While I relish extreme cuisine (Korean silkworms, here I come), I do not like excessive diets. However, in the name of "Dieter's Diary," I went on the Master Cleanser Diet, also known as the Lemonade Diet.
Created by Stanley Burroughs, the Lemonade Diet is an all-out cleanse intended to eliminate the body's toxins, which then allows the body to heal itself.
Burroughs makes some big promises: If followed strictly, the diet will reverse "the habits of improper diet, inadequate exercise, negative mental attitudes and lack of spiritual attunement."
He claims the diet brings rapid weight loss (about 2 pounds per day) and the healing of all types of infections and imbalances, even ulcers and allergies.
"People build strong, healthy bodies from [eating] the correct foods, or they build diseased bodies from [consuming] incorrect foods," Burroughs says. "When disease does become necessary, the Lemonade Diet will prove its superior cleansing and building."
The diet is simple: Drink as much water and nutrient-laden lemonade as needed, along with daily doses of laxative, and herbal tea in the mornings and evenings. It is intended to be followed for a minimum of 10 days, followed by three days of light meals, added to slowly re-accustom the body to solid food.
Burroughs' lemonade is an easily prepared mixture of freshly squeezed lemon juice, maple syrup and cayenne pepper. It tastes good enough, until you realize it is all you will be drinking for a week and a half.
Supposedly, Burroughs' lemonade provides "all the nutrition needed during this time, [as] lemons and limes are the
richest sources of vitamins of any food."
While I (and the American Medical Association) would tend to disagree, my experience seems to substantiate some of Burroughs' claims. I never once felt tired or hungry. In fact, as the diet progressed, I felt more energized.
After doing this diet for 13 days, Burroughs made good on his promise: I dropped two dress sizes, my sense of smell
sharpened, and my taste buds became more sensitive. I was even able to do some advanced yoga postures that I could never do before.
I would definitely recommend the diet, but be forewarned: It is highly reminiscent of being trapped on a desert island with only a preachy hippie as your guide. You roll your eyes, are shocked (and strangely amused) and start to suspect maybe the revolution won't be televised.
Stanley Burroughs' Lemonade:
2 tablespoons lemon (about 1/2 lemon)
2 tablespoons Grade A maple syrup (not maple-flavored sugar syrup)
1/10 teaspoon cayenne pepper (red pepper), or to taste
10 ounces water (spring or purified), medium-hot
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