Created by naturopath Stanley Burroughs, the Lemon Diet has been known by a select few for several years, but found worldwide fame after Beyonce claimed to go on it in order to shed the pounds for her role in the film ‘Dream Girls’.

The idea is fairly simple in theory – you drink a mix of lemon juice, maple syrup and cayenne pepper and that’s all. It was originally intended as a cleansing juice fast for health and detoxing, but Hollywood stars love the inevitable quick weight shedding.

Personally, I don’t recommend trying this drastic diet. I had a male friend who decided to go through this torture and he spent most nights on the toilet and had severe stomach pains, was constantly feeling faint and looked extremely pasty and unwell. After much encouragement from friends he finally dropped the diet and got back to normal after a day.

If you would like to benefit from the cleansing and detoxing effects of lemon, why not try drinking warm water each morning with a few drops of lemon juice added in? Many claim it stimulates the digestive system and it won’t make you pass out from hunger either!