MasterCleanseThe Master Cleanse is one of those fad/extreme diets that seems to pop up every ten years or so. Currently, it's hot -- with celebrities like Gwyneth Paltrow and Beyoncé rumored to follow the regime. It's a simple diet, just consume 6 to 12 drinks day, making the drink from water, fresh lemon juice, maple syrup, and cayenne pepper. The purpose of the diet is to detox your body from harmful bacteria. Why would Jeffrey Steingarten, Food Editor for Vogue and author of many food-loving articles and books (such as The Man Who Ate Everything) want to pursue the course?

He explains his motivation, the course, and the results in the latest online issue of Vogue. His conclusions were mixed. While his wife noted that towards the end, she "saw me napping and said it reminded her of David's painting  The Death of Marat," he claims that his improvement in "personal beauty" was worth it. If you like reading Steingarten, this is a entertaining reading and, at least in our case, gave us plenty of reasons to pass on the course.