How typical of the french to come up with a health-conscious diet that suppresses calorie intake to just 1,200 a day but also rewards the disciple by sanctioning extra calories in the form of "three glasses of red Bordeaux wine" daily. That is the permitted allowance for those guests staying at the Hôtel Royal in Evian, on the French side of Lake Geneva, who submit themselves to the Synergetic Cuisine program. A style of low-calorie, high-energy-giving gastronomy, Synergetic Cuisine was pioneered at the Hôtel Royal. It's available to all hotel guests, but it's specifically aimed at those who enroll in a spa program.

Defined as "the combination of refined art, disciplined preparation techniques, and a philosophy of life" in which nutrition is "a source of balance" and of "re-energizing properties," Synergetic Cuisine is the brainchild of Michel Lentz, the hotel's executive chef and director of cuisine. It relies on ingredients whose "micronutrients" have healthy properties, such as saltwater fish, which contain vitamins B and A, and especially cold-water species, which are rich in omega-3s, a family of polyunsaturated fatty acids. Green vegetables, onions, garlic, and fruit are also prominent, as these foods' polyphenols appear to help protect against certain cancers and cardiovascular ailments.

If Synergetic Cuisine stopped here, it would be just another boilerplate spa diet. But the hotel goes one big step farther by combining these and like ingredients in haute cuisine dishes that are lightly steamed or grilled, preparations that best preserve those properties. The aim is to swap the hunger pangs and tedium of conventional so-called healthy eating with a diet that is delicious, varied, colorful, nutritious, and low in calories--but not so low as to compel you to dial room service between meals. It's also intended to please palates habituated to a diet of haute cuisine. Welcome to health food without tears.

Lentz, 51, hails from Alsace, in eastern France, which has more Michelin-starred restaurants than any other region and has been the crèche of many great and peripatetic chefs, such as Jean-Georges Vongerichten, the proprietor of New York's Jean-Georges. A tall, thin, thoughtful fitness fanatic who often takes guests foraging for herbs on the surrounding mountainsides, Lentz trained at several illustrious French kitchens, notably those in the Crillon and Bristol hotels in Paris, before arriving at the Hôtel Royal in 1985. Colleagues note that he wasn't as slim then as he is today, and the excess avoirdupois, they believe, spurred him to invent a style of cuisine that can lead to weight loss while also upholding high gastronomic principles. In developing Synergetic Cuisine, Lentz has taken inspiration from the culinary traditions and philosophies of Japan, China, and India, where he has traveled extensively. These influences are seen in dishes such as curried alpine pigeon, and pilaf barley with bean sprouts in Kikkoman sauce.

I awoke on my first morning at the Hôtel Royal with an appetite whipped up by the crisp alpine air. I ordered a Synergetic breakfast--with low expectations, I admit. I've always felt that the French genius for gastronomy begins at lunchtime, and the Synergetic menu, with its selection of drinks, milk-based foods, fruit, breads and cereals, and "additional sources of protein" (eggs, "slice" of ham, chicken, turkey, and egg-white omelet), only confirmed my belief.

A few minutes later, ginseng tea, fruit yogurt, pasteurized blueberry juice, toasted whole wheat bread, and a boiled (four-minute) egg arrived on crested, coroneted, and gold-piped china on a silver tray--regal touches that only heightened the frugality of the spread. I was disappointed that the ginseng tea came in a tea bag and the framboise yogurt was Danone in a plastic pot. The blueberry juice was teasingly served in a wineglass and tasted pleasantly tart. The egg was crowned with a little cozy to keep it warm.

Within seconds, I'd wolfed down the yogurt, drunk the juice, and set upon the egg, which was timed to perfection, tasted delicious, and was a credit to both chicken and chef. I was left with two pieces of plain whole wheat toast and a stewing pot of ginseng tea. Except for the quality of the boiled egg, my opinion of the Continental breakfast remained unaltered.

Fortified, I set off to explore the hotel and the larger complex, the discreetly sumptuous Royal Parc Evian, of which it is the crown jewel. Penned between the French Alps and Lake Geneva, the Royal Parc is grand and in spots grandiose, as such Belle Epoque playgrounds--it was built by the Evian Mineral Water Company and opened in 1909--are wont to be. At that time, the British aristocracy spent its summer holidays "taking the waters" at alpine spas, and Evian built Royal Parc specifically with King Edward VII in mind. However, his highness much preferred the Royal Parc's casino, and he died a year after the hotel opened, having never so much as set foot inside the royal suite that was built for him. In the 1980s, Danone, the food group, bought the Evian Mineral Water Company and got the entire complex in the bargain. Today the resort is still a sort of self-contained pleasure palace, set in a 42-acre rolling park with topiary done by nail scissors and gardening by comb. There have been many visiting dignitaries--the hotel hosted the G-8 meeting in 2003.

