A Holistic Holiday at Sea Cruise caters to vegetarians but is also friendly to meat eaters. (Clipart.com)

Famous ships on the sea Cunard’s Queens meet in NY harbour Cruising through Europe

The food is still the star of the show.

But instead of feeling tired, lethargic and maybe even 10 pounds heavier, you leave this cruise feeling refreshed, energetic and maybe even 10 pounds lighter.

Welcome to the Holistic Holiday at Sea Cruise, dedicated to your overall health and wellness.

Created by natural foods expert Sandy Pukel, the cruise is a week-long holiday in a Caribbean paradise, which features dozens of experts in about 140 classes, lectures, workshops, fitness classes and cooking classes.

The food is specially prepared by seven chefs who prepare gourmet vegetarian and vegan meals using only organic ingredients.

Almost 1,000 cruise-goers were part of this year's Holistic cruise on the Costa Fortuna, which also hosted about 2,300 other regular cruise-goers.

Although the cruise caters to vegetarians, vegans and people who follow the macrobiotic diet, you don't have to fall into one of these categories to take part.

I have been a vegetarian since I was 14 years old, and I went on the cruise with my dad, who has eaten meat all his life and has never considered becoming a vegetarian.

One of the highlights of the week was a sinfully delicious chocolate mousse dessert, which had no dairy and no sugar.

"A lot of people don't do dairy," Pukel says. "I take it a step further and use no sugar."

And, with Greens and Grains on the Deep Blue Sea Cookbook, ($19.95, Square One Publishers) written by Pukel and head chef Mark Hanna, you can also enjoy the cruise's amazing dishes in the comfort of your own home.

The captain, a ruggedly handsome Italian man, has been a vegetarian for three years.

"I'm vegetarian, so I'm very interested in this group," says Claudio De Fenza, who has been with Costa Cruise Lines for 21 years, seven years as captain.

"The food is great, and I try all the dishes they prepare."

And, with classes running from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m., you can start your day with pilates, yoga or meditation, and then attend numerous lectures, workshops or cooking classes throughout the day.

You can attend any class that interests you and take as many or as few as you'd like.

However, with experts in such varied fields as alternative health, research science, macrobiotics, shiatsu and vegan and macrobiotic cooking, you may find some of the classes you want to take overlap each other or are offered while on you are on an excursion in a port of call.

Not to worry -- you have the option of buying a CD of the class in the bookstore so you don't miss out on anything.

"The biggest complaint is there's too many choices," Pukel says.

The four ports of call included Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, St. Maarten and the Turk Islands -- all of which were absolutely breathtaking and featured spectacular excursions.

One truly inspirational class was the recovery panel, a group of people diagnosed with terminal cancer who turned to holistic and alternative therapies, including macrobiotics, when standard chemo and radiation treatments didn't work for them.

Simply put, macrobiotics puts a strict focus on a diet with no processed food, and consists primarily of whole grains, beans, vegetables, and moderate amounts of seafood and fruit. By following this diet, these people, who all came from different backgrounds, were able to beat cancer.

As Warren Kramer, an internationally-renowned macrobiotic counsellor, lecturer and cooking teacher says, "if it's the food you eat that makes you sick, why can't the food you eat make you well?"

Pukel, who is also the founder of A Taste of Health, a non-profit educational foundation, says 410 people attended the first Holistic Holiday at Sea in 2004.

About 725 were part of the Holistic cruise last year and he had 1,000 Holistic vacationers this year, mostly from North America, but also from Japan, Australia and Europe. To people debating whether or not to go on the cruise, Pukel says, "try it. If you don't like it, you can eat off the regular menu.

"What do you have to lose but a few pounds, illness, aches and pains and the fear of the unknown? You have everything to gain. This week is about being able to change your life, about taking responsibility for your own life. You have the power to change yourself."

Next year's Holistic Holiday at Sea will take place from March 1 to March 8, and will visit phenomenal ports of call in the Caribbean.

Starting from $1,195 per person double occupancy, the price includes all professionally prepared meals and all lectures, classes and workshops.

Visit www.atasteofhealth.org for more information.