master cleanse diet

The Master Cleanse Lemonade Diet

The master cleanse diet, or the lemonade diet, is one of the more aggressive weight-loss strategies out there. But what is it? How do you do it? What are the pros and cons of the master cleanse diet? And how can you get started? Read on to find the answers to all of those questions and more!

What Is The Master Cleanse Diet?

The master cleanse diet is a drastic weight-loss strategy that claims you can lose 20 pounds in 10 days and detox your body. All you have to do is give up solid foods for 10 days and swap them for a lemonade-style drink, water, and laxatives.

The master cleanse diet has been going for quite some time and isn’t much of a fad anymore. It’s been followed since 1940 and millions of followers cite the master cleanse diet as one of the best liquid and detox diets around.

There have even been celebrity followers, including Beyoncé. Stanley Burroughs created the diet and believed it would promote great health.

Other Names​

The Master Cleanse Diet has also been referred to as the Lemonade Diet and the Cayenne Pepper Diet.​

How Do You Do The Master Cleanse Diet?

First, you’re going to need to know the recipe for the master cleanse diet. Here it is:

  • 2 tablespoons of organic lemon juice
  • 2 tablespoons of rich maple syrup
  • 1/10 teaspoon of cayenne pepper
  • 10 oz of spring or purified water

You need to drink 6 to 12 10oz glasses of this mixture per day. In addition to this, you need to do a morning salt-water flush and consume a nightly laxative tea.You will have no other calories during your fast other than the ones you consume in the mixture.

To do the morning salt-water flush, you’ll need to add 2 teaspoons of non-iodized sea salt to a quart of lukewarm water. Drink the entire thing immediately after waking up in the morning. You have to drink this on an empty stomach.

In the evening, you should end the day with a herbal laxative tea. You also have the option of adding an organic peppermint tea if you wish.

​Get The Master Cleanse Kit​

I recommend getting the products all at once as part of a master cleanse lemonade diet kit.  Maple Valley has a great 10-day master cleanse kit that has everything you need plus the book.

The kit is well priced (under $90 on Amazon) and comes with the following:

master cleanse kit

  • 64 Oz. Grade A Dark & Robust* (*formerly Grade B) Maple Valley Organic Maple Syrup
  • 8oz Organic compliant Sea Salt- Selina Naturally and 2.89oz Cayenne Pepper
  • 1 Box Organic “Smooth Move” Laxative Tea – Traditional Medicinals and 1 Box Organic Peppermint Tea – Traditional Medicinals (each box contains 16 tea bags)
  • Book: The Complete Master Cleanse by Tom Woloshyn

The only thing you’ll have to supply yourself is the lemons.

So, to recap, this is the process you need to follow everyday for 10 days when following the master cleanse lemonade diet:

  • Do the salt-water flush every morning
  • Drink 6 to 12 10oz glasses of the lemonade mixture per day
  • Take a herbal laxative tea at the end of the day

How Much Effort Is Involved? 9/10

You’ll hear some people say that the master cleanse diet wasn’t too difficult. However, they are in the minority. This is a tough diet to follow.

Be under no illusions, it is pretty extreme. But then you probably already guessed that 10 days of consuming nothing but lemon mixture, warm salt-water, and herbal laxative was going to be difficult, right?

Fortunately, the effort isn’t always for nothing. There are many proponents of the diet and even those who say they wouldn’t personally do it again recommend it to all of their friends and family, like Mike over at mindbodygreen.com.

You can also make the master cleanse diet easier on yourself by easing into it. Read on in the next section to find out how to properly prepare for the master cleanse diet.

How To Prepare For The Master Cleanse Diet

You could just go straight into the lemon mixture, salt-water flush, and herbal laxatives. But that is going to be extremely difficult and a real shock to your body. It is better to prepare for the master cleanse diet by easing into it.

Easing Into The Master Cleanse Diet:​

Here is how you ease in to the master cleanse diet:

Day 1 – Eliminate unhealthy foods.

Focus on what you’re eating and make food choices that rely on fresh and raw food sources. Begin to eliminate processed foods, meat, alcohol, dairy, sugar, and caffeine and opt for organic foods.

Day 2 – Fruits and vegetables.

This day you’re going to completely eliminate all processed foods, meat, alcohol, dairy, sugar, and caffeine from your diet. Your diet is going to consist completely of fresh fruits and organic vegetables. Try to eat as raw as possible.

Day 3 – Liquids only.

Now you will completely eliminate whole foods and switch to liquid sources in your to prepare your mind and body for the master cleanse diet. This day will consist of vegetable juices, fruit smoothies, and vegetable soups and broths.

Day 4 – Orange juice.

This is the last day of preparation for the master cleanse diet. It involves consuming only orange juice for the entire day.

You can add an optional tablespoon or two of maple syrup to your orange juice if you feel particularly hungry.

