Beiruting.com interviewed Mr Michel Ferneini the general manager of La Posta and the dietitian Nicole Maftoum who will introduce to you the Detox Diet that will be presented every Friday at La Posta restaurant Ashrafieh

Mr Michel Ferneini :

1: When and how did you come up with this idea?

Bringing and serving the best quality of food is among my daily preoccupations. At La Posta I offer to my guests only what I personally like. With the Detox Friday I wanted to be closer to my guests and to their needs. Healthy food is often associate to barely tasty food poorly presented. La Posta is known to be a trend setter. Therefore more that the exquisite Italian food served in a unique atmosphere for which we are known since 12 years, we just launched the Detox Friday, exquisite healthy products, originally prepared and splendidly presented. At La Posta we innovate. Healthy food has now a new dimension...

2: Why did you chose detox diet and not other diet?

Detoxification of body is needed to get a healthy body. Mens Sana In Corpore Sano... A Sound Mind In A Healthy Body. At La Posta we care about the content as much as about the shape. Our Detox Friday is constructed in such a way that it acts nutritious and cleansing. An interesting part of our Detox Friday is that we change its contents to make it more and more enjoyable and in the same time performing the detoxification.

Taking the time to "live" the Detox Friday experience at La Posta, while relaxing in our garden is not only an occasion to socialize but also a starting point, a promise made to ourselves to care about our health every single day, a promise of love.

3: Do you believe that this kind of diet will help people lose weight?

Italian are statistically among the slimmest people in the world. Eating the everyday Italian food at La Posta cooked with the right ingredients, recipes and using the correct preparation methods facilitates in keeping the good shape.

The Detox Friday at La Posta has not the specific purpose to help people in losing weight. Before losing weight let us not gain it. Keeping the right weight is an everyday task that should be part of a lifelong strategy to achieve and maintain optimal weight, health, and well-being.

The goal of an effective detox program is to decrease our body burden of toxins and keep them lower into the future. For example, our ingredients are attentively selected with no preservatives.

With the right and continuous detox diet, we have more energy and we feel younger.

The Detox Friday at La Posta with the precious assistance of the dietician Nicole Maftoum, makes each of us self-conscious about such necessity.

4: Do you apply this diet in your daily life ?

I like this question. Personally, I break some common diet rules of our country since for example I do have a very simple breakfast, I eat pasta almost every day, I use copiously extra virgin olive oil and I like to drink for dinner a glass of good red wine. Furthermore I do not eat meat and fried food very often and I have an active life.

I have the same weight than 30 years ago and I am supposed to be in good health. I don't use a permanent Detox diet that my job anyway can't allow to have, but my way of life is mainly healthy and perhaps I could likeably say that I have a "non permanent Detox life".

5: What would you say to Beiruting fans to come to La Posta and try this detox ?

Very few but clear things. The Beiruting's fan is typically young, curious, trendy and likes the good things of life.... La Posta and the Detox Friday are definitely the right matching for them !

Miss Nicole Maftoum :

1: What Differenciates a detox diet from other ones ?

Detox is a shortened version of Detoxification which means to eliminate toxins from the body (blood, liver, kidneys, intestines).It has been around for centuries and used for:

-Spiritual cleansing

-As part of Natural medicine (Many historians attribute detoxification diets to Ayurveda that relies on the progressive elimination of certain foods from the diet to live longer, prevent disease and spur spiritual growth)

-Colonic Irrigation (by the Egyptians who used colon hydrotherapy)

Today, detox diets are mainly used for weight loss and rely on low calorie plans with a poor nutrition based on liquids or simply fruits and vegetables leaving the body with little or no energy, low blood sugar levels, muscle aches, fatigue, dizziness and nausea.

The Detox menu on Friday at La Posta is a clean eating menu that focuses on natural ingredients combined together to accomplish different cleansing and powerful functions inside each one's body. It's an invitation to go back to the roots where everything was simpler, healthier an better... The main aims of this detox menu are the following:

-Re-Introduce natural food items that have been used since 5000-10000 years ago such as Frikeh, Millet, kamut, goji berries, etc.

-Re-engineer natural food items found in our cuisine such as lentils, chickpeas, beans in outside the box recipes: beans burgers, lentils wraps, chickpeas muffins, etc.

-Omit food items that the science of nutrition has found to be bad for an overall good health such as red meat, processed meats, processed cheeses, etc.

-Educate food lovers that healthy can be delicious by exhibiting the benefits of each used ingredient while teaching them about the best nutrition hints and tips as they're enjoying their "detox meal".

2: Going on a non balanced diet plan may cause deficiencies in the body with harmful side effects. Does that involve the detox diet plan too ?

As I mentioned earlier, detox diets that are not well studied and that are nutritionally poor (liquid diets, fasting detox diets, strictly fruits and veggies diet detox) will definitely cause nutrient deficiencies that will affect the overall good health leaving the dieter drained without enough energy to exercise or to focus properly with low blood sugar levels, muscle aches, fatigue, dizziness and nausea. However, when the detox diet plan is balanced it won't promote any deficiency!

3: Is Following a low-fat diet the best way to lose fat?

