Even before Beyonce supposedly discovered this cure, we had already done it in Amsterdam. A friend of ours came up with the idea to detox with the Lemon Cure and I thought why not. It is actually super simple. Super simple because you are simply not allowed to eat anything. With a diet you always have: you are allowed to do this or that, with this cure it is simply, you are not allowed to do anything. Only drinking and even that is limited.
Lemon, maple syrup, cayenne pepper dissolved in water. You can drink 12 glasses of that a day. Water is also allowed.
To cleanse your bowels you should also drink a laxative tea before going to bed and if possible drink a homemade salt water solution in the morning. You should do this for 5 to 10 days.
The goal of this cure is to cleanse your body, especially your intestines. There are always some undigested food residues in those poor intestines and this is a way to clean them.
The cure is simple but not easy. You are hungry all day long. Some friends did not even last a day because of a splitting headache. I did not suffer from that but I was hungry.
The funny and contradictory thing is that after a day or two you are literally bouncing with energy. In addition to the feeling of hunger, the energetic feeling makes you really think about food.
That is why I think almost every religion has a time of fasting. I have been told that Good Friday was originally a fasting day, but of the Muslims it is known worldwide. More than for purification it is also for the Muslims to identify yourself with the poor who have less in this world and those who suffer from hunger.
But even when I think of people who really have nothing to eat, I know that my hunger, which now and then drives me crazy, is nothing compared to what they are going through. For me, it is a luxury choice. I am privileged. I can eat when, I want, what I want. Fasting can certainly make you aware of the fact that you have to be grateful for what you all too often take for granted. For something as simple as a meal.
Cassava bread with egg
The first time I did the cure it was just because I liked the idea and I wanted to lose a few pounds. Now I do it much more consciously. I want to get rid of my allergies. Certainly before I go to Paris. (see Antillean and Surinamese representation in Paris ) I'm afraid I'll start sneezing on those poor people.
Years ago, when I still thought the whole gluten-free thing was just a fad, I started eating gluten-free for fun to see if it made any difference. Instead of regular bread, I ate cassava bread for a whole year. Cassava bread with cheese, egg, peanut butter, avocado, you name it. Delicious, it wasn't that difficult. When summer came, I discovered that I hadn't sneezed once, while the year before I had barely gotten through the summer with an itchy nose and watery eyes. That was a real discovery. Since then, I have been to a nutritionist and I eat gluten-free.
Because it happened gradually I didn't really have a problem with it but eating gluten-free isn't really easy. Almost everything contains blom, but here in the US it is doable. However, when I was in Suriname again last year I couldn't resist eating coconut biesjes and roties. Hmmm, I can still enjoy it when I think about it, but yes the consequences are clear. Summer has hardly started or my eyes are already watering and my sneezing fits have started again. Hence the cure.
Cassava bread with avocado
Actually, the cure is recommended anyway for detoxing and you will feel good afterwards, but I'm not going to lie to you, it's not easy.
I am hungry and grumpy but while I am torturing myself I realize that I have more energy and my allergies have disappeared like snow in the sun! Great, but I AM HUNGRY! It is a choice between sneezing 100 times a day, watery/itchy eyes, not being able to enjoy the summer but walking around like a dazed zombie or… eating. Now I am almost inclined to choose food. Just a moment… Day three has just started.
If you are interested in this detox, see http://themastercleanse.org/ . If you want to know more about gluten-free food, see http://www.glutenvrij.nl/page/Glutenvrij-leven/Het-glutenvrije-dieet .