The 'Swiss Secret' to staying thin? Starvation

Dr. Thomas Rau's diet isn't for everyone

By Korin Miller, amNewYork Arts & Entertainment Editor | kmiller@am-ny.com

August 20, 2007

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I only lasted two and a half days on Dr. Thomas Rau's one-week intensive cure detox diet. Why?

I was hungry. Scratch that -- I was starving.

Rau, author of "The Swiss Secret to Optimal Health," encourages his readers to build a better body, cell by cell, in order to stay healthy and ward off illness. Eighty percent of the adult immune defenses reside in the small intestine, he says, and it's important to keep the intestinal tract at an alkaline state to keep your body working smoothly.

In order to achieve this state, one has to go through detox first. And, believe me, it ain't pretty.

Rau describes his diet as a controlled fast, i.e. involuntary anorexia, as I came to think of it. The prescribed vegetarian meal plan is big on vegetable broth and teas, with teeny portions of green, leafy vegetables and select, mostly high-fiber, carbohydrates (again in tiny amounts) thrown in for good measure.

Table salt, alcohol, caffeine, sugar and dairy products are to be avoided at all costs.

Dietors should consider taking time off from work while undergoing the fast and visit their country homes (seriously), the doctor says. He also recommends avoiding exercise and attempting to thwart stress in general.

If you haven't already guessed, this diet isn't for the average person -- especially not a New Yorker with a job. It's also not for those with a tight budget.

Rau's recipes are filled with hard-to-locate veggies that rotate daily and my grocery bill more than doubled in the two days I was on the diet.

After a few "meals" of a 1/2 cup of vegetable broth and 1/2 cup of mixed vegetables, I seriously thought about quitting and began to worry about throwing off my metabolism.

After all, the heartiest thing I was consuming daily was 1/2 cup of carrot juice, which tasted so gross that I had to hold my nose, kindergarten-style to get down.

The final straw was when I felt dizzy (and hungry, natch) while out for a run. I eventually threw in the towel.

Dr. Rau's diet may not be for everyone, but his theories make sense and the overall dietary plan seems very healthy. Meals after the one-week detox diet are designed for normal-sized portions and are chock full of vegetables.

And so, if you have a country home, no job and killer will power, this diet might be for you.

What I ate:
Breakfast:
-1 cup of vegetable broth
-1/2 cup grapefruit juice
-1/2 cup quinoa porridge
-1 tablespoon flax seed oil