The FastDay Forum

OK, I have a very weird question.

In the book that I'm currently reading there's a description about how a girl remains thin and it says "she visited the Mayr clinic in Austria once a year to eat spelt bread and drink Epsom salts for 10 days, returning with glowing skin, a flat stomach and an uncontrollable desire for ice cream".

Is this based on some actual diet? Do people drink Epsom salts? And how do they help in combination with spelt bread?

TML, you are right, that is a weird question!

Ballerina x

That sounds disgusting. I'd do a lot of things for a flat stomach, but drinking epsom salts isn't one of them.

Spelt bread has been popular for a while in health circles...(one of those "old" grains)...but never heard of anyone going for Epsom salts...maybe they were referring to the old salt water trick?

[Betsysgr8]

Drinking epsom salts would certainly clean out the spelt in a hurry! not something I would want to consider.

Maybe a small dose of Epsom salts is what I need then. Seriously. Must find those wotsit husks you lovely people recommended last week....

Interesting! Thanks Izzy et all for your input!!!

So they DO drink the Epsom salts. WOW! You know, many times, when I'm nagging about my weight my mum tells me "oh stop it or I'll send you to Switzerland to make you sleep for 18 hours, eat carrots and do colonics to you". Apparently, sleeping&losing clinics are more expensive and popular.

BTW, I've tried the tummy massages, they are good for you! I had a friend who did a massage class and she wanted someone to practice on and I offered. It was the best month of my life, LOL!

My uncle used to drink Epsom salts for 'digestive ' purposes 50 years ago. I remember them fizzing

Wouldn't there be risk of stuffing up the electrolyte balance, seems extreme to me

Before you all snigger, there is actually quite a lot of credible evidence that Epsom Salts, particulary their magnesium content has health benefits, especially for the liver and for tumor suppression. It's one of many well researched anti-cancer self help measures featured in this helpful website.

http://www.canceractive.com/cancer-acti ... spx?n=3151

Think I will be a coward and take the bath route

I think that there are sachets with electrolytes suitable for drinking and lots of magnesium supplements. I wouldn't risk drinking something that is made to fizz in bathtub, to be honest...

Do they still sell "Japps Health Salts" in Scotland? I used to love it as a child, so refreshing, it was a fruit salt, rather like Eno's but nicer. I can't stand Andrews Liver salts and definitely could not drink Epsom salts, but I may give them a go in the bath.

Perhaps not such weird question after all TML

Ballerina X

Ballerina, it was discontinued some years ago. But they can be found online, I think.

He he, you think? I still think it's quite weird to drink bath salts, LOL!

Epsoms salts were original taken as a laxative. The bath idea came later. They were also used as an arthritis treatment. I remember dishing them out mixed into orange squash ( they are vile tasting) to ladies who gad given birth and didn't want to breastfeed. They got shut of the milk in double-quick time! I was on the receiving end of that myself after I had my son and couldn't breastfeed due to needing medication for an infection. They are the source of the phrase," goes through you like a dose of salts"!

They are magnesium sulphate but if its magnesium you want there are far better sources. For a flat belly, well, they certainly empty that out! Tend to dehydrate you though.