Fad Diet Timeline – Fad Diets Throughout the Years

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FOR RELEASE FEBRUARY 1, 2007

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1820	Vinegar and Water Diet Made popular by Lord Byron
1825	Low Carbohydrate Diet First appeared in The Physiology of Taste by Jean Brillat-Savarin
1830	Graham’s Diet Only legacy: Invented Graham crackers
1863	Banting’s Low Carbohydrate Diet “Banting” becomes a popular term for dieting
1903	Horace Fletcher promotes “Fletcherizing” Chew food 32 times
1917	Calorie Counting Introduced by Lulu Hunt Peters in her book Diet and Health, With Key to the Calories
1925	Cigarette Diet “Reach for a Lucky instead of a sweet”
1928	Inuit Meat-and-Fat Diet Caribou, raw fish and whale blubber
1930	Hay Diet Carbohydrates and proteins not allowed at the same meal
Dr. Stoll’s Diet Aid First of the liquid diet drinks
1934	Bananas and Skim Milk Diet Backed by the United Fruit Company
1950	Cabbage Soup Diet Flatulence is listed as a main side effect
Grapefruit Diet Also known as Hollywood Diet
1960	Zen Macrobiotic Diet Created by Japanese philosopher George Ohsawa
1961	Calories Don’t Count Diet FDA filed charges regarding diet’s claims
1964	Drinking Man’s Diet Harvard School of Public Health declared diet unhealthful
1970	Sleeping Beauty Diet Individuals heavily sedated for several days
Liquid Protein Diets Liquid protein drinks were low in vitamins and minerals
1981	Beverly Hills Diet Only fruit for first 10 days but in unlimited amounts
1985	Fit for Life Avoid combining protein and carbohydrate foods
Caveman Diet Foods from the Paleolithic Era
1986	Rotation Diet Rotating number of calories taken in from week to week
1987	Scarsdale Diet Low-carbohydrate, low-calorie diet plan
1990	Cabbage Soup Diet Diet from 1950s resurfaces on the Web
1994	High Protein, Low Carb Diet Dr. Atkin’s version
1995	Sugar Busters — Cut Sugar to Trim Fat Eliminates refined carbohydrates
1996	Eat Right for Your Type Diet based on blood type
1999	Juice, Fasting and Detoxification Perennial dieting favorites reappear in combination
2000	Raw Foods Diet Focuses on uncooked, unprocessed organic foods
2001	High Protein, Low Carb Diet 1994 diet updated
2004	Coconut Diet Fats replaced with coconut oil
2005	Cheater’s Diet Cheating on the weekend is required
2006	Maple Syrup Diet Features a special syrup-lemon drink

With approximately 65,000 members, the American Dietetic Association is the nation’s largest organization of food and nutrition professionals. ADA serves the public by promoting optimal nutrition, health and well-being. To locate a registered dietitian in your area, visit the American Dietetic Association at www.eatright.org.

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