When undergoing the master cleanse, one is required to abstain from taking any other food items aside from the recommended lemonade juice. So, in a way, this is similar to juice fasting or therapy. The lemonade diet goes for 10 straight days, and in such a short number of days the detoxification process, as well as its many benefits, can be completed.

The master cleanse is divided into stages, according the level of detoxification. The first stage happens during days 1 and 2. The second stage is from days 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7. Days 8, 9 and 10 make up the third stage. Now let us take a good look at each of the stages, and what one might encounter when undergoing the master cleanse:

Stage 1

This happens during the first two days of the master cleanse. The diet requires the use of either organic sea salt flush or laxative tea. Some people find organic sea salt flush very powerful, so they prefer laxative tea instead. The actions of both will cause mild intestinal cramping.

Anyone on the diet will feel hunger pangs during this stage. This is because you are not consuming any other food item aside from the lemonade juice – the blood sugar level encounters a drop. One must have sufficient will power to fight this off. Aside from feeling intense hunger, one might also feel weak as the body utilizes glycogen stored in the muscles.  Feverishness, sore throat, dizziness and headaches are also likely to be experienced during Stage 1.

Stage 2

Since the body is not relying on energy coming from food sources, fats are broken down to provide energy. That is why it is on the 3rd to 7th day of the lemonade diet that people experience weight loss. However, as the fats are being broken down by the body for energy, the waste products of the process may bring about certain side effects. Some people may experience having oily skin, pimple breakouts, or even the appearance of boils.

Because the digestive tract does not have to process anything aside from the lemonade juice, your colon can now focus on ridding itself of toxins accumulated through years of being exposed to them. The body will begin to heal itself in its quest to regain optimum health conditions. Throughout the duration of Stage 2, it is normal for one to encounter waste products like mucous secretion, bad breath and thickly-coated tongue.

Stage 3

During Stage 3, most of the healing and detoxification processes going on inside the body are nearing completion. The side effects encountered during Stage 2 will slowly begin to fade away. An extended master cleanse like the lemon diet enables the body to recover completely from the accumulated toxins in the different body systems.

While other short fasting diets can be effective in alleviating symptoms of illness, a 10-day plan like the master cleanse will do more than just get rid of the symptoms, but the source of it all as well – toxins in the body.