Lemon Cleansing by Fasting

People have followed the practice of fasting for centuries to improve overall health and well-being. Traditionally, fasting occurred in the spring, after a winter of eating poorly. In modern times, people fast anytime. As long as the process is monitored by a doctor, and practiced in moderation, fasting is generally considered safe and effective. Supplementing a fast with lemon juice is thought to help cleanse the body of toxins faster.

Fasting for Health

Fasting basically gives the digestive system a break. Ease into it by forgoing meat, alcohol, caffeine and fatty foods a few days before starting a lemon cleansing fast. The same also holds true for ending one; ease out of a fast by slowly adding back foods into your diet. Most experts agree that a fast should be considered as the beginning of a lifestyle change for best results. So simply not eating for three days, and then resuming poor eating habits, may do more harm than good to a person's metabolism.

Fasting vs. Cleansing

Technically, a juice fast like the Master Cleanse, which relies on drinking lemon juice and water mixed with maple syrup and cayenne powder, is not a true fast. A true fast entails drinking only water for a period of one to several days. A cleanse, on the other hand, includes herbs and juices (such as lemon juice) to help purge toxins from the body.

Master Cleanse

Cleansing fasts were popularized by alternative health theorist Stanley Burroughs in the 1940s. In the strict regimen Burroughs outlined, the person wishing to cleanse must drink a mixture of lemon juice, maple syrup and cayenne powder in pure water for 10 days. There are also sea salt flushes, and laxative teas that are taken as well.

Lemon Cleanse by Fasting

Lemon juice has been considered a powerful liver detoxing agent in natural medicine. Some natural health practitioners believe that it's not necessary to drink only lemon juice for 10 days, as in the Master Cleanse, and simply drinking the juice of one lemon in a glass of water night before bed will achieve similar results.