Fad Diets: An Introduction

In our opinion, dieting is defined as the limitation of one's food intake to lose weight.

What Are Fad Diets?

They are weight-loss diets that gain popularity within a short span of time, but lose this popularity very quickly as well. However, this does not necessarily indicate that they are ineffective. Also, they may appear to be slightly extreme due to their strict limitations regarding the consumption of food.

Trends in Fad Diets

·       The diet may eliminate one or more of the six basic food groups (grains, vegetables, fruits, oils, proteins and dairy products) from your daily diet.

·       The diet promises quick results.

·       The diet may state that exercise can be neglected in the process of weight loss.

·       The diet may encourage the consumerism of a certain product.

·       The basis of these diets are usually drawn from a limited range of studies, and are over-simplified conclusions that are derived from much more technical research.

·       The diet may be exaggerated, with poor substantiation (for example, a few “before and after” photographs), rather than concrete scientific proof.

According to an article by TIME magazine in 2009, food faddism is a concept that evolved long before the 21st century. Attached below is a basic timeline showing a list of well-known fad diets in chronological order.  

Fletcherizing
It was promoted by Horace Fletcher. He had a theory that chewing food 32 times before spitting it out allows the body to absorb nutrients, enjoy the taste of food without gaining weight.

Sleeping Beauty Diet

This diet mainly involved the individual being heavily sedated for several days. This poses a danger for the health of the individual. It works based on the theory that while one is asleep, little energy is lost and food is not consumed, thus no fats will be gained. However, this is untrue as the body metabolism will decrease. The rate at which fats are burnt will also decrease as the amount of stored fats are limited. It is rumoured that Elvis Presley once tried this form of fad dieting.