The Master Cleanse: What, Why, and How

A few of us here at MBWHQ have decided to try the Master Cleanse to kick off our new year. I have heard about the Master Cleanse for several years from various friends and acquaintances. I have always intended to try it, but then just never got around to it… No more. This year, a few of us are going to start 2009 on a healthy note. Here is a little info on what the Master Cleanse is, and why we are trying it, in case you want to try it, too.

What is the Master Cleanse?

The Master Cleanse was designed by Stanley Burroughs about 50 years ago as sort of combination between a restrictive diet and a fast to help cleanse the body of toxins, undigested, and un-eliminated waste. It is essentially a 3-10 day lemonade diet. The lemonade includes filtered water, fresh lemon juice, cayenne pepper, and grade B maple syrup. These ingredients provide you with the nutrients you need, while also helping your body to clear toxins. You can also drink all the water you want, as well as decaffeinated herbal teas. Some people also use a laxative tea.

Why the Master Cleanse?

It doesn’t take too much searching to find lots of questions and criticisms about the health of the Western diet. Americans, and most westerners, tend to eat lots of processed foods, filled with refined sugars, artificial sweeteners and ingredients, and lots of chemicals. Lots of research indicates that these things are, at the best, completely devoid of nutrition, and at the worst, toxic. And then there is the polluted air, polluted water, and so forth… The Master Cleanse helps your body to clean itself of the build-up left behind by these toxins which, in turn, helps your body better process the good things you put into it. This can help you to lose weight, feel better, increase your energy levels, look healthier, and improve the function of your internal organs. Everyone is different, so people see different results. I hope that doing the cleanse will not only improve my energy levels and help me shed a few unwanted pounds, but that the process of completing it will help to encourage me to improve upon an already decently-healthy diet. I already eat a lot of whole foods, fruits, and vegetables, but I would like to continue to improve the choices I make. I think that the effort that goes into this cleanse will help to to think twice before stopping for fast food, or eating highly processed foods or lots of meat.

How do you do the Master Cleanse?

The Master Cleanse is essentially a 3-10 day liquid fast. You combine a laxative tea or salt flush with a daily intake of at least 60 oz. of the lemonade, plenty of water, and some herbal teas, if desired. At the end of the cleanse, you slowly add solids back into your diet, taking it slow so as not to send your digestive track into a tailspin. To help continue the benefits of the cleanse, you might want to try to eliminate or limit the amount of refined and processed foods from your diet. The cleanse is recommended at least once a year. For more information on the cleanse, you can look for Stanley Burrough’s book, or visit this website:

http://mastercleansesecrets.com/

As a reminder, we are not making any health claims or promising any benefits if you do decide to try the cleanse yourself. Fasts, elimination, and restrictive diets can be dangerous for people with certain health conditions, so you should always check with a doctor before beginning one. The MindBites crew wishes you a happy and healthy New Year!

If you are interested in fasting/cleansing, but The Master Cleanse isn’t for you, check out this variation of the cleanse, on MindBites.

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3 Comments

1. lux, January 7, 2009:

   I’m trying it too! Day 3

2. Sasha, January 7, 2009:

   Hello Guys,

   Thanks for the blog. I am new to The Master Cleanse. I have 3 days under my belt and I’m excited. My goal is to continue for 7 additional days.

   One thing that I did not know is that you can actually drink water and herbal tea while on the cleanse. Thanks for your blog guys because that’s how I found out.

   Does anyone know what I can expect after the 10 days, i.e. weight loss, clear skin, etc?

3. THom, January 14, 2009:

   You can expect to gain back the weight loss within 30 days I would say. Not sure why people buy the idea to a detox diet, guess it sounds good whether there is such a thing or not.