The cleanse diet is the new trendy way to lose weight, but it’s also surrounded by many controversies. While some alternative medicine providers support the use of a cleanse diet in weight loss, there are doctors and dietitians that don’t recommend putting your body to this kind of stress. The truth may lie somewhere in the middle.
What Is a Cleanse Diet?
A cleanse diet implies limiting the solid food intake for a certain period of time, usually a week, by replacing normal meals with water and fruit based drinks. This is why a cleanse diet is often called a juice cleanse diet for weight loss, because the stomach is only receiving liquids.
Master Cleanse Diet for Weight Loss
One of the best weight loss cleanse diets is the Master Cleanse by Stanley Burroughs who helped Beyoncé become truly slender for her role in “Dreamgirls”. This liquid based diet helped her shed pounds in just a few weeks, by cleansing and detoxifying her body.
The Master Cleanse Diet, also called the Lemonade Diet or Master Cleanse Lemonade Fast, consists of consuming a cocktail of lemon or lime juice with maple syrup and cayenne pepper, all mixed with water. You have to drink this beverage for about 6-12 times a day, without eating any solid food. You must also consume herbal laxative tea for getting rid of all toxins in the body and intensifying your metabolism.
This cleanse diet can be followed for 10 days or even more, depending on your resistance.
Cleanse Diet for Weight Loss Advantages
One of the first advantages of the cleanse diet is the really fast weight loss, because the body is forced to consume its energy stores in order to function. While losing weight, the juice cleanse diets also help expelling toxins stored inside, or so they say. After only one day of drinking water and cleansing fruits, you feel lighter, no longer bloated or constipated (and very, very hungry, of course).
The lemon, maple syrup and fruit antioxidants could have a positive impact on your immune system, proving vitamins and other nutrients that increase the body’s resistance to disease. Another possible advantage is the low cost, since water and lemons aren’t too expensive. If you’re buying other cleansing products, the price advantage is no longer valid (they can get quite pricey).
Cleanse Diet for Weight Loss Disadvantages
On the other hand, there are also disadvantages when it comes to cleanse diets. Although you lose weight fast, the body also consumes the proteins stored in your muscles, making loose important muscular mass. The detoxifying effect is also denied by many, especially by certain studies that found no biochemical reason why a normal diet would choke your body with toxins.
Also, the trauma suffered by the food deprivation could do more harm to you body, making it susceptible to viruses and bacteria. The severe calorie deprivation could lead to a lack of energy and a really slow metabolism, as the body struggles to function with limited biochemical resources.
You might also like:Detox Diets Pros and ConsEasy Fruit Detox Diet RecipesSimple Diet Strategies for Weight LossPhotos: Thinkstock
