The Master Cleanse
This 10 day cleanse benefits everyone, and especially those who are overweight, or need to remove old toxins.
I loved it because I didn’t feel hungry. It was great not to think about food. I felt clear, calm, and clean afterwards, and it was something I could easily prepare myself at home.
Although I’ve done it in the past for 10 days as they suggest, if you generally eat healthy, I recommend 3-5 days to begin with so you can enjoy the benefits without the possible side effects.
Read more about the benefits, side-effects, and contraindications of the cleanse
Why do the Master Cleanse?
- Like any cleanse, it hits the restart button on your eating habits to allow you to shift unhealthy eating patterns afterwards
- There is more time to spring-clean other parts of your life when you don’t have to go shopping or think about food
- It is a liquid mono-diet that is cost-effective, non-starving, easy, and an effective method of total body detoxification
- Like other cleanses, it breaks down wastes, and cleans the receptor sites of cells while regenerating unhealthy tissues and cells in the body
Benefits: may include a clearer in mind, better sleep, healthier skin and hair, and reduced inflammation.
Possible side-effects: might include low energy, chills, loss of muscle, anemia.
Contraindications: Weakness, severe anemia, people with organ transplants or those on immunosuppressant drugs.
Protocol
Ingredients: local lemons, maple syrup, cayenne pepper, a herbal laxative (or laxative tea), sea salt.
For a 5-day cleanse, you will need the following:
- 30-40 lemons depending on size
- 1.25 litres Maple Syrup
- 1/4 cup sea salt or himalayan salt
- 10 litres of good quality (or spring) water
- 60 g of Cayenne pepper
- Box of Herbal laxative tea
Instructions
- Before the cleanse, slowly reduce and eliminate animal protein, dairy, caffeine, alcohol, tobacco, fizzy drinks (including water), and stop supplements.
- Drink a herbal laxative tea the night before you start the cleanse and every night during (it is normal to have ¾ eliminations a day during the cleanse but if it is much more than this and you feel you don’t have control stop drinking the tea).
- In the morning drink salt water (slowly over 10-15 minutes to avoid nausea). You can alternate this with a laxative tea moving forward. Saltwater is eliminated within 1.5 hours, so if you don’t pass this water you may be deficient in salt or other trace minerals. Add more salt next time.
- After the saltwater is eliminated, drink some lemonade. Drink 6-12 cups per day, and drink drink every time you feel hungry, tired, or cold.
- Drink warm water or herbal tea if you feel dehydrated.
Saltwater recipe
- 2 teaspoons of salt
- 1.5 litres of warm water
Lemonade recipe (1 cup)
- 2 tablespoons of freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 1-2 tablespoons of Maple syrup
- 1/10 teaspoon of Cayenne pepper (or to taste)
- 300 ml of water (room temperature)
Some say to make the lemonade fresh every time but if that doesn’t float your boat…
Mix equal amounts of lemon juice and maple syrup and keep it cool in a thermos or the fridge. Measure 4 tablespoons of this mixture into a glass, and add water and 1/10 teaspoon cayenne pepper. As soon as you add water, drink within 5-10 minutes.
Breaking the fast
Day 1 – Orange juice – prepares the digestive system for regular food. Drink it slowly. You can dilute it with water.
Day 2 – Orange juice in the morning, vegetable broth with some solid vegetables in it.
Day 3 – Orange juice in the morning, vegetable soup in the afternoon and cooked vegetables in the evening. Avoid meat, fish, eggs, bread, pastries, tea, coffee, or milk.
Day 4 – Resume normal eating slowly. If you experience discomfort or gas, continue the lemonade diet for another day until your system is ready for food because your body is trying to continue the detox mode.
As always, these are general recommendations but I urge you to listen to your body.
