balance which will boost your immune system and improve overall health.

Weight Loss

In addition to the cleansing aspects of the lemonade diet, it is in effect a healthy way to fast, so naturally you will lose weight over the 10-day period of the Master Cleanse.

The lemonade mixture provides minimum caloric intake during the diet. The maple syrup in the lemonade mixture will provide minerals and vitamins. Due to the lack of calories ingested during the diet, the body will experience weight loss. More weight loss can be achieved with exercise while on the diet. However, it is important to remember not to overexert yourself during the cleanse because of calorie restriction.

Many naturopathic physicians and other alternative practitioners find that The Master Cleanse is simple to do and surpasses many other detox methods, and that is why they recommend the Master Cleanse diet regularly for their his patients.

Have you, or anyone you know ever done the Master Cleanse? What were the results? Please respond using the comments below.