Photo: Jingjing Cheng / Flickr

The Master Cleanse is one of the more recent dieting fads, popularized by pop superstar Beyonce Knowles, who reportedly followed the diet for 10 days in order to lose 20 lbs for her role in the 2006 film Dreamgirls. But, like other extreme ‘detox’ style diets, the Master Cleanse comes with its fair share of cons, and one should think carefully before following Beyonce’s methods to get rid of that Christmas bulge.

How it works

During the detox period, all solid food is replaced with a drink made from lemon water, cayenne pepper and maple syrup, drunk throughout the day. This is combined with salt water, drunk in the morning, and a herbal laxative tea in the evening, which aids the ‘purging’ process.

Proponents of the diet claim that it ‘cleanses’ the body of all toxins, while proving extremely efficient as means of weight loss. As Beyonce, and other celebrities such as Jared Leto and Naomi Campbell have proved, the diet certainly does get the extra pounds off exceptionally quickly. However, there is some controversy over the diet’s role in detoxification, a process that naturally takes place via processes in our organs such as the liver, kidneys and skin.

Detox diets like the Master Cleanse are intended to provide relief to an over-stressed liver; however, save for cases involving excessive alcohol consumption or obesity, most people have a fully functioning liver, and do not require additional help in order to flush out toxins. For this reason, many feel that a detox diet amounts to little more than controlled starvation.

Risks

Most nutritionists agree that the Master Cleanse is not a particularly healthy weight loss method. Calorie intake is severely depleted, which can result in muscle breakdown, headaches and dizziness. Samuel Klein, director of human nutrition at Washington University, claims that a lengthy period of fasting, which is essentially what the Master Cleanse involves, can have significant adverse effects on liver and kidney function. If the diet is followed for too long, or too often, permanent damage to these vital organs can take place.

Alternatives

Not all detox diets are this extreme, or unhealthy. This is a simple seven-day detox meal plan, which focuses on replacing things like wheat, milk, alcohol, sugar and red meat with healthier options, such as fresh fruit and vegetables, tuna, yoghurt and rice cakes, instead of cutting out solid foods completely.

If all this isn’t enough to put you off trying out the Master Cleanse, consider this: Stanley Burroughs, who originally formulated the diet in the 1940s, was convicted of murder and practicing medicine illegally when he recommended the Master Cleanse to a cancer sufferer who subsequently died after 30 days on the programme!

Tags: detox, diet, eating healthily