Articles

Tuesday, March 25, 2014

My Opinion on the Master Cleanse


I thought I would share my experience with the Master Cleanse. First let me start by saying that I believe the human body is designed to be healthy and has an amazing ability to heal if we allow it. The trick is finding out what works for us, one size does not fit all. I am a fan of occasional fasting or intermittent fasting. The idea is occasionally, maybe 2-4 times per month; do not eat any food for an 18-24 hour period. The benefits behind this include improved blood sugar levels, lower insulin levels, reduced water retention and bloating, reduction in free-radicals, improved ability to lose fat, improved ability to release stored toxins and several studies show that it improves longevity. Not to mention, I just feel better. 

Well many of you may have heard of the Master Cleanse. Here it is: 

• 60 oz still mineral water 
• 12 tablespoons organic lemon juice 
• 12 tablespoons grade-B maple syrup 
• ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper 

This is all the individual will consume each day and it is recommended to perform the Master Cleanse for a week or more. Some recommend easing into it or even taking a laxative prior to that. Most folks go about 10 days. This is nothing new to me as I grew up in Austin and my mom would do this on a regular basis although I have never done it myself…until recently. 

Some of the health benefits include the ones listed above plus it claims to allow the body and gut an opportunity to heal. Here is the logic: stop eating food for a while and the gut, which uses a lot of energy, can take a break and use that energy to heal itself and the body including old injuries. Sounds reasonable, right? Another claim is that due to the lemon juice it actually makes the body slightly more alkaline allowing the body to remove toxins. I decided I would give it a shot for 7 days. My wife, who inspired me do to this, did the Master Cleanse for 10 days with amazing results. Some of the things she noticed besides weight loss was improved mood and mental clarity after day three and improved energy and sense of well being and better sleep…plus we went to the park and she decided to climb a tree! That is when I decided I ought to try this. 

Ok here is my experience: 

• Day 1-3 felt groggy, hungry and had mild headache 
• Day 4-7 improved energy and mental clarity and sense of calm 
• Day 4-7 joints felt great, not craving any food 
• Day 4-7 new perspective on food 
• Day 4-7 had ketosis breath meaning I was in fat burning mode 
• Day 4-7 hands and feet were always cold, perhaps due to lower calorie intake 
• Day 6 did a 3 mile run after a 3 month lay off and felt great 
• I was able to fall asleep fast and always felt rested 
• Lost 16.6 lbs and leaned out significantly (I gained 9 lbs back in about 3 days) 

So what does it all mean? For me, it was a great experience and something I will do again, probably on an annual basis. I felt great afterward and was amazed at the mental clarity and calmness that I experienced after the third day. My guess is when my body switched from burning glucose, which is highly oxidative and does a lot of damage to the body, to burning ketones from body fat my brain function improved and didn’t crave the glucose. I haven’t read any convincing studies that validate or prove the benefits or even the negative consequences. So if you are deciding to try it then educate yourself on it first and see what works for you. 

Fasting or doing occasional cleanses may be beneficial but it is important we understand what we are doing and why before we jump into it. I hope writing about my experience helped to give a better understanding of what to expect and why one might consider doing it. Until next time, pick up something heavy and get some sprints in!