Ask Mr. Foodie! (01-17-07)

Dear Mr. Foodie,

After a Christmas-Hannukah food whammy, followed by the New Year's Eve, I'm looking for some kind of cleansing diet. What should I do?

A. Check with your doctor first before starting any diet. If you do not have a doctor, write to Roy Blunt's office and ask for universal health care legislation.

That accomplished, use common sense. There are a lot of cleansing diets floating around on the Internet, but it might be better to simply return to normal. To wit: Eat less meat and white bread. Try to eat some kind of living plant thing (fruit AND veggie) at every meal. When it's warm, salads with multiple vegetables and a vinaigrette are good; when it's chilly, try making your own vegetable soup. On Netflix night, restrain yourself from Ben & Jerry's in favor of plain vanilla yogurt with L. acidophilus. As far as alcohol is concerned, a routine of occasional wine with dinner or an aperitif before or nightcap after is better than a pub crawl every Tuesday. Drink plenty of water. Lather, rinse, repeat.