Dieters Eat Specific Colors of Food on the Seven-Day Color Diet

Diet is derived from an ancient Greek word diaita. However, diaita was not originally used to describe the consumption of one food over another. Instead, the ancient Greeks used diaita to represent the healthy lifestyle that comes with the proper application of food, drink and exercise. Food in ancient Greece consisted of grains, olives, grapes, figs, wheat, barley, fruits, vegetables, goat cheese and breads. The overall dietary intake of was healthy and the drinks of choice were watered down wine and barley gruel.

A chronology of good, bad and ugly diets is listed below:

• ROLLO DIABETIC DIET - In 1797, Notes of a Diabetic Case was published by a Scottish military surgeon named John Rollo. The study contained a heavy meat diet recommended for diabetic patients as a life-extending dietary management plan.
• LOW-CARB DIET - The English pamphlet that outlined the low-carb, low-calorie Banting diet became the first popular menu plan used a model for modern diets. William Banting's 1863 booklet has transcended many generations and remains in print today.
• RAW FOOD DIET - While numerous versions of this 19th century diet exists today, followers still claim they consume about half the calories they would eat on a cooked diet. Some medical experts caution that a raw food diet doesn't deliver all the nutrients needed.
• 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, which may include a shot of whiskey or dry martini, is recommended to wash down a manly meal of steak, fish or chicken.
• THE COOKIE DIET - Hollywood celebrities loved the Cookie Diet that was introduced in 1975. Dr. Sanford Siegal's magical diet required dieters to eat nine specially formulated cookies throughout the day that contained secret amino acids to keep one's appetite at bay.
• 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. On the seventh day, they eat foods containing all colors. Artist Mindy Weisel's book utilizes principles of Savor the Spectrum by the National Cancer Institute.
• THE SOUTH BEACH DIET - South Florida cardiologist, Dr. Arthur Agatston, says he borrowed concepts from the Atkins Diet, where followers were losing belly fat opposed to dieters on low-fat diets. His South Beach Diet is a low-glycemic-index carbohydrate plan packed with lean proteins and unsaturated fats.

Centuries ago, when people began to understand the principles of eating reasonable amounts of food and participating in moderate exercise, they consciously started dieting for a lifelong regimen for health. Trying to follow a fad diet that does not include sustainable, long-lasting changes can leave you feeling frustrated. In part, fad diets ignore your body's way of regulating food intake with hunger hormones and satiety. MRC's personalized menu plans help you stay in touch with the foods you eat.