Eat Your Way to Detox

Eat your way to detox
An all-over body makeover uses a simple principle
BY NICOLE LYN PESCE
Friday, April 27th 2007
Ah, a beach-ready bod in three weeks.

That’s the promise of the Martha’s Vineyard Detox Diet: losing a pound a day by flushing all harmful toxins away. And now New Yorkers without the time or money to escape to Dr. Roni DeLuz’s holistic retreat can follow her program at home with her new book, “21 Pounds in 21 Days: The Martha’s Vineyard Detox Diet,” co-authored with James Hester, a former client.

Devotees of this cleansing process feed themselves every two hours with drinks mixed with supplements and enzymes, plus herbal teas, distilled water and vegetable purees, which whisk away nasty substances like artificial flavors, preservatives and air pollutants. Ridding your body of harmful substances, says DeLuz, is the best way to boost energy, improve overall health and shed pounds. “You’ll see better skin, better hair, better nails, it’s unbelievable!” she says. “And if your body is healing and repairing itself at the same time, then it’s not afraid to let go of extra weight.”

Yet detoxing shouldn’t be confused with dieting. “With most diets, you’re limiting yourself: your calories, or the type of foods that you will eat. Some concentrate on carbs, some concentrate on just protein, but still you’re limiting your body with some particular nutrient,” she says. “The whole principle behind detoxing is maximum nutrition in small doses.” Sipping one of her berry drinks has the same nutritional value as eating five to six servings of fruit. Co-author Hester, a former music executive, found living Manhattan’s rock ‘n’ roll lifestyle was taking a toll on his health. “Premieres every night and parties, plus eating greasy food late and then going to bed,” he recalls. Although skeptical of detox at first, he was eager to lose the pounds he’d packed on after leaving his high-profile job. “It completely changed my life: mind, body and spirit,” he says. “My skin got clearer and my thinking got clearer.” He dropped from 203 to 182 pounds, and has kept the weight off for four years.

Maintaining your improved physique after completing the treatment is as easy as devoting two days out of your week to eating solely cleansing foods, such as the vegetable soups and purees, particularly from green vegetables like spinach, kale and cucumbers. “You can choose to make it your own plan,” DeLuz says. “The whole point is to make better choices – it’s the only way you’re going to stay healthy and keep your weight down.

“As much as I love New York, we all know it’s a very toxic place,” she says. “It’s so congested, and there are fast-food places everywhere.” The key to keeping healthy in a city packed with so many toxins and temptations is to be educated and make smart decisions. “You can walk down a New York street and pick grapes rather than going inside and picking French fries,” she says. “And there are great juice bars everywhere.”

Asian Spinach Soup, from ’21 Pounds in 21 Days’
Serves 2
1 quart distilled water
2 cloves fresh garlic
1 tablespoon Bragg’s liquid amino acids
1/4-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and chopped
3 cups fresh spinach, chopped
1 cup any other greens
1/2 cup green beans, chopped
1 teaspoon Asian chili sauce
Combine water, garlic, Bragg’s and fresh ginger in a large saucepan. Add cut-up vegetables. Boil over high heat until tender. Pour roughly 1/4 cup of broth into a blender (add more for thicker soup), along with all of the vegetables and chili sauce. Puree and eat the soup. Drink the remaining broth.