The Master Cleanse Diet
Although the recipe varies from source to source the ingredients are generally the same. The Master Cleanse involves eating no solid food. Instead, you drink a mixture of lemon juice, maple syrup, water and Cayenne pepper.
This mix can be taken cold, as a cordial, or hot, as a tea. The mix contains some essential vitamins and minerals, and some sugars – avoiding the ketosis experienced on the Atkins diet or from pure water fasting. The Cayenne is used primarily for its effect of promoting metabolic activity.
As solid food is not eaten it is necessary to help the digestive system eliminate material and avoid constipation. This is achieved in two ways: laxative tea is taken every night, and in the morning, a large volume of lukewarm brackish water serves as a top-down enema. The salt in the water is salt-balanced compared to the blood; ie, the salt level sufficient that the water is not easily absorbed by the intestines, yet not salty enough to make one gag as it is drunk or suffer from excess salt symptoms. This passes through the digestive system extremely quickly – 30-60 minutes.
The diet is for a recommended minimum of ten days, although it is not uncommon for people to stay on the cleanse for longer periods of time.
Fasting for such long periods requires careful breaking, as intestinal cultures need to re-develop and mucus linings re-build. This usually involves drinking “full strength” juices for a day or two, while slowly adding in soups, then fruit, vegetables and nuts before resuming a regular diet. This fast break is an ideal time to add probiotics to re-establish a healthy intestinal culture.
stanley burroughs” align=”left” />The Master Cleanse is said by Stanley Burroughs and later authors to eliminate toxins and congestion that have built up in the body. It is a fast, not a diet – it is not a complete source of macro-nutrients. It should instead be considered as another form of fasting.
Supporters of the Master Cleanse have credited it with helping them lose weight, increase energy, and even alleviate some chronic diseases.
Those in the entertainment industry misunderstand fasting as a weight loss diet. Recently, the cleanse received media attention as a result of being embraced by some celebrities. The singer/actress Beyoncé did it for 10 days and lost 22lbs (9kg) for her role in the 2006 movie Dreamgirls. Howard Stern’s cohost Robin Quivers claims to have lost 73 lb using the Master Cleanse. Similarly, Jared Leto says he lost the weight he gained to play ‘Mark David Chapman’ (he gained 72 lbs.) all from the Master Cleanse.
Fasting to lose weight is a bad idea, however fasting in order to understand and hopefully lose overeating habits is quite a valid undertaking.
