Quality living
without compromise.

Ladies — a warning, and a small revelation. I have found a way to undo the bloated belly, the constipation, the long quiet war with my digestion that began somewhere in my teens. What follows is, by polite standards, taboo. The almost divine feeling of a gut — literally — emptied.

The fruit in question is a fermented Japanese plum. It has changed my body — not only the shape of it, but the mood inside it. No more bloating. No more constipation. No more skin that betrays the state of my gut. I began with a quarter of one and did not leave the house for two hours. My family knows the plum well: it announces itself, and it takes mama out of circulation when it decides to work.

Once the body is acquainted, a whole plum a day is possible. The intolerances thin out. What goes in finds its way out, plainly and on time. Be ready for the arrival — and drink half a litre of warm water alongside it to keep the cramps away.

I am not exaggerating. If you try this, give yourself the afternoon. Your body will stop listening to you and finally do what it has been meaning to do for years.

Another tip, in the same spirit: keep Aesop Post-Poo Drops, or a small box of old-fashioned matches, within reach. Ladies, the story goes, do not take care of business — and certainly do not make a sound. This little fermented fruit lets us, and finally gives the gut the attention, the respect and the appreciation it has always deserved as one of the most important parts of us. No longer hidden as an embarrassment that quietly underwrites the discomfort of every other hour of the day.

Once you allow yourself to attend to it, the gut returns the favour. So does the skin. So does the mirror. Before you punish yourself with another joyless diet, try the plum.

Have fun, ladies. And share your experience with us.

Works wonders.

— L