It is also important that you drink lots of water. Then, in the evening, take the laxative tea.

Day 5 – Master cleanse diet.

Now you can go into the 10-day master cleanse lemonade diet better prepared.

Once you’ve completed the 10 days of the master cleanse diet, you probably don’t want to switch straight back to your old diet.

There are a number of reasons for this but the main one is that this could cause quite a bit of discomfort because your body is now not used to solid foods.

So, just as you eased into the master cleanse diet, it is recommended that you ease out.

Easing Out Of The Master Cleanse Diet​

Here is how to ease out of the master cleanse diet:

Day 1 – Orange Juice.

Just like the last day before you went into the master cleanse diet, begin your ease out with a day of orange juice. This will prepare your digestive system for what is to come.

Day 2 – Orange juice and vegetable soup.

As well as continuing to drink the orange juice, you should also prepare 2 meals of organic, homemade vegetable soup.

Day 3 – Orange juice, soup, vegetables, fruit, and salad.

You will have orange juice in the morning and the vegetable soup in the afternoon. In the evening, you can eat whole vegetables and fruit but stay away from all other forms of food.

Day 4 – Normal eating.

Go back to normal eating but make sure you make healthy choices.The master cleanse diet has allowed you to reset your body and now you can have a fresh start and make wise eating choices.

If you start eating junk, you’re body won’t like it and you’ll gain back the weight.

Exercise And The Master Cleanse Diet

You are highly advised not to exercise while doing the master cleanse diet. It just isn’t safe or sensible to continue to workout when you’re consuming that few calories and no whole foods.

If you try to workout when you’re just consuming the lemon drink, salt-water, and laxative tea, you’re going to have some problems and you could pass out or become ill. Use the master cleanse diet as a reset period and take some time off from working out until you have completed it.

Can You Do The Master Cleanse Diet If You Have Food Restrictions?

Seeing as the master cleanse diet has a complete absence of food and focuses only on a few ingredients, food restrictions are probably not going to be a problem.

Vegetarians, vegans, and those with gluten-intolerance, for example, can all follow the master cleanse diet. However, if you can’t consume any of the ingredients that are part of the master cleanse diet (like lemons or cayenne pepper), then don’t do it.

Benefits Of The Master Cleanse Diet

  • It restarts your eating habits and gives you a fresh start. Once you finish the master cleanse diet, you’ll have the sense that you are starting over again with your diet. This can be a great psychological boost that will help you can back on the healthy track if you’ve slacked off for a while.
  • You’ll learn to stop thinking about food. We have a snacking culture that is obsessed with food. If we’re just a tiny bit hungry, many of us go crazy until we are fed. This master cleanse diet will break that obsession with food and allow you to make more healthy and rational food choices in the future.
  • You won’t consume unhealthy foods during the master cleanse.
  • Your digestion will improve.
  • You could have more energy.
  • Your mental clarity could increase.
  • Improved immune system.
  • Reduces inflammation.
  • You will detox your body.
  • You’ll lose weight. That’s right, the master cleanse diet does work for weight loss and a loss of 20 pounds in 10 days is common.

Negatives Of The Master Cleanse Diet

  • The health benefits are widely debated.
  • You could have low energy.
  • You might feel irritable.
  • You might feel light-headed, dizzy, or get headaches.
  • Weight loss could just be temporary and mainly water and muscle weight. There is a danger of gaining the weight back when you transition back to your normal diet again.
  • You will experience very frequent bowel movements and diarrhoea because of the salt-water flush and laxative tea.
  • You will miss out on vital nutrients and minerals during the fast by neglecting food sources.

Master Cleanse For Weight Loss – Does It Work?

The simple answer is yes, the master cleanse lemonade diet does work for weight loss. Many followers of the master cleanse diet will experience a weight loss of 20 pounds in 10 days. However, there are a few issues with this.

Some followers keep the weight off. But many followers of the master cleanse will regain the weight when they go back to eating normally.

This is why it’s important that you clean up your eating habits when you transition back into whole foods. Another issue is the quality of the weight loss. Much of it is water weight.

As a personal estimation, I would say that half of the weight lost is water weight just from the laxative tea causing you to go to the bathroom constantly. Then some of the weight lost will be muscle too.

You’re not consuming any protein so your body is going to take weight from whatever it can and our bodies don’t actually like targeting just fat.

So, if you lost 20 pounds from the master cleanse, that might be 10 pounds of water weight, 4 pounds of muscle, and just 6 pounds of fat. And you have the chance of putting it back on.

However, millions of people have followed and loved the master cleanse diet for over 70 years. So it is possible to do it right and keep the weight off.

How Does It Work?

The master cleanse diet works for a number of reasons. The first is that it is extremely low calorie. If you drastically reduce the amount of calories your body is taking in, you’re going to lose weight.

