The lemon detox diet is a great way to eliminate those unpleasant toxins from your body, and will even help you slim down at the same time. The diet consists of little else other than this mixture to help detox your body,leaving you healed and healthy

The syrup component of the drink is high in natural sugars, which supplies the body with the energy it needs to keep down hunger during the program. The calorie content of 1 glass is approximately 70 calories, and it is also rich in zinc and calcium, providing almost the exact ammount for the needs of the body.

The lemon detox diet works on the basis of 7 days of fasting, in which only the lemon drink and water are consumed. Participants can expect to remain active, drawing energy from the calories contained in the drink. There may be some symptoms such as dizziness or light headedness in the first few days as toxins begin to be removed from the body. It’s also advisable to keep up some light exercise during the diet to increase the blood flow and accelerate the release of toxins from the body.

After the fast it’s essential not to recommence normal eating habits as this can cause serious damage to the body. It is best to start with fruit juices and lighter foods to allow for a gentle build up to a healthy diet. The process of fasting for dieting and detox can be dangerous, even with the lemon detox diet, so it’s important to consult your doctor before deciding to commence any type of body detox.

Recently this detox was promoted by famous singer Beyonce, who quoted, “I survived on water, cayenne pepper and maple syrup for a little over two weeks. It was very difficult; everyone but me was eating.”
It was reported that in 2 weeks she lost 20 pounds.

The lemon detox diet is available to buy, but here is a common, make at home recipe that you can try:

• 2 tablespoons of fresh squeezed lemon juice,
• 2 tablespoons of natural maple syrup,
• 1/10 teaspoon cayenne pepper powder,
• 10 ounces of pure water.

Make sure that you drink plenty of water and you should not drink this lemon detox liquid more than twice a day.

At that point you can begin stage 2. This involves returning a lot of the carbohydrates you have been avoiding slowly to your diet.
The most crucial part of this stage is to be careful about which carbohydrates you add to your diet.

GI carbohydrates

The ideal carbohydrates have a low glycemic index (GI).
Foods are ranked on a GI scale from 0 to 100. A high GI value is 70 or more, a medium GI is 56 to 69 and a low GI is 55 or less.
Foods with a high GI cause your pancreas to produce insulin, which flows out and sucks the glucose into the cells. In a short period of time your hunger will return and you will feel like eating again.
Good carbohydrates, such as whole grain bread or an apple, enter the bloodstream slowly and don’t cause a serve of insulin, which means you feel full longer.
The big problem in all diets where weight loss occurs is that people feel hungry.
By consuming carbohydrates with a low GI you are able to get all the energy you need, lose weight and not be as hungry.

Protein

Stage two also increases the amount of protein from lean beef, lamb, pork and from fish and eggs that can be consumed.
For vegetarians tofu is important in this stage of the diet.

Fats and oils

Saturated-fat intake needs to be controlled; this fat increases the cholesterol in your blood, which can lead to heart attack and stroke.
The ideal fats are called mono or polyunsaturated fats and come from vegetable oils and olives – but it’s still important to use these fats in moderation.
The other valuable oil is omega 3, which comes from oily fish and from some vegetables. This oil is helps to protect the heart.

Exercise

Just as exercise is important in stage 1 of the Kick Start diet, it is just as important for weight loss in stage 2.
30 to 60 minutes of exercise a day is ideal for weight loss to take place.
Try walking, gardening or even housekeeping; whatever you do, exercise is essential for weight loss.

Side effects

If not eating many carbohydrates, some may find the glucose in their bloodstream becomes too low, causing hypoglycemia. This can cause an aray of symptoms, such as headache, anxiety, irritability and drowsiness.
Try to eat small meals every 3 hours if you are experiencing these symptoms. Avoid rushing to eat high GI foods when you feel the symptoms, as these snacks will make them worse.
If symptoms occur repeatedly consult your doctor.

Watch what you eat
Here are some tips for controlling your food intake.