By 11:30 a.m. my Synergetic breakfast was a distant alimentary memory, which was why I was sitting in Tony's Bar heartily tucking into salted almonds and pretzels and fantasizing about lunch. This was taken at the Jardin des Lys, the small circular dining room reserved for guests who have signed up for Synergetic Cuisine. The space purportedly has a Zen atmosphere--it eluded me unless you count the fact that the room was almost empty--which didn't seem to jibe with the decor anyway: walls that were studded with neo-medieval bas-reliefs of fleurs-de-lis.

My host was Eve Reyt Tenaillon, Royal Parc's resident nutritionist, who has worked closely with Lentz to perfect the Synergetic menu. A trained gerontologist and student of phytotherapy, which examines the properties of plants and the bodily functions they serve, Tenaillon oversees the calorie count and fat content of each dish and tailors dietary programs for all guests, whether they opt for Synergetic Cuisine or not.

"To begin," said Tenaillon, "I propose blood analysis to see if the client is missing any micronutrients. Then I give the client advice about our nutritional treatments and suggest to them one of the four Synrgetic menus." The four menus--Purity, Re-energizing, Lightness, and Balancing--all aim to detoxify and "rebalance" the body while preserving muscle mass and skin tone. In addition, each menu serves more specific purposes. (See "The Four Synergetic Menus" on this page.)

The first thing that struck me about Synergetic Cuisine, as I read the précis of each menu, is that it badly needs a decent translator. I often find that there is an inverse relationship between the calories in healthy cuisines and the amount of roughage (impenetrable literature) that must be consumed in order to understand them. When that literature is translated from French into English, seemingly by computer, as it was with the information I was given, you're in for a long day of deciphering.

It turns out that the ingredients used in Synergetic Cuisine are "wherever possible" organic and sourced locally and seasonally. The origin of the beef is certified, meaning the cow is traceable by birth, upbringing, and slaughter. "We also try to use ingredients that are rich in unsaturated fats and omega-3s," said Tenaillon. The preferred cooking technique is steaming, "to seal in the vitamins and the flavor," with a little grilling if necessary. Lentz uses rapeseed oil, which is very rich in omega-3s, sesame oil, and olive oil, but rarely butter.

As for alcohol, there is a wine list at the Jardin des Lys. "It's not all torture," said Tenaillon with a laugh, adding that "Bordeaux can help prevent Alzheimer's. There is nothing wrong with three glasses of red Bordeaux a day. But if a lady comes to lose weight, I tell her to avoid alcohol." (Tenaillon claimed it's the polyphenols in Bordeaux that prevent Alzheimer's. She wasn't sure red wines from other regions had the same effect.)

Guests who are on a strict regimen, however, are shown the list of "essential waters" made from Evian mixed with extracts of aromatic plants. Each menu has its own accompanying essential water: The Lightness Menu is paired with elderberry or juniper water to promote weight loss; the Purity Menu is sluiced by either artemisia water to help circulation, lavender water to help calm and refresh, or sage water to stimulate circulation and promote weight and cellulite loss (it's not advised for pregnant women); and the Re-energizing Menu goes with rosemary water to help fight fatigue.

We grazed across three of the menus. To start, I ate a salad of purslane with shallots from the Lightness Menu. Purslane, a rocket-like green (but thicker), is very rich in omega-3s. "It helps the cells work better and is very good for cell membranes," said Tenaillon.

Next course: grilled tuna with a coulis of green peppers, also from the Lightness Menu. Tuna contains "high-quality proteins for the muscles" and "not too much fat," said Tenaillon. Following that, thinly sliced baby artichokes with green-tea soup, coriander, and rosemary from the Re-energizing Menu. Artichokes contain many vitamins, trace elements, and minerals, notably potassium, according to Tenaillon. "The fiber in artichokes, as in all vegetables, is also very important for digestion." Then, sage-stuffed quail with lemon confit, also from the Re-energizing Menu. "Quail contains very high-quality protein and low fat," said Tenaillon. "Sage is a phytohormone that is very important for the metabolism and affects the skin and mood. When people lack hormones, they have poor skin and bad moods. The Chinese use dried sage on many of their dishes. Lemon helps keep the veins in good shape." We finished with meringue and coconut sorbet with kiwi, from the Balancing Menu.

It was all absolutely delicious. In quality of ingredients, execution, and presentation, the food was well worthy of one Michelin star, although the Jardin des Lys does not even get a mention in the Michelin Red Guide. However, its sibling, the Café Royal, a few yards away in the same building, rates one star.

How long, I asked as I cleaned plate after plate, do you have to submit yourself to the Synergetic Cuisine program before you notice an effect? "It differs for everyone," said Tenaillon with a shrug. "This week I made a program for a guest who is 70. He has lost 3.5 kilos [7.7 pounds] in 12 days. His blood pressure dropped, and he felt much better. He told me he was very pleased because although he still had 5 kilos [11 pounds] to lose, now he knew what to do. We also have more and more guests who are not enrolled on the spa program but who try Synergetic Cuisine out of curiosity. One woman comes each year and stays for a month, during which she eats only from the Synergetic menus."

