Lemon Detox Diet

The concept of a detox diet has been around for some years. It has been popularized by celebrities like Mariah Carey and Beyonce Knowles, who claim to have lost considerable amount of weight by following such a diet. The lemon detox diet, also known as the master cleanse diet or the lemonade detox diet is one of the most famous of all detox diets. It involves having a drink made with fresh lemon juice, cayenne pepper and maple syrup for a period of seven days. This diet is generally undertaken for detoxification and weight loss.

Following this diet is quite challenging as you cannot have any solid food during the duration of the diet. The lemon diet drink is to be consumed for around 3 to 7 days. You need to consume around 6 to 12 glasses a day, every two hours. This detox diet is a very restrictive diet and it is seen to cause extreme tiredness, headaches and constipation.

The main ingredient of the lemon detox diet is freshly squeezed lemon juice. Other ingredients include organic maple syrup, cayenne pepper and water. You can substitute the maple syrup with natural tree syrup and the cayenne pepper can be substituted with ginger root. You also need to have a natural laxative, such as salt water or herbal tea.

To prepare the diet recipe, you will need 2 tablespoons of freshly squeezed lemon juice, 2 tablespoons of organic maple syrup or natural tree syrup and half a pinch of cayenne pepper or half teaspoon grated ginger root or ginger powder.

Mix all the ingredients well with 250 ml of warm water or water that is at room temperature and stir well before consumption. Those on a detox diet are advised to consume natural laxatives like herbal tea, at least once in a day. This is required to ease and stimulate bowel movement.

The diet helps to cleanse the colon and the digestive tract of toxin build up. An accumulation of toxins reduces the ability of the body to carry out its functions at an optimum level. Lemon juice, which is the most important ingredient in this diet, contains vitamin C, which helps in eliminating toxins from the body. Cayenne pepper, helps in boosting the metabolism of the body, aiding weight loss. Water hydrates the body and flushes out toxins from the body.

There are several benefits of following a detox diet. They are as follows.

• Improved digestion and circulation of blood
• Better functioning of the immune system and better resistance to illnesses
• Weight loss
• Elimination of toxins from the body
• Shinier hair, clearer skin and stronger nails
• Healthier lifestyle and a sense of well-being

As the lemon detox diet is not sustainable, any weight loss that a person experiences, is usually short-term. Once you are done with the diet and go back to your regular diet, you might regain weight.

Detox diets are meant to cleanse the body of toxins, which have accumulated in the body due to bad eating habits and lifestyle choices. These toxins in the body makes a person feel sluggish, tired and more prone to aches and pains. However, it is to be noted that our body is already well equipped to eliminate these toxins from our system.

Moreover, a detox diet is severely lacking in proteins, carbohydrates and essential nutrients, which is required for the proper functioning of the body.

Due to severe lack of calories, the body goes into starvation mode and a person starts feeling dizzy and tired. Some other side effects of following a detox diet are inability to concentrate, fluctuations in blood sugar levels and reduced work performance.

A liquid diet, such as the lemon detox does not provide adequate nourishment to the body. Any weight lost by following this diet is short-term and once you are off the diet, you will in all likelihood gain it back.

For a healthy body, it is best that you cut back on refined sugar and processed food and start adding whole grains and fresh fruits and vegetables to your diet.