Topic: Master Cleanse

I Tried The Master Cleanse (And All I Got Was Stinky And Weird)

I Tried The Master Cleanse (And All I Got Was Stinky And Weird)

Despite the fact that it offers no nutritional benefit whatsoever and promotes known disordered eating patterns, the Master Cleanse is perhaps one of the most well known crash diets cleanses. It’s all over popular culture, and has been touted by many celebrities and even a few “health advocates.” But what none of them are telling you is what I learned: it makes you smell weird, it makes you act strangely, and it makes you go to the bathroom. A lot. More »

Love That Feeling After A Detox Cleanse? News Flash: It’s Your Body Starving Itself

Love That Feeling After A Detox Cleanse? News Flash: It's Your Body Starving Itself

Sugar cleanse this, cucumber detox that…it seems like detox cleanses are all the rage right now. Cleanse enthusiasts often claim a magical euphoric feeling of physical and emotional bliss while doing a cleanse. And some people even advocate detoxes on the regular. But what is actually happening in your body when you start a detox cleanse and force yourself to down maple syrup, paprika, cucumber-lemon water concoctions every 3-4 hours and deprive yourself of nutrient rich whole foods? It’s a one word answer and it’s called (drum roll please)… STARVATION. More »

True Confessions: Not All Fad Diets Are Bad Diets

True Confessions: Not All Fad Diets Are Bad Diets

Despite the constant barrage of health and dieting tips that come out each week, if we’re being honest, we know deep down that when it comes to losing weight, slow is best. Choose a variety of healthy foods, lower your overall calorie intake, exercise … blah, blah, blah. Slow, steady and healthy works. But that information doesn’t help you when you’re racing to fit into your swimsuit before spring break or have to squeeze into a bridesmaid’s dress that you ordered two sizes too small as motivation to lose weight.

When you’re in a weight loss emergency those diet plans that promise Speedy Gonzales weight loss sound awfully good. But do fad diets really work? I talked to some women who have given the off-the-beaten path diets a try. Some were successes, some were epic failures. None were easy. More »

Cleansing Diets For Health, Not Weight Loss — Blisstree’s Detox Basics, Part 1

Cleansing Diets For Health, Not Weight Loss — Blisstree's Detox Basics, Part 1

New to cleansing, or just want to learn more about the whole detox trend? This is the first in our series exploring the ins and outs of detox diets and cleanses, and all the juices, supplements, lemonades, and scary colon treatments that go along with them. Stay tuned for more in our Detox 101 series.

As someone who’s always been curious about alternative health and natural food, I’ve tried a cleanse or two in my time, with positive and negative results. I’ve flirted with the Master Cleanse, but lasted less than three days on a diet of maple and cayenne, vowing to never listen to friends and roommates who claimed it gave them “great energy” after day seven. But I’ve also tried cleanses I loved: Namely, ones where I’m allowed to eat. A positive experience with a reasonably-priced box of cleansing supplements and two-week diet of no dairy, meat, fish, caffeine, sugar, wheat, or processed foods made a cleansing fan out of me — by the end of the two weeks, with caffeine withdrawal and sugar cravings behind me, I felt fantastic; nothing like the deprived, irritable wreck the Master Cleanse made of me. That positive experience inspired my most recent adventure in the world of detox: An eight-day stint of nothing but raw foods and juices from New York’s popular Organic Avenue. More »