The holidays are coming and, for some, that means an overindulgence in eating and an overconsumption of calories.
Post-holiday cures vary from an exercise regime to a fast to a cleanse. A cleanse is a detoxification process lasting between 3-15 days.
One of the more popular cleanses is called the Master Cleanse, in which you only consume maple syrup, lemon juice, cayenne pepper, and water for 10-15 days.
Nutritionist Joy Bauer estimated that on a fast one consumes only 650 calories a day opposed to the normal 1,600 or more calories per day.
The Master Cleanse requires a strict daily routine. Every morning there is a salt water flush that cleans out the digestive system of toxins by drinking 32 ounces of water mixed with two teaspoons of non-iodized salt.
Throughout the day, you drink a mixture of 12 tablespoons of lemon juice, 12 tablespoons of grade B maple syrup, ½ tsp. of cayenne pepper, and 60 ounces of water.
In the evening to ensure all toxins are removed by drinking an herbal laxative tea. This process should be repeated every day for the entire length of the cleanse.
The weight lost and body detoxification achieved during this cleanse is usually gained back within the next few weeks.
Depriving your body of the daily nutrients necessary for your body to function properly can severely damage your kidneys and other vital organs.
A healthier option to the Master Cleanse is a juice cleanse, for instance, the ginger and lemon cleanse.
This cleanse can last anywhere from 3-10 days and contains much more nutrition than the master cleanse.
The ingredients in the ginger and lemon cleanse include, ginger root, lemons, carrots, apples, and water.
It is important during the cleanse to only consume fresh fruits and vegetables, which are full of vitamins, antioxidants, minerals, and enzymes that boost the immune system and restore or detoxify the body.
Some recommend a slow introduction to a juice diet, weaning oneself off of solid foods and onto vegetables and fruit.
Eventually, you end up consuming just fruit and vegetables juices, in addition to water.
Every morning one should juice a slice of ginger root, six carrots, a lemon, and an apple, drinking a total of at least 32 to 64 ounces of this juice a day.
Throughout the day one should drink around eight glasses of water to help flush out the lingering toxins in the body.
To further purge the body of toxins in the evening one should drink an herbal laxative tea to relax the colon.
The most important part of a juice cleanse is the finish.
Do not go straight back to normal eating habits. For a juice cleanse to be successful one must ease back into solid foods, starting off with salads, fruit, and vegetables.
The body has just cleared itself of all toxins, so stay away from junk food in order to maintain a healthy state.