Lemonade Fasting: Does It Work?

We all know that losing weight is, to say the least, hard. One of the many ways that has become popular for weight loss is intermittent fasting. People are also trying several diet plans and detox drinks to further promote weight loss. One of these is the lemonade diet.

For faster results, most people have been following weight loss diet plans when or before fasting. Such techniques have given birth to concepts like lemonade fasting. 

In this article, we will be discussing everything there is to know about this weight loss technique. Let us get started!

What Is Lemonade Fasting?

It refers to the combination of a fast and the lemonade diet. Most people follow this technique some days before they start their fast or during the fast. The lemonade diet is also known as master cleanse and refers to a liquid-only diet made up of a lemonade-like drink, saltwater beverage, and herbal laxative tea (5).

The diet plan is very popular and has even been used by celebrities like Beyoncé. The development of this eating plan dates back to Stanley Burrough’s book entitled “The Master Cleanser”.

The book goes into detail about master cleanse. However, there are several variations of the book, which might explain the different definitions people have of the master cleanse diet. This diet is widely used by people to ease into fasting. But some people may find themselves following the diet even while fasting. Do not follow this diet to this extent without seeking professional advice first.

Read More: Lemon Maple Syrup Diet: The Master Cleanse Program For Quick Weight Loss

What To Eat During A Lemonade Fasting Cleanse?

You are only required to consume lemonade and herbal laxative tea for the first 10 fasting days (5). Solid foods, juices, coffee, and alcohol are banned during these ten 10 days. However, after this duration, you can gradually introduce solid food. 

Here is an overview of healthy foods that food experts recommend you break lemonade fasting with:

• Juice

You are advised to drink the juice immediately after breaking from your fast. The most recommended type of juice by experts is orange juice. It is preferred because it is easy to digest and assimilates well with regular food. Remember to also drink enough water and talk to your doctor if you have a citrus allergy.

• Soups

WebMD advises you to also break your fast with juices and soups (5). However, take it slow and go for healthy soups prepared with healthy ingredients. 

Some examples of healthy soups to consider include (1):

• Green pesto minestrone (Calories- 334, Fat- 17g, Carbs- 24g, and Protein- 19g)
• Spiced lentil and butternut squash soup (Calories- 167, Fat- 5g, Carbs- 23g, and Protein- 6g)
• Winter vegetable and lentil soup (Calories- 264, Fat- 3g, Carbs- 37g, and Protein- 16g)
• Cauliflower soup (Calories- 176, Fat- 8g, Carbs- 14g, and Protein- 8g)
• Celery soup (Calories- 163, Fat- 9g, Carbs- 15g, and Protein- 3g)
• Mushroom and potato soup (Calories- 315, Fat- 15g, Carbs- 33g, and Protein- 12g)
• Gazpacho with runner bean tempura and pickled coriander seeds (Calories- 240, Fat- 15g, Carbs- 21g, and Protein- 4g)
• Rustic vegetable soup: (Calories- 162, Fat- 5g, Carbs- 19g, and Protein- 7g)
• Celeriac, hazelnut, and truffle soup (Calories- 237, Fat- 15g, Carbs- 14g, and Protein- 5g)
• Cabbage soup (Calories- 156, Fat- 5 g, Carbs- 16 g, and Protein- 6 g)

• Fruits And Vegetables

After drinking juices and soups for a while, food experts recommend you now introduce some fruits and vegetables (5). They mostly recommend fresh vegetables like zucchini, celery, squash, tomatoes, green peppers, and onions. Similarly, they will recommend fresh fruits like apples, cucumbers, and strawberries. This can then be followed by very little meat. Dairy products should be put off until later.

• Salads

The other thing you will be advised to eat when breaking your lemonade fast is a salad. However, not every salad fits the bill. The salads you choose should be prepared using healthy fruits and vegetables. 

Talk to your nutritionist once more to get ideas for such salads. You can ask them to prepare you some salad recipes that you can prepare at home instead of always purchasing your salads.

• Resume Healthy Eating

After a few days of eating salads, soups, and juices, you can gradually resume normal healthy eating. Remember that healthy eating limits processed and junk food (5). Again, talk to your doctor and nutritionist when making any major dietary changes.

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How Does Lemonade Fasting Work?

The premise is simple. Avoid solid food for the next few days and drink only lemonades and herbal laxative tea for weight loss. Some people choose to consume these lemonades during intermittent fasting, while others drink the lemonades while fasting using other techniques. But what is the overall concept?

During these ten days, the master cleanse diet drastically reduces your calorie intake. Remember that you lose weight when you consume fewer calories than your body is burning. This diet helps you create and maintain a calorie deficit for weight loss.

