Lemonade Diet

From RationalWiki

B   U   L   L "If you are in possession of this revolutionary secret of science, why not prove it and be hailed as the new Newton? Of course, we know the answer. You can't do it. You are a fake."  —  Richard Dawkins

The Lemonade Diet or The Master Cleanse claims that following this diet for ten days will cure everything wrong with you:

• For 10 days, take no solid food
• Whenever you get hungry or thirsty, drink lemonade made from fresh-squeezed lemon juice, maple syrup, cayenne pepper, and water
• Every night before going to bed, drink a cup of herbal laxative tea
• Every morning, drink a quart of warm salt water solution to flush out all the "toxins" the herbal laxative released from your organs the night before
• Occasionally, drink a cup of mint tea, to freshen your breath from all the "toxins" your body allegedly releases during the diet

The diet comes from the 1976 book The Master Cleanser by Stanley Burroughs. Interest in it was recently rekindled by the 2005 book Lose Weight, Have More Energy & Be Happier in 10 Days by Peter Glickman. Both books remain among the top 100 sellers in the Diet category on Amazon.com as of this writing. It is a form of fasting, part of a broader practice of "juice fasting".

[edit] The hypothesis

The hypothesis behind this diet is, according to Burroughs, all diseases are caused by mucous buildup in the body. Lemon juice and cayenne pepper cut through the mucous and loosen it up and the laxative tea and salt water flush it out of the body. Doing this for ten days is supposed to completely "detoxify" the body, which will allegedly rid the body of warts, arthritis, asthma, stomach troubles, etc. In addition, lemon juice and cayenne pepper allegedly cut through your body fat causing it, too, to be flushed from your body and causing rapid weight loss during the diet. The combination of lemon juice and cayenne pepper is also supposed to cleanse the lymphatic system of toxins. The maple syrup, according to Burroughs, contains all the nutrients your body needs to function during this time.

Burrough also advises Lemonade Dieters to:

• Use only fresh-squeezed lemon juice. If you use bottled or reconstituted lemon juice, the diet will not work.
• Use only pure maple syrup. Do not use honey, which according to Burroughs is unfit for human consumption.
• Do not take vitamin supplements. You don't need them because you are getting everything you need from the maple syrup.

[edit] The facts

Of course you are going to lose weight on this diet. The reason for this is you are consuming only 300-400 calories a day when the typical human body requires at least 2000 calories at rest to maintain a constant weight if you're doing a recommended amount of exercise or physical activity. Maple syrup does not contain sufficient nutrients: a typical serving of maple syrup contains 0% of the recommended daily value (DV) of fat, sodium, dietary fiber, protein, or any vitamin, and only 6% of the DV of calcium and iron. What it does contain is sugar - lots of it. Almost all the calories come from sugar in the maple syrup. Lemon juice does contain vitamin C. Herbal tea contains no nutrients at all.

The remaining medical claims of this diet are pure bunk backed by no scientific evidence whatsoever.

Burroughs' book contains no references to any scientific studies backing up his claims. He presents a handful of mentions of anecdotal evidence and testimonials from his own patients, and only one citation to an outside writing: a National Enquirer interview with the "psychic" Jeanne Dixon.

In addition, Stanley Burroughs attempted to treat a terminal cancer patient using only the Lemonade Diet, color therapy, and massage therapy. The patient died anyway and the state of California unsuccessfully brought manslaughter charges against Burroughs in 1984. The court did convict him of practicing medicine without a license and unlawful sale of cancer treatments.

It is some pretty tasty lemonade, though.