How Effective is a Master Cleanse Diet?

The master cleanse diet, also known as the maple syrup diet or lemonade diet, is claimed to be a quick plan for weight loss. Originally developed as a detoxification program and weight loss plan, it became very popular a few years ago. In this plan, a person is kept on lemon juice concoction diet for about two weeks without any solid food.

In this diet, solid food is not allowed, but the nutritional gap is not bridged with supplements. The person fully depends on a lemon juice concoction that helps in losing weight. In a day, the person is asked to drink more than six glasses of lemonade. When needed, the person can have herbal laxatives in the night, which is the only other food that is allowed. The drink consists of lemon juice, organic maple syrup, cayenne pepper and water. After the duration of the diet, the person can gradually get back into routine diet starting with vegetable soup, fruits, and vegetables.

As the person drinks only lemon juice, the calorie intake is considerably reduced, which results in a deficit. The person tends to lose water and muscles to make up for the calorie deficit in the body. Fat loss is much less in this diet. Reduced calories in the diet may result in hunger, headaches, fatigue, sluggishness, diarrhea, nausea, and constipation. Further, detoxification with lemonade diet may not be necessary, as the body has its natural mechanisms to get rid of toxins from the body. There is no scientific evidence to prove that lemonade diet will help in purifying the body of toxins.

Experts are of the opinion that lemonade diet may not be required to detox, cleanse, and lose weight. Quitting smoking is the best way to prevent accumulation of toxins in the body. Under normal conditions, the liver performs the function of detoxification very effectively. The lemonade diet basically lacks all major nutrients, like vitamins, minerals, proteins, carbohydrates, and fiber. Limiting these essential nutrients may be dangerous for health. A diet that is unbalanced may be ineffective and risky, say experts.

These fad diets may affect the presence of beneficial bacteria in the intestine. Quick loss of weight may result in higher fat content and lower muscle mass. Dieticians recommend that if weight loss has to be rapid for any reason, one should get more aerobic exercise, reduce the calorie intake, and have a well-balanced diet.