Master Cleanser: Day 2

After battling a dry, unproductive cough and wheezing since October, in early November following unsuccessful antibiotic intake, my doctor diagnosed me with asthma. Me? Asthma? I quickly blamed it on the heavy pollution I inhale each day as I wait in "rush" hour traffic to and from the j-o-b. But that got me to thinking: Why isn't my body fighting back?

Outside the occasional migraine, I haven't been ill in years. So, you know, this kind of diagnosis has me bent and searching for a way to give up the inhaler. That's when I ran across someone who'd done the Master Cleanser aka Lemonade Diet. Following hours online researching everything I could and stopping into my favorite health-food stores for advice, I decided to use the Thanksgiving break to try it out.

Here I am Day Two, and so far so good. Though I must admit being surrounded by the smells of popping corn at the movies yesterday, did nothing to help my body's acquired longing for food, food, fatty foods. But I did it. I didn't touch not one kernel.

So, what's my diet like these days--for the next 10-12 days at least?

• 2 tablespoons of fresh lemon juice from an organic lemon
• 2 tablespoons of organic maple syrup grade B
• 1/10 of a teaspoon of cayenne pepper
• 10 ounces of water medium hot
• morning: 2 level teaspoons of uniodized sea salt in quart of water for salt-water flush
• evening: herbal laxative tea
• occasional to fight bad breathe due to detoxification: peppermint tea

The lemonade diet mixture of lemon juice, maple syrup, cayenne pepper and water is drank 6-12 times per day. The book noted that it would rid me of hunger pangs, and on the second day as I put a roast in the oven for everyone else, I couldn't agree more. Though I could be cheating myself because I'm not a huge meateater anyway. But still, as someone who has never purposely fasted before, I know this is going to take all the willpower I can muster.

At the end, I plan to prove to myself by doing this that nothing else is beyond me. Stay tuned as I chronicle each day of my fast. If you've ever done the Master Cleanser, are doing the cleanse or find yourself interested in doing it in conjunction with me, leave a comment. I'd really like to hear from those who have done the cleanse.