This food cleanse will have you living your best life

After giving birth to her second child
in 2008, Sara Dickerman struggled to
get back to her pre-baby weight. So
the freelance journalist — who had
worked with food, whether as a cook,
a restaurant reviewer or a recipe
developer, since 1997 — did the one
thing she never wanted to do: go on
a radical diet.
For nine weeks she followed a strict
routine that limited her caloric intake
to between 1,000 and 1,200 a day —
and while she lost 20 pounds, it
wasn’t without its difficulties.
“I did find the really strict calorie
counting tough,” says Dickerman,
now 44 and living in Seattle with her
husband and two children. “It is
effective, but it can make you feel
almost too obsessed with what you
consume.”
The diet, though extreme, taught
Dickerman which foods made her
feel sated enough to resist mindless
snacking — an act she describes as
“much more dangerous” than a one-
off holiday meal. It also taught her
that flavorful meals full of fiber and
quality protein could make her feel
comfortably full without consuming
an abundance of calories.
Those lessons became the building
blocks for an online-only nutrition
program she launched for Bon
Appétit in 2010. Now her recipes
have been compiled for her first
cookbook, “ Bon Appétit: The Food
Lover’s Cleanse
“I thought that you could eat very
well for yourself without having to
resort to more ‘diet-y’ food,” reveals
Dickerman, who promises you won’t
find protein shakes, turkey sausage
or egg-white omelets in this book.
The principles of the diet are simple.
There is no calorie counting; instead,
you eat three home-cooked meals a
day, with an optional snack and
dessert, according to the book’s meal
plan.
“We say yes, not no,” says
Dickerman. This includes saying yes
to flavorful ingredients such as
chilies, citrus, garlic and herbs;
wholesome grains, including quinoa,
bulgur and barley; quality meats in
small quantities (the average portion
size is 4 to 6 ounces); and filling
half your plate with seasonal produce
(beets, Brussels sprouts, leeks,
parsnips, grapefruit and pomegranate
are wintertime favorites).
Even snacks are encouraged.
Dickerman’s suggestions include an
apple with almond butter, a sliced
peach with toasted coconut flakes, or
all-rye crackers with avocado, lemon,
salt and chili flakes.
And because the book is arranged by
season, you can start a cleanse at
any time of year.
Of course, you do have to say no to
a few things. “We cut out a lot of
[foods] that can spur cravings,” says
Dickerman. “Refined flours and
sugars can get you in a cycle of not
feeling satisfied, so we find produce-
rich meals great because they curb
some of those cravings.” The diet
does allow moderate consumption of
both alcohol (up to four drinks per
week) and coffee (go light on milk
and sugar).
After doing her two-week cleanse five
times herself, Dickerman says that
typical results include losing a few
pounds, reduced sugar cravings and
more energy — not to mention a
whole repertoire of new recipes that
can be worked into your regular
rotation. Working with NYC-based
nutritionist Marissa Lippert,
Dickerman has constructed
adventurous meals with a variety of
flavors in the hopes that readers will
continue to use the recipes long after
their cleanse is over.
“It’s important to me to use pleasure
within this program to motivate good
habits,” says Dickerman. “What is it
that will make you eat broccoli? Is it
a garlicky black-bean condiment, or
is it a bright, lemony zest? If that
helps you choose broccoli as a side
more often than white potatoes, then
that’s a great thing.”

 Day’s worth of meals on “The
Food Lover’s Cleanse”
Breakfast:
Apples and pomegranate with yogurt
and toasted quinoa
 a dry skillet, toast 1 ½ tbsp. red
quinoa over medium heat, stirring
constantly, until it darkens a bit and
begins to pop intermittently, about 2
minutes. Turn off the heat and stir in
½ tsp. honey; the quinoa will clump
into clusters. Spoon ½ cup sheep’s
milk or other plain yogurt into a
bowl. Top with 2 tbsp. pomegranate
seeds, ¾ cup yellow-skin apple
slices and the toasted quinoa. Serves
1.
Lunch:
Leftover salmon with grated carrots,
celery root, mint, Belgian endive, toasted
sesame seeds and creamy tahini
dressing
No lunch “recipes” are provided in
the “Food Lover’s Cleanse.” Instead,
you’ll find salad suggestions based
off of leftover protein from the
previous night’s dinner and an
abundance of seasonal produce.
Here are Dickerman’s guidelines for a
perfect salad.
• 3 to 6 oz. protein
• 3 to 4 cups greens or green vegetables
• ¹/₂ cup to 1 ¹/₂ cups grains, starchy
vegetables, beans or fruit
• 1 to 2 tbsp. textural garnish (such as
walnuts, almonds, pumpkin seeds or
flaxseeds)
• 1 to 2 tbsp. dressing (see recipe
below)
Creamy tahini dressing
Whisk or blend ¹/₂ cup tahini with ¹/₂
cup boiling water to create a smooth
puree. Stir in 1 grated garlic clove, 2
tbsp. plain yogurt, 1 tbsp. toasted
sesame oil, 1 tsp. agave syrup and 2
tbsp. lemon juice. Season with salt
and pepper and additional lemon
juice to taste. This dressing will keep
for 1 week in the refrigerator. Makes
1 ¹/₃ cups.
Dinner:
Tunisian-style poached eggs in red
pepper sauce
 2 tbsp. olive oil
• 1 medium red onion, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 4 red bell peppers, cored, seeded and
cut lengthwise into ½-inch-wide strips
• Fine sea salt, to taste
• 1 large tomato, cored, seeded and
grated using the large holes on a box
grater
• 1 tbsp. (or more) harissa paste
• 1 tsp. white wine vinegar or apple cider
vinegar
• 4 large eggs
• Flaky sea salt, such as Maldon
• Red pepper flakes, preferably Aleppo or
Marash, to taste
Heat the oil in a large skillet over
medium heat. Add the onion and
cook, stirring often, until softened,
about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and
stir until fragrant, about 1 minute.
Add the peppers, season with fine
sea salt and cook, stirring often, until
the peppers are wilted, 5 to 8
minutes. Add the tomato, harissa and
1 cup water; reduce the heat to
medium-low and cook, stirring often
and adding more water as needed,
until the peppers are soft, 15 to 20
minutes. Season with fine sea salt
and more harissa, if desired. Keep
warm.
Meanwhile, fill a large skillet with
water. Add the vinegar and a
generous pinch of fine sea salt;
bring to a simmer. Crack each egg
into a teacup, then slide each one
into the water; reduce the heat to
low. Poach the eggs until the whites
are set and the yolks are gently set,
3 to 4 minutes. Divide the pepper
sauce among 4 warm bowls and top
each with an egg. Season the egg
with flaky sea salt and red pepper
flakes. Plate with grains and greens
of your choice. Serves 4.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

President Obama’s lame-duck drive for disastrous ‘success’

Snapchat has apologized to Rihanna and Chris Brown

NASA captures Jupiter like never before