The best way to lose fat is to follow a balanced diet plan where eating in moderation is the key and choosing foods smartly comes first. One must eat 5 times per day (Breakfast, Snack, Lunch, Snack, Dinner), eat slowly (take 30 minutes to finish each meal) and eat till he's 80%full (Hara Hashi Bu).A breakfast must rely on natural  whole grains with a source of dairy products (a glass of milk or soy milk)rich in calcium that will help burn fat easier.The first snack ideally must be 2 to 3 portions of fruits rich in fiber, vitamins and minerals that will also help one burn fat easier.The dish at lunch time must always be segmented in this way: 50% salad, 25% carbohydrates and 25% proteins. The sources of proteins can be vegetarian: grains such as chickpeas, lentils, beans or whole grains such as quinoa, soya contain proteins and fiber that increase satiety with less calories. Seafood are my primary recommended source of proteins followed by poultry. Red meat must be consumed occasionally!

The afternoon snack should ideally be rich in monounsaturated fats (23 pieces of almonds, 14 pieces of walnuts, 18 pieces of cashew nuts, 28 pieces of peanuts).The dinner  based on greens with a source of proteins and fibers (lentils salad or chickpeas salad,etc.). And, finally exercising at least 5 times per week is crucial! A one hour workout is 4% of the day so no excuses!

4: How did you come up with this idea ?

I am a dietitian and a foodie and I have always believed that well-being and health must not only be focused at home, they can be applied elsewhere and must become a lifestyle not a task. One can be eating right when eating out! I have always worked on adding light sections to restaurants menus and dreamed of a meatless day per week as I am a flexitarian and occasionally eat red meat and prefer to rely on other sources of proteins. Hence, La Posta being an Italian restaurants that already relies heavily on natural ingredients as the Italian cuisine is known for using only fresh, seasonal produce; herbs, spices, fruits, vegetables and non processed foods encouraged me to dream big about this collaboration that could offer me the chance of concretely sharing my recipes, promoting a healthier trend, rectifying most Lebanese food misconceptions while they would be eating in a relaxed atmosphere!

5: Would the collaboration with this well known restaurant introduce the detox diet to people faster ?

I'd rather say it would educate people faster as they will be putting into practice on the spot my recommended guidance. And since knowledge is power, this collaboration would have successfully reached its target!

6: What do you say to all the people who want to lose weight but could not?

Nothing in life is impossible! When there is a will there are many ways and most of the times people miss out using the right methods for weight loss and this is when they find themselves hopeless and disregard the idea of weight loss.If they are well guided and informed about the best techniques nothing will stop them from losing weight properly.At the end of the day weight loss is an equation: if you put in more than you burn you will never reach your target weight!

7: How will detox diet help the person lose weight faster?

The detox buffet is meant to be an inspirational way of eating that would encourage every person to base their food choices on natural ingredients on a daily basis and omit processed foods and take their time while eating slowly and in moderation. Once this lifestyle is adopted any person would feel lighter and happier. Faster ? I never recommend a fast weight loss as what goes in a fast pace will come back faster!

8: Can following a vegan or vegetarian diet help with long-term weight loss?

Studies have shown that vegetarians live roughly 3.6 years longer than meat eaters and on average weigh 20% less than non-vegetarians.They also have a 90% less chance of having a heart attack than their meat eating counter-parts. Becoming a Flexitarian is an extremely flexible choice that gives a person the opportunity to become a vegetarian while consuming meat once in a while. I am a Flexitarian and I highly recommend it to everyone!

9: Can drinking water aid in losing weight?

Drinking two liters of water is a must on a daily basis! I acquired the habit of drinking two cups of water on an empty stomach every morning at a very young age and I always recommend it!

Drinking water revs up your metabolism, flushes toxins from your body's system, helps your body function correctly and most importantly it fills you up hence helping you consume less!

Many people think they're hungry when in  reality they're thirsty! Whenever they'd find themselves hungry at odd times of the day, they'd rather reach for a cup of water before grabbing food!

10: Does food presentation play a role in dieting?

I cannot but fully agree with Luciano Pavarotti's famous quote: "One of the very nicest things about life is the way we must regularly stop whatever it is we are doing and devote our attention to eating." To eat is a necessity but to eat smartly is an art and presentation is the quintessential of a pleasant food experience specially when healthy food items are used! One must never neglect presenting and decorating food properly before consuming it! An important asset "Eat Like Nicole's" concept adopts and shares with all followers!

11: Is fiber really necessary in losing weight and keeping it off?

Fiber helps you feel full for a longer period of time and thus helps you consume less calories.High-fiber foods generally require more chewing time, which gives your body time to register when you're no longer hungry.And high-fiber diets also tend to be less "energy dense," which means they have fewer calories for the same volume of food.

In addition to that, it normalizes your bowel movements adjusting your digestive system, lowers your cholesterol levels, controls your blood sugar levels

12: Is there room for dessert in a successful weight loss program?

Always! Deprivation is not the right solution! One must eat from everything that's natural in moderation and deserts can be prepared with natural ingredients and be part of a balanced diet plan!

Click here for Detox Friday pictures.