A daily diet of three, three-course Synergetic meals amounts to only 1,200 calories. So unless you were to check in directly from a hunger strike, it would be hard not to lose weight here. "The trouble is," said Michel Lentz, "guests eat the low-fat Synergetic lunch, then spend the afternoons in the pastry shops of Evian. They blame us when they don't lose weight."

I bounced out of lunch feeling very sprightly, having eaten the equivalent of the Balancing Menu. Despite the siren allure of the master pâtissiers of Evian, I only began to feel hungry by about 6 p.m., which in my book is a result.

That evening, I dined in the Café Royal, where one can enjoy all-frills, full-fat, you-only-live-once haute cuisine. Scarcely altered since the days of King Edward VII, the dining room is a Belle Epoque masterpiece with swags, chandeliers, thick carpet, elaborate floristry, a lily on every table, silverware, napery, lamps, pianist, and a vaulted ceiling with frescos by Gustave-Louis Jaulmes (1873-1959), a Swiss-born architect turned painter who specialized in creating grand interiors for the public rooms of hotels (he did parts of the Hôtel Bristol in Paris), casinos, and private villas. The waiters made a great deal of gratifying fuss over everything, with every course arriving on its own tray accompanied by a little side table for serving.

My first course was crayfish and langoustines over which the waiter poured a warming, soothing, and rich fish soup. (For a moment I thought he was going to flambé the dish, only because the Café Royal is that sort of place.) Then came an exquisite dish of porcini mushrooms with thyme and a potato wafer lattice with spinach puree, followed by an intermezzo of nutty mousse served with chocolate and, finally, the pièce de résistance, a sweet tomato pulp with basil-and-citron ice cream and a knob of rice pudding. It was all astonishingly good and very hard to fault. The food conjured up in my mind Taki's line about the rich never chewing. By 9 p.m., I'd canceled out all the good I'd done at breakfast, lunch, and the gym.

I noticed that 11 other tables were occupied that night, whereas only two other tables had been occupied during lunch at the Jardin des Lys. Clearly, Synergetic Cuisine has yet to become mainstream, and I suspect the reason lies in the contrast between the two meals. Lunch at the Jardin des Lys was delicious but somehow not satisfying. Dinner at the Café Royal was delicious and produced a Michelin Man glow in me. To paraphrase the cliché, No pain, you gain.

There is nothing inimitable about Synergetic Cuisine, except Lentz's culinary skills and the name, which the Royal Parc has copyrighted. Departing guests can keep in touch with Tenaillon, who offers advice on eating Synergetically at home. More committed adherents can buy Lentz's Cuisine of Well-Being, which contains 100 recipes from the Royal Parc. Meanwhile, Lentz has almost completed his third book. Soon there will be no excuse for not keeping up at home. And as with all spa-cuisine regimens, that's what it's ultimately all about--taking it with you.

Royal Parc Evian Resume

Location In Evian, overlooking the French shore of Lake Geneva.
The Spa Part of L'Institut Mieux-Vivre (Institute of Better Living), a complex that adjoins the Hôtel Royal. The spa has 35 treatment rooms and offers more than 100 treatments. There is also a gym, indoor swimming pool, Jacuzzi, sauna, hammam, relaxation room, and hair salon.
Spa Regimens The institute aims to re-energize the body via a series of treatments, which are packaged into seven "plans" that last between two and six days. During that time, you are encouraged to eat synergetic cuisine. Plans range from detoxifying and de-stressing to "fitness and tonicity," designed for men who want to get back in shape, and the five-day "tonic radiance" plan, designed to stall the aging process. See the spa's website for more details.
Other Facilities The more rustic Hôtel Ermitage, seven additional restaurants, a golf course, archery field, auditorium, enormous children's center (with a theater and trunks of costumes), five tennis courts (one covered), squash court, and climbing wall.
Rates $397-$625, includes meals.
Reservations 011-33-450-26-85-00-888
Website www.royalparcevian.com

The Four Synergetic Menus

Lightness menu Combines fish, low-fat meat, shellfish, and poultry with seasonal vegetables, herbs, and spices. Objectives are weight loss, "body drainage," "toxin neutralization," and elimination of free radicals.
Purity menu for vegetarians. Offers a "combination of delicate flavors, perfectly selected for alternate crunchy and melt-in-the-mouth sensations of vegetable, cereals, leguminous plants, and fruit." Its objectives are detoxification, improved digestion, and to "harmonize the qi (universal breathing=universal energy)" and "bring inner peace."
Re-energizing menu Uses low-fat meat and fish with "a wide range of green vegetables seasoned with plants that stimulate and invigorate." Objectives are to help weight loss, "provide lacking nutriments and vitamins, make you feel on top form, and stimulate the qi (energy) and enable it to circulate."
Balancing menu Contains a "wide array of flavors and aromas thanks to a great variety of ingredients combined according to the principle of balanced nutrition." This menu is aimed at the gastronomically curious who want only to dip a toe into the water of Synergetic Cuisine.

RORY ROSS is a London-based freelance writer who writes for Town & Country in the U.S. and Tatler in London, for which he was the restaurant critic for eight years.