Tried + Tested: Dr. Perricone's 3-Day Diet

Day 1 lunch: Sesame-encrusted salmon on a bed of greens with miso dressing

It might have been the unofficial tagline "a facelift in the fridge."
...the diet's short 3-day duration
...the improvement in mood and memory
...the rumored boost in sex drive
or, the fact that every product we've ever tried from Dr. Perricone delivers on its promises—without fail.

It was all of the above, plus my masochistic love of restricted diets. I will try any diet at least once. So, I canceled on a bbq, threw out my leftover wine, and headed to the fish market, for Dr. Perricone's infamous salmon diet. It's salmon, twice a day, for three days, and generous servings of eggs and greens.

Day 1 breakfast: kale frittata

This is a regimen that lets you eat...a lot. In fact, I've never been on one that has allowed me to consume so much, and technically still be "on a diet." There are a few rules. No coffee, no alcohol, no dairy, and no root vegetables, i.e. carbs. Fortunately, caffeine, in the form of green tea, is permitted. In addition to three full meals, the diet allows for snacking (even before bedtime) on nuts, berries, or yogurt. You can find a sample menu at Dr. Perricone's site here.

Day 3 dinner: pan-seared salmon with avocado and yogurt dip and sauteed chard

If you're thinking to yourself variety is the spice of life, and you can't do salmon twice a day for the sake of your joie de vivre, you'll have to remember a. to lighten up. It's just three days. And b., you can improvise recipes as long as you meet the diet's guidelines. Being a vet of many spa diets myself, I rearranged my omega-3's, fatty acids, and leafy greens to suit my tastes. For breakfast, I made a scramble, an omelet, and a frittata. And, I planned six variations of salmon to keep it interesting (see examples of what I ate above). Let me know in the comments if you'd like me to share a few of my favorite recipes.

And, yes, I noticed results within two days. My skin—not just my face but all over—had a soft sheen. Gone was the puffiness and upon some scrutiny in front of my bathroom mirror, my cheekbones actually looked more pronounced. My husband, the unwilling accomplice to all my nutritional experiments, saw smoother skin around his usually leathery eyes, and a healthy tan like he had just been on vacation and had sensibly worn his SPF.

Another bonus benefit came from my co-worker, Heather, who reported she slept better, possibly due to the reduction of caffeine in her diet. She also had more energy later in the day.

The conclusion: We're converts of Dr. Perricone's diet and plan on sprinkling it throughout the year whenever we want to recalibrate our system, debloat, and get enviably gorgeous skin. Stay tuned later this afternoon for our weekend Power of DMAE giveaway, a complete skincare routine from our favorite nutritionist and dermatologist.