This spicy raw lemonade served as my fourth drink of the day on my three-day cleanse. Effectively a detox drink before the evening’s dinner juice (a mean, green affair), the lemonade includes a metabolising kick thanks to the pinch of cayenne pepper, readying the digestive system for the strongest juice of the day. You may have come across juices like this before – they’re often cited from the “Master Cleanse”, which to the best of my knowledge is a diet plan based on drinking only spicy lemonade such as this for a set number of days. Having juiced now for my first time, I don’t think I could ever advocate a plan so extreme – a varied set of juices provides a range of different nutrients, nullifying the body’s natural hunger and leaving behind only mental cravings. A juice cleanse or even water cleanse that is based on one drink seems almost abusive in my opinion, and not really mindful at all. So, if you’re going to give this juice a go, I’d recommend as a light summer drink, a pre-food detox juice, or a morning flush.
Spicy Raw Lemonade
Serves 1
400ml water
1 lemon
1 pinch cayenne pepper
1 tbsp agave syrup
- If you’re using a juicer, you can glean more lemon juice by peeling and juicing it. Along the length of the lemon, score a cut as deep as the skin. Do the same again, this time in a perfect cross, and then peel the skin off to leave just the segments, then put through your juicer and re-juice the pulp at least once
- If you’re not using a juicer, chop the lemon in half and squeeze out the juice into a cup, then removing the seeds with a spoon
- Now add the 400ml water (preferably filtered), and stir in a pinch of cayenne pepper and one tablespoon of agave syrup
