Why Master Cleanse?

I love learning “why” about things. For years, over a decade now, I’ve read about the importance of the “master cleanse,” a lemon drink taken first thing in the morning. Usually it’s part of a detox regime, but not always.

I’ve enjoyed a master cleanse in fits and starts, not ever really making a serious habit of it, just knowing it’s “highly recommended.” However, now I know “why” it’s so good for you!

I enjoy sipping this on my deck, listening to birds in the
morning. So meditative.

The most popular recipe was created by Dr. Elson Haas, and I’ve seen it repeated, giving him credit, in many detox and raw vegan books. It’s basically juice from half a lemon (approx 2 tbsp), into a cup of filtered water with 1 tsp maple syrup and a dash of cayenne pepper.

Side note: I don’t like cayenne pepper at all, so I add a chunk of ginger instead, also acceptable. (blended and strained, instead of stirred)

Side note 2: Rinse your mouth with clean water after drinking lemon water as the lemon acid will eat the enamel on your teeth.

So, why drink a master cleanse?

1. It helps stimulate gastric juices.
2. It helps digestion.
3. Lemons are a cleanser, purifier, rejuvenator and detoxifier for the liver.
4. It helps with fat metabolism.
5. It helps with cleaning out accumulated toxins.

Now, number five is kinda cool. If digestion overall could be made so efficient that extra unused digestive energy could be sent out into the bloodstream to clean out old toxins stored elsewhere in the body, that would be a heck of a digestive system. Well, the ingredients in master cleanse create a rush of digestive juices, however, this lemonade is very easy to digest on an empty stomach, so there is plenty of digestive energy left over. It’s a great way to help rid your body of stored toxins. Which is why it is best enjoyed first thing in the morning, before anything else is consumed and then given about 30 minutes to process before eating breakfast. The surplus of digestive enzymes help your body digest throughout the day also.

Pretty amazing for a lemonade drink.

Please remember, I’m a holistic nutritionist student, simply passing along cool stuff I learn.

Sources:

Dr. Elson Haas, Staying Healthy with Nutrition: The Complete Guide to Diet and Nutritional Medicine (Celestial Arts/Random House Inc., 2006)

Dr. Jonn Matsen, Eating Alive: Prevention Through Good Digestion (Crompton Books Ltd., 2017)