Also known as the Lemon Cleanse or more popularly known as the Lemonade Diet, the Master Cleanse has Beyonce Knowles to thank when she used it to slim down for her Dreamgirls role. It is basically a detoxification fasting regimen as the dieter is only allowed to ingest the lemonade and nothing else, for fourteen whole days.
The Lemonade
The basic recipe for the lemonade cleanse is to mix together the following: eight cups of purified drinking water, three-quarters of a cup each of maple syrup and fresh lemon juice, and half a teaspoon of cayenne pepper.
How It Works
Basically, the lemonade mixture–lemons and cayenne pepper combined–irritates the digestive tract. When that happens, you had better be camped out or inside a restroom/bathroom. The maple syrup provides just enough of the calories to keep you going. Drinking laxatives also aid in the weight loss process.
The Cons
Yes, it is effective when it comes to helping you shed the excess pounds off. But it is not the healthiest way to do it. As mentioned, the maple syrup will only be your source of sustenance for two whole weeks, if you can call that sustenance. This diet belongs to what are called crash diets which doctors advise against for being unhealthy. They also have the added disappointment of making you gain the weight back when you start eating normally again. Not to mention that the lemonade itself tastes awful.
It Still Remains Popular
Beyonce Knowles will not take all the credit for that. In fact she does not entirely recommend it, suggesting that those who wish to lose weight should find healthier alternatives. The bulk of the popularity of the Master Cleanse is attributable to the hype over colon cleansing.
Yes, Master Cleanse is indeed effective in helping you lose weight, but it is not a healthy way of doing it.
Now you want to have more energy, be Healthier, look Younger, lose weight, and cleanse your body, right?