Lemon Detox Diet: Benefits, Risks, and How It Works

Detoxing has become a popular trend that according to many dietitians, is very effective. Supporters of the method believe that it improves not only digestion but also skin health.

The lemon detox diet requires consuming lemon juice for one to two weeks, combined with fruit and vegetable juices, but without any solid food.

This method breaks down harmful substances such as digestive by-products, metals, bacteria, and chemicals. The colon absorbs nutrients from the foods you consume and distributes them into the bloodstream.

An unbalanced diet can harm the body over the long term and this diet is therefore only recommended for short-term of typically one to three weeks. The diet also requires quitting smoking, improving sleep, exercising regularly, avoiding alcohol, and creating emotional calm.

A study found that a 7-day lemon diet helped reduce body fat in overweight Korean women.

After one week, this diet may result in the following symptoms: digestive issues, fatigue, headaches, weakness, dehydration, addiction, long-term weight gain and malnutrition.

Caution: Detox diets can be particularly harmful for individuals with conditions such as diabetes or heart disease. This diet should threfore not be followed for more than seven days, and only by  individuals who are generally healthy.