The Heat Is On!

Thus it begins - day one of the Master Cleanse.  After squeezing my lemon and mixing my first glass of 'lemonade,' I couldn't resist using The Heat Is On (Glenn Frey) for the title of this entry.  While I would never have tried it otherwise, the number one staple of the Master Cleanse is spicy lemonade - lemon juice, maple syrup, and cayenne pepper.  Feel the burn!

This morning began similarly to every other day.  I woke up to Ginger wanting to be taken outside.  Fortunately, It had not yet started to rain.  After our brief walk, I mixed the morning salt water 'flush' as recommended by the Master Cleanse.  Well, almost as recommended.  I am not a big fan of drinking salt water - certainly not a whole quart of it.  So, I mixed sea salt with about 4 oz. of filtered water and drank that followed by a large glass of plain, filtered water.  The idea behind the salt water is to help the body to flush out the toxins and waste that have been freed up by the previous day's cleanse.  So, while I drank the amounts recommended, I just did it in two phases.  Next, I mixed up my VIDACELL, raw honey (1 tsp.), and cinnamon and let it sit while I fed Ginger and started making my first glass of lemonade.

The recipe for the lemonade is:

• 2 Tbsp. lemon juice, freshly squeezed
• 2 Tbsp. pure maple syrup
• 1/10 tsp. cayenne pepper
• 8 oz. filtered water

This mix should be consumed 6-12 times per day.

Cayenne pepper is added for several reasons.  Primarily, it adds a thermogenic effect.  This simply means that it turns up the metabolism in the body by increasing the heat.  Increased metabolism means increased fat burn.  This is actually a mixed blessing, however.  Toxins are stored by the body in the fat.  When you increase fat metabolism, you are also increasing the body's exposure to the toxins stored there.  Ultimately, it is the goal of the Master Cleanse to purge these toxins from the body without further introducing more toxins.  By restricting your food intake to only lemon juice (preferably organic), pure maple syrup (again, organic preferred), and cayenne pepper (you guessed it, organic is best), you are not only ridding your body of the toxins already stored within but you are limiting the intake of new toxins.  As well, because you are burning more fat than you are storing, your body's ability to store toxins is reduced.  For most people, the exposure to the newly released toxins shouldn't cause severe side effects.  Some things to expect are increased body odor and bad breath for the first couple of days while these toxins are purged.
Secondly, cayenne pepper is known to improve blood flow.  This effect in and of itself is amazingly beneficial.  Improved circulation carries with it a whole host of benefits.

Obviously too soon for any results, but I am really exited about the potential!

As of this post, my consumption so far is:

•  2 tsp. sea salt
• One serving of VIDACELL
• 1 tsp. raw honey
• about 1 tsp. cinnamon
• 2 servings of lemonade - 4 Tbsp. lemon juice, 4 Tbsp. maple syrup, about 1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper total
• about 2 quarts of  filtered water total