Lemon detox dangers?

With summer just around the corner, many of us are looking for an easy way to lose weight and the lemon detox diet is all the rage at the moment.

 

Hollywood celebrities, including Beyonce Knowles, can't get enough of it and now ordinary Australians are watching the kilos fall off. But is it really safe?

 

Some health experts, including dietician Dr Julie Gilbert, took a look at the lemon detox diet and found that the quick fix diet may do more harm than good.

"It's got virtually no protein, it's very restrictive in terms of the amount of fat in it and it also has very little vitamins and minerals," she said.

 

"You're also going to lose lean body mass, which means in the long term it's going to slow metabolism down which means weight loss will be harder in the future."

 

Although health experts are raising concerns over the dieting program, punters are excited over the quick results.

 

Aniko Kiss is a 49-year-old type two-diabetic, but after using the lemon detox diet for two weeks she lost an astounding nine kilos.

 

She's done it again and has already lost another three kilos.

 

The method consists of fasting on all food and drinking six to nine glasses of the lemon detox drink every day for five to fourteen days.

 

The drink consists of four ingredients: Madal Bal natural tree syrup, lemon juice, cayenne pepper and water.

 

Here's what each ingredient does according to the lemon detox website.

 

Madal Bal Natural Tree Syrup: The most important ingredient. A combination of the purest South East Asian palm syrups and Canadian grade C maple syrup. The natural tree syrup gives us energy during the cleanse in the form of an easily digestible carbohydrate and the palm syrup adds a rich mineral content.

 

Lemon Juice: Lemons have been used for thousands of years for their medicinal value. The acidity of the lemon juice has an alkalizing effect on the body helping it to break down fats and mucus. Lemon juice also adds a tremendous amount of antioxidants and vitamin C.

 

Cayenne Pepper: Cayenne pepper is great metaboliser assisting with the cleansing effects of the lemon juice. Cayenne pepper adds a nice zing to the drink, but more importantly it also helps dissolve built up mucus. It adds heat to the system and thus stimulates circulation, helping the blood reach remote areas of the body, so important for effective cleansing and elimination. It is also a good source of Vitamin A and C.

 

Pure water:- The use of clean, pure water carries all of the ingredients through the body, giving the body an internal bath and carries away all of the released wastes and toxins. It also keeps the body hydrated during the detox.

 

If you decide to take on the lemon detox diet, all that you will eat and drink during the 'detox' is the lemon drink as well as water, and a laxative drink to help you with your bowel movements.

 

You won't be allowed to eat any solid foods.

 

You may experience symptoms such as headaches, nausea and excessive exhaustion during the first few days of the detox simply because you're body isn't used to it.

 

Before starting the diet, you need to have a chat with your doctor.

 

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