History of Unique Approaches to Weight Loss Diets

A trademark of traditional Chinese culinary is their preference for striking the perfect balance in everything, which is a principle that is heavily applied to their meals. Many Asian cultures firmly believe that achieving equilibrium in each meal helps prevent weight gain. Greek physician Hippocrates was one of the first scholars to observe the relationships between excessive eating and poor health outcomes. "Let food be thy medicine" and "Walking is man's best medicine" were dietary slogans in 400 B.C. Greece.

Through the ages, people have kept their weight down with a variety of weird and wonderful approaches. Listed are a few of the most popular fad diets:

• ROLLO MEAT DIET - After English physician Matthew Dobson identified sugar as the culprit in the urine of patients suffering from diabetes, John Rollo published a beneficial meat diet in his 1797 paper Notes of a Diabetic Case.
• BANTING LOW-CARB DIET - Possibly the first fad diet, the "Banting" emphasized avoiding sweet foods, sugar, starch, beer, milk and butter as the world's first low-carbohydrate and low calorie diet plan.
• TAPEWORM DIET - Although medical experts strongly recommend against the practice, people have swallowed beef tapeworm cysts in a pill to allow them to grow and consume food before their body could digest it. Overweight opera singer Maria Callas was a staunch proponent of the diet.
• GRAPEFRUIT DIET - The original grapefruit diet surfaced in the 1930s, but newer versions have developed over the years. The diet is based on eating grapefruit before meals to help fill you up, so you eat less. It focuses on the breakfast meal for hunger management and recommends other fruits, soups and beverages that fill you up (not out) for lunch and dinner.
• DRINKING MAN'S DIET -The manly brainchild of Robert Cameron this low-carbohydrate and high-fat diet appeared in print six years prior to the Atkins diet. Alcohol was recommended to wash down a manly meal of steak, fish or chicken with some green beans or fresh salad with high-fat dressing.
• ORNISH DIET - To follow the Ornish Diet, people ate all the beans, legumes, fruits, grains and vegetables that were needed to feel full. Dr. Dean Ornish recommended low or no-fat dairy products, such as milk, cheese or yogurt, but dieters could only consume 10% of total calories from fats.
• SEVEN-DAY COLOR DIET - Also referred to as the ROY G BIV (red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo and violet) diet, followers consumed only foods of the specified color group for the first six days and, on the seventh day, foods containing all colors.
• MIND DIET - Combining the best of the Mediterranean diet and DASH diet created a dietary approach designed to support healthy aging by preventing dementia and loss of brain function. This sensible eating plan boasts of having tons of proven science behind it.

Without doubt, our ancestors approached diets and weight loss in some strange and irrational ways. Unfortunately, many dietary researchers feel that they likely ate better than we do. We may have advanced in what we know but many of our diets are just as unusual as centuries-old weight loss methods. To learn more about our personalized menu plans, contact the Metabolic Research Center today.