1. Use hunger as a cue for eating, not the time of day.
2. Eat a low GI carbohydrate food when you’re hungry.
3. Slow down when you eat to give your stomach a chance to let your brain know that it’s full.
4. When you’re thinking about eating, ask yourself how hungry you really are.
5. When feeling hungry delay eating for 30 minutes – true hunger will return.
6. Don’t buy foods you don’t want to eat.
7. Indulge in the occasional treat; lollies are more satiating than chocolates.
8. Give yourself time to make changes in your habits; it takes about 6 weeks for your taste buds to readjust to a changed diet.
9. Once you have prepared your meal put the remaining food away so it’s out of view.
10. Keep busy during the day.
11. Don’t restrain your food intake excessively – be sensible about it.

Before starting any new eating plan you should consult your doctor to see if it’s right for you, particularly if you are taking any medication.

The Kick Start Soup Diet recipe

Ingredients:
3 tomatoes
2 large cans of crushed tomatoes
2 cans of liquid stock (beef, chicken or vegetable)
2 cups of water
1 packet of vegetable or French onion dry soup powder
1 bunch spring onions
1 bunch of celery, including leaves
2 cups of green beans
3 green capsicums
1kg carrots
2 stock cubes (chicken, beef or vegetable)

Preparation:

1. Chop all the vegetables into small pieces and put them in a big pot with the remaining ingredients.
2. Add a small amount salt and pepper
3. Boil for two minutes and simmer until it is nice and tender.
4. If you want it thinner add a bit more water.

Have as much of this soup as you want and whenever you want.

Seven-day eating plan

The quantities recommended are per day.

While on this plan avoid toast and cereal for breakfast . Follow the recommended foods for each day.
You should only follow this seven day eating plan for a maximum of 3 times every 6 months.

Day 1
SOUP AND FRUIT: Eat any fruit except bananas because they are high in kilojoules. Eat as much as you want. Instead of soup for breakfast you can have a fruit salad.

Day 2
SOUP AND VEGIES, NO FRUIT: Eat as much fresh, raw or lightly steamed vegetables as you like. Leafy greens are great but avoid peas, corn and beans as they are high in sugar. At night you can have  a jacket potato with a little butter or for something sweeter, but healthier, some yogurt.

Day 3
SOUP, VEGIES AND FRUIT: Eat all you want but no potatoes.

Day 4
SOUP AND BANANA SMOOTHIES: Make a banana smoothie with low fat or skim milk because it is a great source of potassium. Have no more than 3 large bananas per day.

Day 5
SOUP, BEEF AND TOMATOES: Eat a piece of lean beef or a small breast of chicken (skinless) with six ripe tomatoes. Vegetarians can substitute the meat for tofu. These quantities are per day. You can eat less soup today.

Day 6
SOUP, BEEF AND VEGIES: Eat plenty of beef (or skinless chicken or fish) and vegies today. Again, vegetarians can replace with tofu. You also may not need soup. No potatoes.

Day 7
SOUP, BROWN RICE, VEGIES AND FRUIT JUICE: You might need more soup today.

Remember: don’t eat any bread, fried foods or oil on the seven-day plan.

What to Drink

While on the plan, don’t have any soft drinks or alcohol.
You can drink natural fruit juice or cranberry juice, black, green or herbal tea (you can have skim milk if needed), coffee, skim milk and 6 to 8 glasses of water each day

Possible Side effects

Because you’re not consuming many carbohydrates, you may find the glucose in your  bloodstream becomes too low, causing hypoglycaemia.
This can cause a range of symptoms, such as headache, sweatiness, anxiety, irritability and drowsiness. Don’t worry, it might sound nasty but it’s easily fixed.
Have a sandwich with whole grain bread, a slice of low fat cheese and a bit of ham but no butter or margarine. Vegetarians can try a low fat cheese and tomato sandwich. But only have a maximum of one sandwich per day.
If these symptoms occur repeatedly consult your doctor.

What happens now?

By the end of the 7 days you might have lost as much as 4 to 6kg, if you haven’t put on those walking shoes and gone for a daily walk you won’t have lost as much.
If you have lost more than 6kg on stage 1 do not attempt the stage again for a couple of months. Go on to stage 2.

Remember, you should only follow this seven day eating plan for a maximum of 3 times in  6 months. Once you have reached this maximum take 6 months off the plan
Once you’ve completed the 7 day eating plan it is time to progress to stage 2- a long-term, low-GI eating plan.

Click here for stage 2