Macrobiotic Diet Encourages Consumption of Seasonal Foods

The Ancient Greek diet was founded on the "Mediterranean Triad" of wheat, olive oil and wine. Since the Greeks grew olives, grapes, figs, beans and grains, their diet was considered very healthy for all classes and the dinner meal was usually the largest of the day. In his book, Letter on Corpulence, William Banting remarked, "Of all the parasites affecting humanity, none were more distressing than obesity". The obese undertaker created his own diet of meat, fish and vegetables.

People have been inundated with information about fad diets to shed pounds, lower blood pressure, and restore energy levels for centuries. Listed below are some of the popular diet trends throughout the years:

• BANTING DIET - Likely the first book on dieting was released by British undertaker William Banting in his Letter on Corpulence. Published in 1864, the Banting diet replaced the Englishman's menus of excessive bread, sugar and potatoes with mostly meats, fish and vegetables.
• LOW-CARB DIET - Low-carb dieting is one of the oldest practices of eating certain foods while avoiding starches, sugars, beer and breads to lose or maintain a particular body weight.
• PETERS LOW-CALORIE DIET - In 1918, American doctor and author Lulu Hunt Peters published a best seller entitled Diet & Health: With Key to the Calories that presented the concept of counting calories as the best form of weight loss.
• MACROBIOTIC DIET - Macrobiotics is diet that attempts to balance "yin and yang" elements with food types drawn from Zen Buddhism. Meat and animal products are consumed in moderation and dieters are encouraged to eat locally grown (farm to table) foods that are in season.
• DRINKING MAN'S DIET - Bon Vivant Robert Cameron published The Drinking Man's Diet, a pamphlet that sold 2.5 million copies. Based around a high fat, low-carb menu plan, this diet allows dieters to consume low-carb distilled spirits such as gin, vodka, rum, brandy and whiskies.
• FRUITARIANISM - Fruitarianism is a subset of dietary veganism where no animal products are consumed. The diet consists almost entirely of fresh fruits in the botanical sense and sometimes allows followers to eat nuts or seeds, but no grains.
• SEVEN DAY COLOR DIET - Certainly one of the most colorful of all diets, the goal of the seven day color diet requires followers to chomp white foods first, then red, green, orange, purple, yellow and finally every color on the last day of the diet week.
• MEDITERRANEAN DIET - Considered a heart healthy approach for dietary intake, the Mediterranean Diet varies between countries and regions surrounding the Mediterranean Sea. Basically, the diet encourages fresh vegetables, fruits, legumes, grains, fish and good fats like olive oil, but with little dairy or meat.

Fad diets have been firmly entrenched for decades having promoted diverse ways of promising weight loss. Although some do deliver a quick fix with short-term results, none offers a long-term plan for maintaining your target weight like a personalized menu plan. Contact the Metabolic Research Center for your free, no obligation consultation to discuss your specific dietary needs.