Introduction
Weight-loss is more than just a goal or something people try to achieve. Surrounding the concept is what people are willing to do, and pay, resulting in a multi-billion dollar market with products and services ranging from good potential to high-risk and downright harmful.
From personal training to nutrition plans, bars, teas, pills, workout plans & videos, support groups, and everything in between, it’s easy to see (without even looking at a decline in our nation’s statistics) that weight-loss is a massive issue in Canada and other first-world countries.
With all this in mind, I can only stress one thing in response:
The answer to healthy weight-loss and the maintenance of healthy body composition is and only ever will be a lifestyle.
Although there are many approaches to having a low body-fat percentage, I strongly affirm that the only way of achieving this while providing the nutrients needed for the proper mental and physical function is the full embrace of sustainable life-term choices, most of these having their physical outworking in the sphere of nutrition.
The Master Cleanse
So what about the title of this post? The master cleanse is a temporary, restrictive diet that alters your physiology with the intentions of:
- Rapid fat-loss,
- Release of toxins stored in the body’s tissues
- The cleaning and complete rest of the digestive system, resulting in decreased stress on many of the body’s internal organs.
The diet is based on a cocktail – a combination of organic lemon, dark maple syrup, and organic cayenne pepper. Non-caffeinated teas are also used for a variety of purposes.
The restrictions include any and all food intake, caffeinated beverages & alcohol.
Since the cleanse induces a powerful shift in the body’s physiology, certain physical stresses (like heavy lifting, intense exercise or high personal stress) should be avoided, particularly in the first few days.
The duration of the cleanse can be anywhere from a couple days to a few weeks. I’ve personally trained individuals who, of their own initiative, have done the cleanse for 50 days at a time.
I’ve seen these individuals in very good mental and physical health and done low-intensity training towards the end of the cleanse and see that their function is actually very healthy.
Nutrition
To back up the cleanse is, for a diet of its type, surprisingly a balanced nutritional profile, with only one contraindication that I’d like to know more about. Let’s have a look:
- Maple Syrup: The source of calories, in this case, almost solely carbohydrates. Though easily and rapidly digested, maple syrup does not stimulate as much of an insulin-response as other sugars of its accessibility. Dark syrup provides a broad spectrum of B-vitamins, many of which are responsible for turning fats and carbs into available energy. It is also a source of Zinc, which is important for immune and sexual function, as well as manganese, an important micro-mineral antioxidant involved in energy production.
- Lemon: Although lemon is very acidic, it has an alkalizing effect on the body when digested. This provides a key factor in allowing your body to release a lot of your body’s stored fat for use as energy (which has an acidic effect on the body). Lemon is also a great source of electrolytes magnesium, calcium, and potassium, which are absolutely essential to bodily function. It also includes the essential mineral iron. Juice from a fresh-squeezed lemon contains enzymes similar to digestive and liver enzymes. This theoretically helps your liver and pancreas rest, while reducing your body’s need for protein. As for protein, a lemon contains almost 1 gram, which is minuscule but still present. Oddly enough, lemon also contains a minuscule amount of fat, including omega fatty acids, important for metabolic and brain function.
- Cayenne Pepper: Rich in beta-carotene, a powerful antioxidant in which your body turns into vitamin A. Also a source of vitamin K. The capsaicin, while providing heat, also fights inflammation while providing circulatory and cardiovascular benefits along with a boost to the metabolism. Aside from all this, cayenne pepper also stimulates the release of protective buffers in your stomach. A great way of fighting stomach ulcers while preventing stomach acid from hurting you while transitioning into the lemon-diet.
It surprised me at first, but here we have a very broad spectrum of nutrients in three simple foods – much more than I anticipated, with many aspects of healthy nutrition covered.
Even with the lack of protein, we have factors that minimize our need for it. With that in mind, the cleanse is not easy, and common side-effects include headaches, fatigue, and stomach discomfort as the body adjusts.
There is also the contraindication with heavy lifting and intense exercise, due to the protein requirement. Balancing your intake is crucial and it’s easy to fall off for 2 hours and find yourself extremely hungry or tired.