If you are a person who is in the market for a method to help you lose weight in a short period of time you may have investigated the lemon detox diet. This is actually a fast that substitutes a lemon drink for food. Many people have tried it and sing its praises but observers inside mainstream medical research warn that it could cause harm to your liver. On the other hand, the commercial version of the lemon detox diet is highly recommended by such authorities as Beyonce who are not burdened by a background of scientific knowledge but who do know a thing or two about eating.

The lemon drink that the diet is based on is made up of lemon juice, water, maple syrup and cayenne pepper. There is no actual scientific research that tells us why these ingredients should help us to detox our bodies but the experience of those who have tried it tells us that you can lose weight fast on this diet. The trouble is, the evidence tells us that the weight that people lose on the lemon detox diet is made up of water and muscle mass. Doctors say that the fast will cause our metabolism to slow down, thus making it more likely that we will gain the weight back once we start eating again.

If you are interested in trying it, here is the basic lemon detox recipe. Take a glass and add four ounces of purified cold water. Add the juice of half a lemon and two tablespoons of pure maple syrup. Top this off with a pinch of cayenne pepper. This is not exactly the same as the commercially available lemon detox recipe but people who have tried this home-made version have found that it helps them lose weight. Which reminds me, a prominent feature of this fast is the salt water flush. Not everybody regards this as an essential part of the diet but as it's mentioned so often in connection with the lemon detox I thought I should tell you about it.

The salt water flush is a tablespoon of salt in a liter of water. You don't serve it hot or cold, just at room temperature and you try to drink it all in one swallow, then wait till you feel the need to go to the toilet. Drinking the salt water drink will be the highlight of your day. If you have never tried to drink salt water you may not be aware that it produces a gag reflex in many people. Once you get the salt water flush under your belt your task is to sit quietly and wait to go to the toilet.

The lemon detox, if you persevere with it, will give you a serious break from your normal harmful dietary habits. This is one benefit of all fasting: the chance to evaluate your attitude to your health and to make a fresh start. To the many people who have tried and tried to lose weight and start a healthy dietary routine, a few days devoted to gagging and going to the toilet is probably a small price to pay. But before you start on it, get a check up from your doctor.