The Master Cleanse Diet: Legit or Scam?

The Master Cleanse Diet, also known as the Lemonade Diet, has been around for nearly 50 years. The diet became widely popular after celebrity Beyonce announced she had lost 20 pounds on the diet to prepare for her role in the movie Dreamgirls. I recently heard Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star, Yolanda Foster, rave about the Master Cleanse Diet. With so many fad diets out there, is the Lemonade Diet something we can count on and see healthy, long lasting results with?

Yes, this is one of those diets where you will only be taking in liquids, no solid foods. That right there sounds extremely hard for me. It is a lemon/maple syrup mixture you drink for up to two weeks. So, where are we getting our important, daily vitamins?

The Master Cleanse lacks in essential vitamins such as:  calories, vitamins, minerals, protein, carbs, fat and fiber. I suggest if you ever take the Master Cleanse diet, do not do any physical activity because you might fall over! A single serving of the Master Cleanse consists of:

• 2 Tbsp lemon juice
• 2 Tbsp organic maple syrup (no Aunt Jemima)
• 1/10 tsp cayenne pepper
• 10 ounces filtered water

After the 14 day diet, dieters are advised to slowly start incorporating solids (real food) back into their bodies. Honestly, this sounds nuts. A two-week lemon juice diet?! I don't think so. Nutritionists also say you may experience fatigue, nausea, headaches, etc during the 14 days. Well, I guess so! I wouldn't expect strength, alertness or energy with this Master Cleanse. If you have tried the Master Cleanse before and it worked for you, that's wonderful. However, I think I'll just stick to my regular and healthy diet.