Detox Diary

By:
Jessica Branch

The lowdown from:
Patty Facendini
Age: 47
Occupation: Owner, Patty James Cooking School
Home: Sebastopol, California

Patty eats healthfully year round, but she goes on an official detox diet four times a year for three weeks at a time. She's been following this program for two years, and she agreed to let iVillage readers in on all the details.

What's your detox diet program all about?
When I'm following Dr. Elson Haas's detox diet, I focus on organic whole foods like brown rice instead of white. I eat a lot of vegetables (even for breakfast), fruit, whole grains, cold-water fish and lean meat.

Even though I eat very well on an everyday basis, toxins can and do build up in one's body. A cleanse or detox once a quarter simply releases any toxicity that has built up. As an example, during the holidays, I don't go crazy, but I don't eat as well as usual. After those extra glasses of wine or pieces of pie, I start to feel sluggish and really look forward to a detox ‑- it gets me back on a healthful eating track.

How did you decide to start going on a detox diet?
The detox diet is a way of life. There was no specific incident that made me decide to start, just wanting to live my life being healthy. Each year that goes by I feel healthier. Elson is inspirational ‑- he lives as he talks ‑- and everyone would do well to follow his detox diet. It's not a rigid program that makes you feel deprived. It's a way of eating that will allow you to obtain or maintain good health.

Has anyone criticized your diet?
Not really. But it wasn't a huge switch for me. I've always eaten well. I was raised on an old-fashioned meat and potatoes diet, but all homemade with no processed foods. My diet now is a healthier version of what I've always eaten. When I do a fast once a year, my family doesn't like that so well. The dinner table is our family chat time, and they feel funny eating when I'm not. It's only for 10 days, though.

Has the diet changed the way your body feels?
I feel healthier physically, and mentally I'm clear. I have noticed that I'm more aware of what my body needs and what it reacts to.

What can't you eat? Do you ever feel deprived?

 

Unfortunately, I can't eat ice cream! I do like some once in a while, but when I eat it now, I get hot and feel too "full." My body just isn't used to all that sugar and fat. But I never feel deprived. If I want something special now and then, I'll eat or drink it, but there is no food or drink that's better than feeling healthy and fit.

How do you manage eating with other people in your life who aren't on your diet?
We all eat just about the same things. When I'm on a detox, my family will eat additional vegetables, but they won't necessarily remove the things I'm not eating. We eat very well regularly, so if I say we're having tacos, they will be made with organic ingredients and ground turkey, if we use meat at all. So on a taco night, my family would still eat tacos, and I would just have the veggies and maybe a corn tortilla, no cheese.

What about eating in restaurants or at parties?
It's not a problem at all for me to stay on the plan. There is always something to eat on a menu. Order fish and veggies, or a big salad with lemon and olive oil. Eat slowly and enjoy feeling healthy. Recently, on a business trip with my husband, everyone with us was taking advantage of the open bar and the dessert buffet. I was on a detox at that time and I felt so good. I ate beautiful fruits, veggies and some fish. I drank lemon water in a wine glass and enjoyed everyone telling me how good I looked and how they were going to detox as well. It felt good being an inspiration.

Have your shopping habits changed?
I don't have any problem finding the food I need, and in the summer harvest months, I wouldn't imagine anyone would. The detox program's way of eating is becoming more and more my day-to-day diet. The detox diet has also greatly affected my cooking. I am very aware of all the ingredients I use to prepare food for myself and my family. The same holds true at my cooking school. People come to my school to learn to prepare "clean food," as one student calls it.

Do you plan to follow this diet for the rest of your life?
Yes.

What's the number one reason you stick with it?
I feel great!

What's your advice to women thinking of trying a detox diet?
Be kind with yourself. If you're making a major change, don't be upset if you slip at first. Every day is a new day, a clean slate.

 

A day on the diet
Breakfast: Today I had shiitake mushrooms with kale mixed with two eggs.

Lunch: I had roasted veggies with a red pepper and cashew dip.

Dinner: Chicken enchiladas with guacamole and a salad.

I rotate my foods so that if I have something today, I don't eat that food again for four days. That way, you're more likely to obtain all the nutrients you need and less likely to develop allergies to any particular food.