Macrobiotic Diet Was an Early Farm-to-Table Approach to Eating

The ancient Asian diet is a time-honored way of eating based on plant foods such as rice, vegetables, and fresh fruits. For thousands of years, people of the Asian world rarely included meat as a main dish and, unlike Western diets, used it as an accent and flavor compliment to more vegetarian menus. Everything in Moderation is a misquote of the Greek physician Hippocrates, who actually said Everything in excess is opposed to nature when referring to the harm done by excessive drinking and overindulgence in luxury foods.

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:

• 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.
• ROLLO LOW-CARB DIET - Scottish military surgeon John Rollo wrote the first medical diet published. He created a low-carb meat diet that allowed adult patients suffering from diabetes mellitus to extend their life expectancy.
• RAW FOOD DIET - Over 150 years old, the raw food diet instructs people to eat food that hasn't been cooked, processed, microwaved, genetically engineered or exposed to pesticides. Founded by a Swiss doctor, Maximilian Bircher-Benner, proponents still use the diet for weight loss.
• MACROBIOTIC DIET - Macrobiotics is diet that attempts to balance "yin and yang" elements with food types drawn from Zen Buddhism. Meats and animal products are consumed in moderation and dieters are encouraged to eat locally grown (farm to table) foods that are in season.
• SLEEPING BEAUTY DIET - First mentioned in Jacqueline Susann's novel Valley of the Dolls, The Sleeping Beauty Diet recommended that dieters take sedatives to skip mealtimes. Elvis Presley supposedly tried the diet in the 70s but obviously regained any pounds that he lost.
• THE COOKIE DIET - In the mid-1970s, Dr. Sanford Siegal created the Cookie Diet, which required dieters to snack on low-calorie cookies made with hunger-controlling ingredients. Hollywood loved the diet, which was recently revitalized by Kim Kardashian and Kelly Clarkson.
• ZONE DIET - Another diet that Hollywood celebrities embraced was the Zone Diet created by biochemist Barry Sears. The low-carbohydrate fad diet requires structuring every meal around specific macronutrient thresholds for protein, fats and carbs.
• MEDITERRANEAN DIET - Considered a heart healthy approach for dietary intake, the Mediterranean Diet varies between countries and regions surrounding the Mediterranean Sea. The diet encourages fresh vegetables, fruits, legumes, grains, fish and good fats like olive oil, but with little dairy or meat.

Although Hippocrates carefully examined his patients' urine, stools, pus and sweat, he also took note of each individual's personality, home environment, relationships and diet before diagnosing and treating ailments. He believed it impossible to treat illness without understanding the whole person. Fortunately, when he convinced gout sufferers to temper their habits, the inflammatory disease would often subside.