(Body and Soul, n.d)

What is the Lemon Detox Diet?

The Lemon Detox Diet is a weight loss program which involves consuming glasses of Lemon Detox Drink as a substitute for meals.  There are three different types of cleanses people can follow.  

DIfferent Types of Cleanses	Who is it for?	What is involved?
Full Body Cleanse	For people who are looking for dramatic weight loss and fast.  This may be for social events, summer body or weddings.	This involves substituting all meals for the Lemon Detox Drink.   That is 2-3 glasses for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Total of 6-9 glasses per day. This is done for approximately 10 days.   10-14 days for maximum result “but should only be done so with the consult of a healthcare professional”
Relaxed Version	suitable for people with social commitments and “need to use energy in their everyday work environments… and mothers with children” (Lemon Detox Diet, n.d)	Breakfast: 2-3 glasses of lemon detox drink Lunch: Healthy meal Dinner: 2-3 glasses of lemon detox drink Duration: 2 weeks
50:50 Version	For those who want to “mix it up”, want “faster results than the relaxed version” but “have a particular day during the cleanse” where they will have to consume a meal.	Duration: 9 days 3 days Relaxed version 3 days Full body cleanse 3 days relaxed version.

The Lemon Detox Drink:

This drink consists of:

• Madal Bal Natural Tree Syrup: The Lemon Detox Diet Official Website says this is a combination of South-East Asian and Canadian maple syrup that “provide[s] energy during the cleanse” through “easily digestible carbohydrate and a high level of potassium”
• Lemon Juice
• Cayenne Pepper
• Pure Water 

Ideally 2 litres of the Lemon Detox Drink should be consumed with an additional 1-2 litres of water per day.  

Now that I have summarised what this whole diet is about, I’d like to point out that it is NOT a healthy method for weight loss.  The nutritional value of the Detox drink is extremely low.  According to Food Watch's Lemon Detox review (2014), the full body cleanse (6-9 Lemon detox drinks a day) provides 2500kJ a day (600 calories).  The Daily Intake Guide (2011), states that the average energy requirement for adults is 8700kJ per day.  

This highlights just how unbalanced the detox diet is.  While the drink does have high levels of carbohydrates, this is only because of the sugary syrups, not the type of carbohydrates that fuel our bodies over the course of a day.  

The Lemon Detox Diet webpage describes the fad as “liquid food”.  Food is fuel and if you are relying on 2 glasses of syrup and water with a lemon taste to it to get you through the day, your fuel stores are sure to run out in no time.  

There are little comments made in their descriptions of the cleanses which illustrate it is not healthy nor is it able to meet energy requirements of the average adult.  This is seen through specifying that individuals who wish to follow the cleanse for 10-14 days should only do so with consent from a doctor.  That just rings alarm bells.  It shows that there is no way that people should be living off of that little energy for such a long period of time.  

It is also seen in their description of the relaxed version when they state it is suitable for people who “need to use energy in their everyday work environments… and mothers with children”.  This indicates that the diet is not even going to be able to get you through an average day of work and therefore should not even be considered as a weight loss option.  

The Australian Dietary Guidelines support my argument that this diet is a fad and not a healthy weight loss solution.  The Australian Government’s National Health and Medical Research Council (2013), state that “The Australian Dietary Guidelines use the best available scientific evidence to provide information on the types and amounts of foods, food groups and dietary patterns that aim to: promote health and wellbeing, reduce the risk of diet-related conditions [and] reduce the risk of chronic disease.”  

Guideline 1 of the Australian Dietary Guidelines is to “achieve and maintain a health weight, be physically active and choose amounts of nutritious foods and drinks that meet your energy needs” (2013).  The Lemon Detox Diet does not involve consumption of nutritious foods or drinks.  There is not enough energy for individuals to be able to perform basic daily tasks without placing their bodies under extreme demands and stress. 

Guideline 2 is to “Enjoy a wide variety of nutritious foods from these five food groups everyday: 1. Plenty of vegetables of different colours and types, and legumes/beans, 2. Fruit, 3. Grain Foods.. such as pasta, noodles, oats, 4. Lean meats and poultry, fish,eggs, tofu, nuts and, 5. Milk, yoghurt, cheese, and or there alternatives, mostly reduced fat” (2013).  The Lemon Detox diet does not consume anything from any of these groups let alone a wide variety.   The only thing that comes close to the fruit food group is the lemon juice which is full of sugar and has no real nutritional value.  

Thus, the lemon detox diet is not an effective weight loss method.  In fact, it actually causes more damage to the body by placing it under unnecessary stress through poor nutrition.  






References

Daily Intake Guide, (2011), My Daily Intake.  Retrieved from: 

http://www.mydailyintake.net/daily-intake-levels/

Food Watch, (2014), Lemon Detox Review.  Retrieved from: 
http://foodwatch.com.au/blog/healthy-weight-loss/item/lemon-detox-diet-review.html

Lemon Detox Diet, (n.d), Which detox suits you.  Retrieved from:
http://www.lemondetox.com.au/rhowthelemondetoxworks.php

National Health and Medical Research Council, Australian Government, (2013), Australian Dietary Guidelines. Retrieved from:
https://www.nhmrc.gov.au/guidelines-publications/n55