However, there has been a long-term debate about the effectiveness of such cleansing or detox diets. Some believe they promote weight loss through detoxification. However, according to Medical News Today, there is no concrete proof to show that these diets promote weight loss or detoxification (6). 

Highly restrictive diets typically result in unsustainable weight loss which comes back as soon as you start eating normally again (6).

Does Master Cleanse Work?

Diets can work if they help you maintain a sustainable calorie deficit for weight loss. Highly restrictive diets and cleanses are not sustainable. Furthermore, Medical News Today acknowledges that there is no proof to show that this diet promotes detoxification (7). 

It is because the detoxification concept does not align with how the body conducts this process. The body naturally breaks down and removes toxins like alcohol, bacteria, and metabolism by-products (7).

It does this through various organs. One is the large intestine, which absorbs essential nutrients from food and then distributes it to the bloodstream. The extra nutrients are then excreted as solid waste (7).

Another organ responsible for detoxification is the kidney. It filters the blood to get rid of excess water and waste (7). The liver also helps in detoxification and cleansing your blood (7). In light of this, you can tell that detox drinks and diets are not mentioned anywhere in the detoxification process.

So, it is safe to say that cleanses or detox diets do not promote weight by triggering detoxification. Instead, they dramatically reduce the amount of energy you consume.

Read More: The Lemon Diet: Can You Lose Weight On This Citrus Juice Plan?

How Many Calories Can You Lose With Master Cleanse?

There is no standard number of calories that you can burn when following this diet. Remember that weight loss is influenced by other factors, including how active you are, your sleeping patterns, genes, and lifestyle.

Even so, the CDC advises people to lose weight gradually, healthily, and steadily by targeting one or two pounds weight loss per week (3). Cleanses and fasts typically result in rapid, unsustainable weight loss that is gained back as soon as you stop the diet.

Is Lemonade Fasting Healthy?

Although a master cleanse allows you to shed pounds, food experts advise you to be very cautious with this diet. Following this diet for more than 10 days can result in health problems such as malnutrition. 

Similarly, it may lead to rapid weight loss, which is associated with short-term effects like headaches, fatigue, dizziness, constipation, irritability, menstrual irregularities, hair, and muscle loss (4).

If followed for a longer duration, it may lead to malnutrition, dehydration, electrolyte imbalances, and gallstones (4). Remember that a diet without protein is also risky. Most of the lemonade recipes we have listed have zero or low protein content.

Again, the dangers may increase and get severe the longer you follow this diet. If you feel like following this diet for longer, make sure you talk to your doctor for further advice. Similarly, talk to your doctor about following the master cleanse diet when you are fasting. It may not be safe for some people, especially those with conditions like diabetes (4).

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What Is The Best Lemonade Fasting Diet Recipe?

This question has become common because dieters are looking for the most efficient recipe to lose their stubborn body fat. Well, as mentioned above, you can only have lemonade or the saltwater flush during the first ten 10 days.

Unfortunately, over time, people have changed the rules and try to accommodate more lemonade recipes. There is no known lemonade diet recipe of those developed over time that can assure you will lose weight fast.

However, there are some common recipes that most people find suitable and consider when following this diet plan. 

Some of these include (2):

• Easy lemonade (Calories- 140, Fat- 0 g, Carbs- 37 g, and Protein- 0 g)
• Watermelon lemonade (Calories- 243, Fat- 1 g, Carbs- 54 g, and Protein- 4 g)
• Homemade pink lemonade (Calories- 141, Fat- 0 g, Carbs- 35 g, and Protein- 1 g)
• Zingy blackberry lemonade (Calories- 69, Fat- 0 g, Carbs- 15 g, and Protein- 1 g)
• Carrot lemonade (Calories- 40, Fat- 0 g, Carbs- 10 g, and Protein- 0.1 g) 
• Pink lemonade (Calories- 57, Fat- 0 g, Carbs- 15 g, and Protein- 0 g)
• Gooseberry and mint lemonade (Calories- 103, Fat- 0 g, Carbs- 26 g, and Protein- 0 g)

If you are interested in any of the listed lemonade recipes, make sure you talk to your nutritionist about them.

Remember that they have to meet your nutritional needs and maintain a calorie deficit to promote weight loss. Similarly, they must align with the master cleanse requirements.

The Bottom Line 

Lemonade fasting is a technique that people use before or during their fast that seems to follow the master cleanse diet. The lemonade or master cleanse diet allows you to only drink lemonade and herbal laxative tea. It may promote weight loss by helping you maintain a calorie deficit but not through detoxification, and the weight loss may not be sustainable. Make sure you talk to your doctor before you start this technique for weight loss.