An Interview with Bethenny Frankel

So, in the interest of fairness: 

Bethenny Frankel dishes on her new cleanse

ALBERT MICHAEL

Bethenny Frankel has introduced SkinnyGirl Daily.

MEREDITH ENGEL/METRO

NEW YORK

Published: August 30, 2011 9:49 p.m.

Last modified: August 30, 2011 9:55 p.m.

Bethenny Frankel just wants to make your life a little easier. She’s authored best-selling books and created the Skinnygirl Margarita (a lighter twist on the classic calorie-bomb), the subsequent group of Skinnygirl Cocktails, fitness DVDs and a line of slimming undergarments. (sound familiar?) Now, she gives us Skinnygirl Daily, two different supplements — Skinnygirl Cleanse & Restore and Skinnygirl Weight Management & Energy — designed to aid in digestion. She spoke with Metro about the new line.
Was Skinnygirl Daily always in the plan for your Skinnygirl brand?
It was initially gonna be a book, because people keep asking me about cleansing. I’ve fasted, I’ve juiced, I’ve done everything, so people wanted me to write a book — and I probably will write a book — but I realized how much confusion there is on cleansing. The word “detox,” the word “cleansing,” people don’t know what it means, and the health food stores do not help because the products in there are all quick fix. It’s just not realistic, it’s not sustainable, it’s not gonna last. I’ve always had issues with digestion and not drinking enough water and not [eating] enough greens, so I decided to create something to just solve that problem. [My business partner] thought it should be seven days, 14 days, 21 days and I said I think it should be daily, it should be something that women can put in their purse and just have in their life on a daily basis. I’m now in a great position where I have a trusted fan base and I feel like it’s my responsibility to come up with solutions for women’s problems, or just to just make life easier.
How is your line different from other cleansers on the market?
It’s not harsh or extreme. It’s something you can take every single day and decide if you want to take it once a day or twice a day, you make it work for you. And it’s all-natural. A lot of products aren’t all-natural — they have bright things to make it taste better or bright colors — [this] is just an all-natural product that you can trust that keeps things moving.
What’s a typical day of eating like for you?
I don’t have a typical day. I like pizza, I like French fries. I eat differently every single day. I think when you’re doing something like this, you also feel a little bit healthier, so you’re not gonna be eating the whole pizza and cheeseburger and cheesecake. But it’s not about going on a crash diet either: The better foods you’re eating — the more high fiber and vegetables and brown rice — the better the product will work and the healthier you’ll just be and feel. It’s just an extra little push.
Do you think your daughter will want to use this when she’s older?
Yeah, she might, when she’s an adult. She’s already is doing it because I’m feeding her asparagus and spinach every day and I make sure to give her high fiber foods [like] quinoa and brown rice. She already is doing it because I have the time to cook for her so she just sits there and gets to benefit from that. If everybody had the time to everyday make themselves kale and spinach and quinoa and brown rice they would be doing it too. It’s an all-natural product — there’s nothing in there that you couldn’t really find in foods if you ate enough of them. Bryn has no problem. Things are moving for her.
Where do you find the time to cook?
It doesn’t take that much time and I prepare in advance. Yesterday I made a bunch of food for the next three days. And I freeze: I take ice cub trays and I puree vegetables. Today I’m making chickpeas and spinach to fill one of the ice cube trays. You just pop out a couple of cubes and you have your meals. You pop it out and cook it in the saucepan.
What do you tell the naysayers of your cleanse?
There haven’t been any naysayers. What are you gonna nay say, greens and water and fiber? You’d be hard-pressed to find any nutritionist who would have a big problem [with it]. The ingredients are clean.
What would you tell someone who’s hesitant to try the cleanse?
That it’s just not hard. You can just take it at your office, when you’re going away for the weekend. You can take it a much as you want. You decide how you feel, and you’re gonna feel lighter and brighter, so who wouldn’t want that? It’s one-to-two times a day. I take it once, because I sometimes don’t remember to take it the second time, but on other days I’ll take it twice. If you wanted to be on a more serious cleanse and you really wanted to just eat vegetables and fruits, then you could easily take it twice a day. Depends upon you. It’s made to be custom to what you need.