The next is because of the salt-water flush and herbal laxative tea, which will expel a lot of water weight. Second, in theory, the master cleanse should reset your body so that you have a healthier approach to food.

Master Cleanse Success Stories

There are plenty of celebrity success stories with the master cleanse. Beyoncé, Nicole Scherzinger, and Jared Leto being just three that spring to mind. But what about success stories for people like you and me? Well, there are plenty of blogs that detail success with the master cleanse diet. Here are a few of my favorites:

  • Chioma Okoli – Chioma followed the master cleanse diet for 40 days and lost 30 pounds. Her success story is amazing and super motivating, especially the stunning after pictures: http://chiomaokoli.blogspot.jp

FAQ

Does The Master Cleanse Affect Your Period?

The master cleanse commonly results in heavier flows. The master cleanse can also affect the timing of your period. You could have an early or late period when following the master cleanse diet.

Missed periods, however, are not common. If you are actually menstruating during the master cleanse diet, you might benefit from reduced cramps thanks to the cayenne pepper.

Is There A Way To Make The Salt-Water Flush Easier?

Some people have no problem getting tough stuff in their bodies, especially if they’ve been in the health game for a while. But, understandably, many people will find the salt-water flush in the morning particularly difficult.

To make it easier, you could hold your nose and simply pound it down. You could sip it slowly, taking as much as is comfortable and taking your time. You are likely to get used to it after a couple of days. 

You could also use a straw, which will reduce how much of the mixture you will taste.

What Should Bowel Movements Look Like When On The Master Cleanse?

It will change over the duration of the master cleanse diet. But generally it’s going to start of solid and then change until it’s completely liquid. It’s normal for your movement to look like yellow water (because of the lemons).

Can Vitamins And Supplements Be Taken During The Master Cleanse?

The answer is no. You have to follow the master cleanse as directed otherwise it is not the master cleanse diet.

What Water Should I Use For The Master Cleanse?

The whole point of the master cleanse is to detox your system. For that reason, you want the purest water you can get hold off. You want to stay away from tap water because of the fluoride content so I recommend you pick up a water filter like this one.

Can I Take Prescription Medication On The Master Cleanse Diet?

That is a very serious question and, given the wide range of medication and unique situations, one that shouldn’t be answered online. If you are taking any prescription medication and want to go on the master cleanse diet, you need to discuss what to do with your doctor.

Where Can I Find Out More?

There are a few great resources available that will help you learn more about the master cleanse diet. Here are my top recommendations:

​Get The Master Cleanse Kit​

My top recommendation is to get the Maple Valley 10-day master cleanse lemonade diet kit.

It has everything you need to get started with your cleanse except the lemons, which you will have to purchase yourself.

master cleanse kit

​The kit also comes with the book The Complete Master Cleanse by Tom Woloshyn, who was a friend of Stanley Burroughs, the developer of the master cleanse diet.

The kit has the maple syrup, sea-salt, cayenne pepper, peppermint tea, and laxative tea that you need to do the diet.

  • 64 Oz. Grade A Dark & Robust* (*formerly Grade B) Maple Valley Organic Maple Syrup
  • 8oz Organic compliant Sea Salt- Selina Naturally and 2.89oz Cayenne Pepper
  • 1 Box Organic “Smooth Move” Laxative Tea – Traditional Medicinals and 1 Box Organic Peppermint Tea – Traditional Medicinals (each box contains 16 tea bags)
  • Book: The Complete Master Cleanse by Tom Woloshyn

The only thing you’ll have to supply yourself is the lemons.

Website

  • The Master Cleanse –This website is very comprehensive and really goes in-depth about the master cleanse and topics surrounding it. I consider it a must-read for anyone about to embark upon the master cleanse diet: http://themastercleanse.org

Book/Ebook

​​​The Complete Master

 Cleanse

​​​Tom Woloshyn

master cleanse book

The Complete Master Cleanse by Tom Woloshyn – If you’re the sort of person who understands information better when it’s in a physical book instead of on a website, this book makes a great guide to the master cleanse diet.

It’s a great book to have around when you need to refer back to anything.

​The Complete Master Cleanse​

​​Tom Wolosyn

The Complete Master Cleanse by Tom Woloshyn – If you’re the sort of person who understands information better when it’s in a physical book instead of on a website, this book makes a great guide to the master cleanse diet.

It’s a great book to have around when you need to refer back to anything.

master cleanse book

Wrapping Up

The master cleanse lemonade diet is extreme. It certainly is not for everybody. If you’re going to do this fast, understand the reasons why you’re doing it. Regaining the weight is a very possible issue, especially if you don’t modify your diet after the cleanse.

If you’re looking for a way to reset your eating habits and start fresh, the master cleanse might just be for you. It is not a permanent weight loss strategy however and you might be advised to check out a few different options before you dive in.

Product Images Sourced From Amazon.com​