75 years of wacky diets

Jack Rutherford

I was doing some research on dieting trends and came across some interesting fad diets from years gone by. It amazes me how people could believe these methods work. See for yourself.



1930 to ’40s: Smoking and the master cleanse

A 1920s advertisement from cigarette brand Lucky Strike used the line, “Reach for a Lucky instead of a Sweet.” Many women, particularly models and celebrities, must have gotten the idea that smoking can keep you thin. Folks looking for a quicker fix opted for the lemonade diet, or Master Cleanse. This diet, developed by Stanley Burroughs, proposed that a diet of lemonade, cayenne pepper, and maple syrup cleansed the body, leading to weight loss. Seventy years later, Beyonce reportedly used the same diet to lose weight for her role in the 2006 movie, “Dreamgirls.”



1950s: Pray the weight off

In the 1950s, the Christian dieting industry took off, in part because of the Rev. Charlie Shield’s book, “Pray Your Weight Away,” published in 1957. Later titles such as “I Prayed Myself Slim” (1960), “Help Lord, The Devil Wants Me Fat!”(1978) and “The Weigh Down Diet” (1997) helped cement the connection. The trend has persisted to the present day with Don Colbert’s books, “What Would Jesus Eat?” and “The What Would Jesus Eat? Cookbook” (2002).



1960s: Support groups and cabbage soup

Peace, love and drugs. Those were the 60s. The concept of sharing love spread even to the dieting industry. Support groups started forming. In 1960, a group of compulsive eaters formed Overeaters Anonymous and, in 1961, Jean Nidetch launched Weight Watchers. But dieting during this period wasn’t always conducive to sharing the love. “The Cabbage Soup Diet” was published in the ’60s, promising dieters would lose up to 17 pounds. Unfortunately, users cited the gassy side effects — not a welcome addition to a close encounter.



1970s: Diet pills

The ’70s ushered in the miracle of diet pills, some of which claimed to stop the body’s absorption of carbs. The unwritten message was that you could eat as much bread, pizza and dessert as you wanted as long as you take a diet pill. Unfortunately, reports of vomiting and abdominal pain led the FDA to pull the pills in 1983, a good move because subsequent research found that the pills were going straight to the colon. Dexatrim was another pill of the ’70s. This appetite suppressant contained the drug phenylpropanolamine (PPA), which was also pulled from the market in 2000. Dexatrim was since reincarnated as Dexatrim Natural Ephedrine-Free, though critics still aren’t convinced it’s safe either.



1980s: The Scarsdale Diet

In the ’80s, the diet trend swung away from the quick fix to hardcore discipline with the Scarsdale Diet. The program suggested a two week high-protein, low-carb, low-calorie diet (less than 1000 calories a day) that could result in as much as 20 pounds a week without any long-term malnutrition. The diet was spartan and included no butter, salad dressing or alcohol. Snacks were limited to carrots or celery — that was it. As it turned out, 20 pounds a week was too good to be true. Indeed, less than a 1,200 calorie a day diet is considered a starvation diet.



1990s: The Atkins Diet

In the ’80s, people learned of red meat’s association with heart disease and thought that carbs must be the road to a longer life. The 1992 book, “Dr. Atkins’ New Diet Revolution” was a reaction against the idea that you need a high-carb diet. People who had ballooned from all the carbs fell in love with the Atkins approach. Subsequent research has determined that the side effects of The Atkins’ Diet include low energy levels, fatigue and ketosis.



Diet Trends Today

Celebrity-endorsed diets: Not a new concept by any means; if it makes you look half as good as they do, it must be worth a try.

Diet delivery: Diet services like NutriSystem and the Chef’s Diet deliver prepackaged meals right to your door. An expensive program to be sure and not without its health complications. Nutrisystem has spent a good deal of time and money in the courts fighting lawsuits brought by its customers.

Organic diets: Organic foods, without the preservatives and additives, are thought to help the body’s digestive system process food more smoothly with fewer unhealthy side effects. Expensive but probably not a bad idea.

Portion control: 100-calorie pack anyone. A good idea provided the proper amounts of nutrients are included.

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