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Also known as The Master Cleanser, The Master Cleanse Diet, The Lemonade Fast, and The Maple Syrup Diet, the Lemonade diet has gained popularity ever since Beyonce Knowles confessed to adopting the diet in order to lose 20 pounds for her role in the movie, Dreamgirls.
The Lemonade Diet, a liquid mono-diet, was introduced by Stanley Burroughs, in 1941, as a means to lose weight, remove toxins, purge the kidneys, discharge waste in the colon, and even to relieve alleviate chronic diseases.
Other celebrities who were reported to jump in into the Lemonade Diet bandwagon are: Angelina Jolie, Jared Leto, Gwyneth Paltrow, Denzel Washington, Robin Quivers, and David Blaine.
In essence, the Lemonade diet is a fast diet wherein no intake of solid food is allowed. It consists of the consumption of nothing else but fresh lime or lemon juice and herbal laxative tea or internal salt-water bath for 10 days or longer (up to 40 days), depending on the dieter’s condition.
There are three phases to The Lemonade Diet: the pre-diet routine, the actual lemonade diet, and the post-diet routine.
Of the two routines, the pre-diet may not be as crucial as the post-diet. In fact, the first phase of the Lemonade Diet can be skipped and if preferred, the dieter can start directly with the actual Lemonade Diet.
The main purpose of the 3-day pre-diet routine is to condition both your body and your mind. And because the Lemonade diet is a 10-day (or longer) abstinence from food, it will allow your body to adjust to the drastic change in your eating habits.
Day 1 – Living Food Diet
Say goodbye to processed foods, meats, and dairies. Instead, load up on fruits and vegetables. But because fruits are high in sugar, it is advisable to minimize your fruit consumption to 40% of your total fruits-vegetables intake.
Day 2 - Juicing, Blending, Soups and Broths
This readies your body for the liquid diet and allows for a faster delivery of macro nutrients to the bloodstream because of the breaking down of foods to liquid form.
Juice fruits and vegetables, using whatever combination that appeals to you. Make smoothies, or soups, or broths.
Day 3 – Orange Juice
Make 2 liters of orange juice. That’s it.
Drink 6-12 glasses of lemon juice per day during the whole duration of the diet. No food will be consumed. Therefore, the lemon just must be taken in when you get hungry or you feel weak.
Also, don’t forget to hydrate. Drink plenty of pure water during the day.
Take herbal laxative tea twice a day, in the morning and at night OR the salt water flush. This will ensure regular bowel movement even in the absence of solid foods.
The post-diet routine is exactly the same as the pre-diet routine, except that it is done in reverse. This prepares your digestive system for the re-introduction of complex foods.
Day 1 – Orange Juice
Day 2 - Juicing, Blending, Soups and Broths
Day 3 - Living Food Diet
2 tbs lemon juice, freshly squeezed
2 tbs grade B maple syrup
cayenne pepper
Mix ingredients in a glass with 10 ounces of water.
2 tsp sea salt (not table salt)
a quart of water
Mix and drink.
The Lemonade diet revolves around the assumption of the diet’s capacity to rid the body of toxins. These toxins are believed to be the reason why it’s difficult to lose weight. The lemonade itself is believed to possess special detoxification properties which can restore health and encourage weight loss.
All weight losses associated with the diet is due to the serious cut on calorie intake.
Advantages:
Disadvantages:
Melinda Johnson, RD, spokesperson for American Dietetic Association confirmed that there is no scientific evidence that the lemonade diet is necessary in order to detoxify and/or lose weight. Johnson added that crash diets get rid of lean muscles, not belly fat and that losing muscle mass affects our metabolism.
WebMD fitness expert Pamela Peeke, MD agrees with Johnson in that when diets, such as this Lemonade Diet, results in a body that will be “higher in fat but lower in muscle”.
Dr. Roger Clemens of the American Society for Nutrition, on the other hand, worries about the safety of the diet as it could lead to serious medical conditions since the body can break down due to prolonged starvation.
The Lemonade diet severely lacks nutrition, putting anyone’s health at risk. If truth be told, there is nothing so special about lemonades. They cannot magically burn fats. It is not a long-term solution and therefore, not recommended.
There are far better and healthier ways to lose weight. Eat wisely!