The Master Cleanser/ The Lemonade Diet

"The Master Cleanser diet otherwise known as the lemonade diet has been around close to 50 years. It's the easiest, most delicious, effective cleansing and weight loss diet available."
-Editorial Review, Amazon.com

The Master Cleanser, a.k.a. The Lemonade Diet, was created by Stanley Burroughs, and has been around for over 40 years.

The Diet consists of fasting to rid the body of toxins, created by...
*improper diet
*lack of exercise
*and negative mental attitudes.

The purpose of the Lemonade Diet is to...
- dissolve and eliminate toxins and congestion
- cleanse the kidneys and digestive system
- purify glands
- eliminate waste and hardened materials in the joints and muscles
- build a healthy bloodstream
- maintain optimal blood pressure
- and to lose weight

As a reducing diet it is superior in every way, reducing fat at a rate of about two (2) pounds a day for most persons, without harmful side effects (retrieved 07/23/06 from http://www.thelemonadediet.com/).

The basics of the cleanse:
Every day, drink 6 to 12 ten ounce glasses of the lemonade, and plenty of water throughout the day.
In the evening drink a laxative herbal tea, and in the morning do the salt-water flush. That's it!

The lemonade drink consists of...
- 10 ounces of spring or purified water
- 1 to 2 tablespoons Grade B or C pure, organic maple syrup
- 2 tablespoons of freshly squeezed lemon or lime juice
and
- 1/10th teaspoon of cayenne pepper

The lemonade drink contains all the vitamins and minerals your body will need while you are on the cleanse, so no other food or drink (other than water, and an occassional mint tea if desired) is to be consumed.

If you feel hungry, Burroughs suggests you drink more lemonade or water. And it works!! The first time I tried the cleanse, I was not hungry the entire 11 days I was on it.

The lemon drink releases toxins and congestion in your body every time you drink it. To flush out these released toxins, Burroughs recommends the salt-water flush...

The salt-water flush, done each morning, consists of...
- 2 teaspoons uniodized sea salt
and
- 32 ounces of warm purified water

For most, it is difficult to get 32 ounces of salt-water down. It's common to feel like you are going to throw up - gagging, and watering of the mouth is also common. But, as time goes on, I have found that it gets easier.

Also, and this is not mentioned in the book, I use EFT to help control my bodies reaction to the salt water. So far, I am able to get the entire 32 ounces down in 5 to 10 minutes! The mind, and what you tell yourself, really DOES make a difference in how you will react.

I have read about other people who do a 16/16 sort of deal, where they have 16 ounces of the salt-water and 16 ounces of regular water. This does have the flushing effect, but not as well as the entire 32 ounces. I have tried both, and it really is best to follow the instructions in Burroughs book to a T.

As a digestive tract flush, the salt-water flush is superior!! In 1 to 2 hours, the flushing begins. It's best to be near a toilet when this occurs - trust me! After anywhere from 3 to 6 eliminations later, you are good to go for the rest of the day.

Burroughs does mention in his book, that if you can't handle the salt-water flush, you can use the laxative tea you drink at night in the morning instead of the salt-water. But the salt-water truly is the best way to get all the toxins the lemonade drink released, out.

That's it! Burroughs includes special instructions in his book on how to break the cleanse, which I will discuss more when I am doing that.

As someone who has done the cleanse once before, it truly is a great way to clean out your system if you are feeling sick or tired or overweight. It's a wonderful way to cleanse your body before starting a new diet program of healthy, fresh foods!!

Recommendations to anyone wishing to try the cleanse:

- READ burroughs book before starting. Another book, which I recently bought and should receive in a couple days is, "Lose Weight, Have More Energy & Be Happier in 10 Days, Second Edition" by Peter Glickman. This book, "is the only book devoted exclusively to the Master Cleanse since Stanley Burroughs wrote the original book in 1976! It covers the widespread nature of obesity, the body's method of handling toxins by creating fat cells to store them in, how to do the cleanse, and what pitfalls to avoid. This book also contains personal experiences from scores of people as they did the cleanse day by day as well as answers to the most frequently asked questions!" - www.Amazon.com

- Prepare yourself... if you live with others, help them to understand what you are doing so you will have the support you need.

- Write down what your health & life goals are, so you can proceed with a purpose!

- If possible, do it with a friend or family member. It makes it more fun, and it's easier when you have support.

- Don't give up on yourself. The only person you let down when you fail, is yourself. You have control over you and your health.

- Preventative maintenance is worth it! In the words of a wonderful woman, my Mom,
"You will always find out in the end that preventative maintenance is the best plan. Whether you are talking about a car or a human being. Take the little steps in advance to stay healthy, instead of the huge, invasive proceedures to regain good health. Actually, you only need to have regular check ups on the body parts that you feel are important. The rest don't matter..."