destination diets; The latest batch of weight-loss books steals secrets from luxe locales around the world.(Brief article)

Byline: Jancee Dunn

We've lived (and lost) through diets based on food groups, blood types, and carb quotients. This year, it's all about location, location, location: A sensible quartet of books takes cues from St.-Tropez, Switzerland, Brazil, and Martha's Vineyard.

For those who like the comfort of a diet heavily weighted with science, get ready for The Swiss Secret to Optimal Health: Dr. Rau's Diet for Whole Body Healing (Berkley Books, April). Its no-nonsense tone is a throwback to a rigorous European health clinic from the fifties, recommending complete elimination of pork, shellfish, swordfish, and all dairy products from cows (this from the Swiss!) to balance the body's alkaline levels by reducing protein.

The Saint Tropez Diet (Hatherleigh Press) is more easygoing, with an emphasis on joie de vivre and regular servings of "good" oils, nuts, fish, meat, and wine. Its many luscious recipes seem indulgent, not restrictive: ...