Beyonce and the Lemonade Diet - Is It Safe? (1037 hits)
The Dream Girls movie has come and gone, but the fascination with Beyonce’s dramatic weight loss continues. How refreshing it is though to finally hear about someone of celebrity status within the African American community appreciate and openly acknowledge the benefits of cleansing their body as a tool for losing weight. It is much like a cold glass of lemonade on a hot summer day - very much needed.
Cleansing is in fact an age old remedy that has been around for centuries and still is faithfully practiced in other countries and cultures as the most effective way to maintain or regain good health. As a wonderful side benefit, weight loss can occur. It is the best kept health secret in the free world - until now. If there were any more doubts in people’s mind about what cleansing can do for those trying to overcome weight loss issues; they should be laid to rest for good.
There is however a word of caution that needs to be stated. Everything should be done in moderation and be completely balanced, this includes cleansing. To begin with there are hundreds of colon cleanses, liver cleanses, and now a lemonade diet cleanse, but they are not all created equal. Some do very specific things and work for certain individuals.
Secondly, you want to do a cleanse that can easily be integrated into your life. It should be something extremely effective, but yet simple and as natural as waking up everyday to brush your teeth and bathing to clean your outer body. This is not optional if permanent changes are desired. Along with this idea a proper cleanse should be practical for sustaining life. This ties right into the third point to consider: a superior cleanse should be able to fortify and edify your body with all necessary minerals that it needs to function on a daily basis, during the cleansing process, before the cleansing process, and continuously as part of your regular lifestyle.
Some cleanses such as the Lemonade diet cleanse can be helpful in providing a measure of cleansing to the body, alkalinity and a substantial amount of weight loss. However to properly support the body nutritionally for the long haul, the body needs more than four ingredients to give it all the minerals it needs to function optimally. Not to mention that the goal is to burn fat and not lean muscle. The only way to ensure that this will not occur during any weight loss regimen-dieting, cleansing or otherwise is to make sure the nutrition is encompassed completely within the program.
One such key element in the realm of nutritional support incorporated in a cleanse should be the presence of amino acids. Amino acids are necessary to maintain and/or build lean muscle. Any professional health expert will tell you that amino acids are paramount in feeding and nourishing the body. It is essential for the health of every individual cell function. They are considered to be the Lego of the body’ structure. Yet there are other cleanses you will come across that use harsh laxatives that cause purges which make it difficult to conduct normal daily functions because you are confined to the ladies or gentleman’s room.
So clearly the thought is that we absolutely want people to utilize cleansing as a way to experience heavenly health and be slim and trim but be informed along the way about the advantages and disadvantages that can rob you of the best possible experience and lasting benefits.
It is time for a paradigm shift in our thinking in terms of, do I want to lose weight just to fit in that “red dress” or that “black pant suit" for the next Beyonce’s concert? Instead, the focal point should be to achieve overall good health while maintaining a good weight. Real people need real results for a real lifestyle change, for a real long time - preferably for life.
Lastly a cleanse should be cleansing not just one body part at a time, as that can be very costly, time consuming and possibly make it difficult to incorporate into one’s lifestyle easily and regularly. Rather it should offer a thorough cleaning out of all major organs and doing so on a cellular level. The average adult has about 60 trillion cells which is 8 thousand times the amount of stars in the Milky Way galaxy and our cells are constantly in a state of rejuvenation.
We need to make sure we are helping to create healthy cells instead of mutated cancer cells. This can only and will only be achieved if you are cleansing on a cellular level and simultaneously replenishing your cells with ALL necessary minerals and nutrients. This is a key fact to remember. There is no magic bullet. No one diet, pill or any other single thing that can do the trick permanently for weight loss and or health rejuvenation. You must have a completely balanced system.
One final thought is that the cleansing process should not be grueling or self depriving at all. The reality is that we go to parties, and we go to relative’s houses for good down home cooking to eat. We all want to be able to cleanse our bodies thoroughly, as well as partake of some other foods moderately during the cleansing phase so that we can still feel encouraged to continue on successfully. Obesity has been determined to be the single biggest cause of death that is reversible. Opt out of that statistic and choose life!
Makeisha Lee, author of this column, is a health and nutrition consultant. For more information about cleansing and detoxifying your body, contact her at 614-595-1425 or makeisha@cleanseformula.com or learn more at www.CleanseFormula.com
The Lemonade Diet is natural and safe IN MODERATION, as the article states. I've done it before...it's a little hard, but it's effective in making you feel great, ridding your body of toxins and dropping some weight. Follow the directions carefully though.
Wednesday, July 9th 2008 at 3:25PM
Erika Neal
This is a great and informative article that I definitely need to take a cue from. We, I, have to begin to live a healthier lifestyle when it comes to taking care of God's temple, from the inside out.
It is great to want to rid the body of the harmful substances that we consume on a daily basis and as both the article and Ms. Neal suggests, MODERATION is probably key. What is important is that once the body is cleansed, it would be wise to maintain a healtier lifestyle. This way, the process of cleansing the body will not be so strenuous. It is inevitable that consumption and bodily contamination will occur but for some its like playing in the mud, taking a shower and then hopping back in the mud again, HEAD FIRST. The evidence of the cleansing has now become null and void. Almost pointless.
As far as this Lemonade Diet thing goes, I don't think I would try it or recommend that anyone else do it. I believe there are healthier ways to cleanse the body but to each its own. Celebrities usually seems to be a little excessive either way it goes but gone Beyonce' wit yo' bad self.
Thursday, July 10th 2008 at 4:27PM
LaTika Tillis
