Clorox bath

One of my first blog confessions was that I have been on just about EVERY diet ever conceived. I've eaten watermelon for a day, fasted, and ate low-carb, high fat, low-cal, blood type, anti-inflammatory -- if it had the word "diet" in it, I was a follower, at least for a week or two.

Before my daughter Caitlin's wedding five years ago, I decided I needed to drop some serious weight. And I did -- and actually kept most of that off -- following the Fat Flush Plan by Ann Louise Gittleman. Gittleman is a huge proponent of organics, but even just five years ago, organics were not easy to find. They were also very pricey. Recognizing this, Gittleman included directions in her book for cleansing non-organics with a Clorox Bath. Yup: I did write Clorox. You are probably just as turned off as I was with the thought of soaking food in Clorox, but I've done it for years and have lived to pass on the formula.

The Clorox bath was developed in the 1960s by Dr. Hazel Parcells, who was head of nutrition at Sierra State University in California. Gittleman writes in her book: "A friend brought her (Dr. Parcells) a bunch of shriveled lemons, which she decided to dump in water with some Clorox for some unknown reason. Amazingly, within a half hour, the lemons regenerated and plumped up. Dr. Parcells surmised that the Clorox enabled the lemons to take in oxygen and become fresh once again."

Clorox is not the same as chlorine, the chemical added to drinking water. The active ingredient in Clorox, sodium hypochlorite, breaks down into salt and water. Further testing by Parcells found that pesticides, parasites and other contaminants are removed with this simple soak.

When she first developed the formula, Dr. Parcells called for 1/2 teaspoon of Clorox -- and yes, according to Parcells it has to be Clorox -- to 1 gallon of water. In 1996, she increased the Clorox to 1 teaspoon because of the increasing chemicals and bacteria in our foods. To read more about Parcells, visit www.elixa.com/mental/parcells.htm. For more on Gittlleman, www.annlouise.com. Gittleman's diet works: But after five months, I could not follow it anymore, and within a few weeks, had regained 10 pounds, 15 pounds a few months later. I did keep off around 30 pounds, so I would call that a success.

The Clorox Bath

This technique will rid the food items of harmful toxins, chemicals, sprays, and poisons, and it will noticeably improve the flavor and shelf life of food. It does not leave a Clorox aftertaste: There is just not enough Clorox in the water. And after the bath, the food is soaked again in fresh water to remove residue.

Soak all your fruits, eggs, meats, and vegetables in a bath of 1 teaspoon Clorox to 1 gallon of purified, ozonated and/or electrolyte water. Soaking times:

• Leafy vegetables (15 minutes)
• Root vegetables (30 minutes)
• Thin-skinned berries (15 minutes)
• Thick-skinned fruits (30 minutes)
• Eggs (30 minutes)
• Thawed meats (5-10 minutes per pound)

Prepare a fresh batch of Chlorox water for each category of foods; dispose of baths after use. After soaking in the Clorox Bath, Parcells recommends soaking in a fresh water bath for 50 minutes before using. Gittleman says 10 minutes is enough time for the last soak. Dry foods well.