1.12.2009

madame cleanse

in hopes of a fresh start i have been doing the master (or madame, as i like to call it) cleanse for the past few days. i am just finishing up day 4 & feel really energetic & alive!!

for some support i have been posting daily reminders on twitter to keep me going & share my cleanse with others tweeting out there. kimberly dm'ed me asking about some deets on my cleanse, so i took that as a sign for this post (thanks kimberly!).

i have found that it's really more about willpower & your mental focus than the lemonade.

i'll admit, going to my friends' post-holiday, white elephant party on saturday was definitely tough with all of the yummy treats. however i was really proud of myself when i got home that i didn't give in, even though that baked brie with a pastry crust & apricots still looks amazing in my head....


since i eat relatively healthy, i haven't encountered headaches or some of the other side effects, but i know others who have.

although the original m.c. calls for 10 days, i do a moderate 5 day cleanse. since this is my second time doing the cleanse, perhaps next time i will consider the full 10 days next time, but right now i am only mentally prepped for 5. here's the rundown:
  • the day before my m.c.: ate only veggies & fruit (no meat, dairy, or grains/carbs).
  • day #1: 6 glasses of m.c. juice + 4 glasses of water + 1 herbal laxative tea (night)
  • day #2: salt water flush(morning) + 6 glasses of m.c. juice + 4 glasses of water + 1 herbal laxative tea (night)
  • day #3: 6 glasses of m.c. juice + 4 glasses of water + 1 chamomile tea (my treat!) + 1 herbal laxative tea (night) - i woke up too late to do the salt water flush
  • day #4: 8 glasses of m.c. juice + 4 glasses of water + 1 tangerine ginger (my treat!) - no herbal laxative tea
  • day #5 - tomorow i am stopping my cleanse: i plan to have 1 final glass of m.c. juice in the morning + 3 glasses of o.j. + veggie soup
  • day #6: veggies & fruit (similar to the day before starting my cleanse)
here's my bulk m.c. recipe:
(1 cup = 4 servings)
the concentrate:
  • 1 cup lemon/lime juice (8 oz)
  • 1 cup maple grade b organic syrup (8 oz)
  • 1 tsp of cayenne pepper
water:
  • 40 oz of water (5 cups) - preferably spring or purified water
the salt water flush:
  • 1 qt of luke warm water (32 oz)
  • 2 tsp of uniodized sea salt
what to do: drink the entire quart of salt & water first thing in the morning on an empty stomach. the salt & water will not separate, but will stay intact & quickly (& i do mean QUICK) & thoroughly wash the entire digestive tract in about one hour. i literally set my alarm to wake up early to do this because the effects usually last about 2-3 hours for me, where i make several urgent trips to the bathroom. since the salt water has the same specific gravity as the blood, hence the kidneys cannot pick up the water & the blood cannot pick up the salt, so it runs right through you!

in addition to the day-by-day breakdown, here are some very important tips/recommendations to remember:
  • the salt water flush goes right through you. you need to dedicate a few hours in the morning where you will be near a bathroom (preferably at home).
  • instead of juicing my own lemons (which is highly recommended) i actually buy santa cruz organic lemon & lime juice at whole foods - it ultimately comes out cheaper than juicing my own organic lemons & it's so much more convenient! some say it reduces the effectiveness of the cleanse, but i haven't noticed.
  • i make a bulk concentrate in the morning so that i can bring a bottle of the concentrate to work & then i just add water the single servings (4 oz of the concentrate) to a glass of water.
  • the herbal laxative tea that i prefer is yogi tea get regular.
  • other tea i sip sometimes during the day is yogi tea fasting.
do you cleanse? share your experiences with me!

4 comments:

  1. Thank you so much for posting this. I'm going to start on Sunday and do the five day cleanse like you did. In the past, I have done the Dr. Natura COLONIX© clense, however, it is quite expensive and you have to do it for three months. This madame cleanse :) is just what I'm looking for.

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  2. terrific! let me know how it goes :) by the way you can drink more m.c. juice (like 10 glasses) each day & water is always refreshing in between.

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  3. thanks for sharing all that info, congrats on sticking to it!
    Question for you...In your experience have you noticed it to be easier/better (or worse) during certain times of your cycle? Just curious as hormones and blood sugar levels fluctuate so much throughout our lucky lady times. Would love to hear your input. best regards, J at yogadork

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  4. hmmm... very interesting question yogadork (by the way i love your site)! i have never cleansed while menstruating, but i think it is worthy of an answer especially for ladies who cleanse for a longer time. i will look into it and let you know what i find!

    also gywneth paltrow posted a detox diet on her site www.goop.com that i think is something i might try in the near future - basically a detox FOOD plan - not just liquids :)

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