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The Lemonade Diet or Master Cleanse is a liquid mono-diet, created by Stanley Burroughs in the 1940s and more recently made popular by Peter Glickman through his book “Lose Weight, Have More Energy and Be Happier in 10 Days”.The Master Cleanse is said by Stanley Burroughs and later authors to eliminate toxins and congestion that have accumulated in the body. It should be noted that the Master Cleanse is a fast, not a diet, as it is not a complete source of macro-nutrients. Thus it should be considered as another form of fasting (click here for more info on fasting).

Supporters of the Master Cleanse/ Lemonade Diet credit it with helping them increase their energy levels, alleviate some chronic diseases and with weight loss.

Essentially the Master Cleanse consists of consumption of:

• Fresh lime or lemon juice with maple syrup and cayenne pepper mixed with water and drunk up to 12 times a day.

• Herbal laxative tea is taken twice a day, morning and night.

• Internal salt-water baths.

• No other food is consumed.

• This regimen can be followed for 10 days, or possibly longer and depends upon a person’s physical condition.

Do not stop any medication you have been prescribed without consulting your doctor first! Any fasting should only be done so with the consent of a healthcare professional.

The Master Cleanse also known as the Maple Syrup Diet, Lemonade Diet, Lemon Detox hit the headlines after it was reported that R&B star Beyoncé Knowles had lost 20 lbs. (9 kg) in 10 days by following the Lemonade Diet under a nutritionist’s supervision. Beyoncé followed what essentially was a version of the Master Cleanse, using the Swiss-made Madal Bal Natural Tree Syrup, which consists of four different South East Asian palm syrups and Canadian grade maple syrup.

Naomi Campbell does the Master Cleanse three times a year to keep her figure looking stunning. It has also been reported that Howard Stern’s primary co-host on his morning radio show, Robin Quivers, lost 73 lbs (33 kg) on the Master Cleanse. Actor Jared Leto is also reported to have lost the 62 lbs. he gained to play a movie role, using the Master Cleanse.The Lemonade Diet’s main promoter, the late Stanley Burroughs, published a slim volume in 1975 called “The Master Cleanser with Special Needs or Problems”. The book is still available today and the techniques are often adapted. Contrary to popular belief, the Master Cleanse was not designed for weight loss, but originally created to cleanse the body and flush out toxins. Nevertheless, in his book Stanley Burroughs also endorses his diet as “a reducing diet”.

Below you will find an overview and instructions about the Lemonade Diet. Excerpts from the Stanley Burroughs book “The Master Cleanser with Special Needs or Problems”, are highlighted in italics.

Purpose of the Lemonade Diet

• To dissolve and eliminate toxins and congestion that have formed in any part of the body.
• To cleanse the kidneys and the digestive system.
• To purify the glands and cells throughout the entire body.
• To eliminate all unusable waste and hardened material in the joints and muscles.
• To relieve pressure and irritation in the nerves, arteries, and blood vessels.
• To build a healthy blood stream.
• To keep youth and elasticity regardless of our years.

When to Use the Lemonade Diet

• When sickness has developed – for all acute and chronic conditions.
• When the digestive system needs a rest and a cleansing.
• When overweight has become a problem.
• When better assimilation and building of body tissue is needed.

How Often Should You Do the Lemonade Diet?

Follow the Master Cleanse diet for a minimum of 10 days or more – up to 40 days and beyond may be safely followed for extremely serious cases. The diet has all the nutrition needed during this time. Three to four times a year will do wonders for keeping the body in a normal healthy conditions. The diet may be undertaken more frequently for serious conditions.

HOW TO MAKE THE LEMONADE

• 2 Tbsp of lemon or lime juice (approx. ½ lemon)
• 2 Tbsp genuine maple syrup (not maple flavored sugar syrup)
• 1/10 Tsp cayenne pepper (red pepper) or to taste
• Water, medium hot (spring or purified water)

Combine the juice, maple syrup, and cayenne pepper in a 10 oz. glass and fill with medium hot water. (Cold water may be used if preferred). Use fresh lemons or limes only, never canned lemon or lime juice nor frozen lemonade or frozen juice. Use organic lemons when possible. The maple syrup is a balanced form of positive and negative sugars and must be used, not some “substitute”.

Stanley Burroughs goes on to suggest the use of darker grades of maple syrup, which he writes have a greater mineral content. He states, “Maple syrup has a large variety of minerals and vitamins. Naturally the mineral and vitamin content will vary according to the area where the trees grow and the mineral content of the soil. There are the minerals found primarily in the average samples of pure maple syrup: Sodium, Potassium, Calcium, Magnesium, Iron, Copper, Phosphorus, Sulfur, and Silicon. Vitamin A, B1, B2, B6, C and Pantothenic Acid (B5) are also present in the syrup.”

HOW MUCH LEMONADE TO DRINK?

The book suggests that between six and twelve glasses of the lemonade should be drunk daily and that as you get hungry to simply drink another glass of lemonade. For those who are overweight, less maple syrup may be taken. For the underweight, more maple syrup may be taken. However, it is advisable not to vary the amount of lemon juice per glass.

LAXATIVE HERBAL TEA

The Master Cleanser states that you should expect two, tree or more bowel movements per day. Otherwise, the waste tends to stay in the body leading to tiredness and other problems. If this is not the case, a laxative herbal tea last thing at night and first thing in the morning should be taken.

INTERNAL SALT WATER BATHING

Part of the Master Cleanse or Lemonade Diet is the “salt water bath”. Enemas and colonic irrigation are advised against and instead internal salt water baths are recommended.

Directions: Prepare a full quart of luke-warm water and add two level (rounded for the Canadian quart) teaspoons of uniodized sea salt. DO not use ordinary iodinized salt, as it will not work properly. Drink the entire quart of salt and water first thing in the morning. This must be taken on an empty stomach. The salt and water will not separate but will stay intact and quickly and thoroughly wash the entire tract in about one hour. Several eliminations will likely occur. The salt water has the same specific gravity as the blood, hence the kidneys cannot pock up the water and the blood cannot pick up the salt. This may be taken as often as needed for proper washing of the entire digestive system.

If this does not bring about the desired effect the first time used, The Master Cleanser suggests adding a little more or less salt until you find the right balance or taking in extra water with or without salt.

Prepare yourself mentally and physically before embarking on the detox. Speak to your health care practitioner. Make sure you have all the required ingredients for the Master Cleanse. Ensure you have emotional support of friends or family to get you through the difficult times.

• The night before: you start the lemonade detox take herbal laxative tea.

• First morning of the detox: take the salt water bath or if not possible the herbal laxative tea, do not take both.

• Lemonade formula.

• Breaking the Lemonade Diet: do not overeat, eat too soon or to frequently.

Next, lemonade diet variations and how to finish the plan (important to minimize side-effects or weight re-gain!).