You’ve probably heard about some of the crazy fad diets that people have sworn by in the past hundred years. Your parents and grandparents and even great grandparents may have tried these diets to lose weight. You’ve likely wondered how well the diets worked and how anything called the “cigarette diet” could be considered healthy (hint: it’s not). But there are some things that we can learn from these diets to better round out our own healthy eating. Though all of these diets involve an insufficient calorie intake (hence the weight loss), there are some redeeming qualities and lessons that can be taken to help us lead more nutritious lives — in moderation of course.
The Cigarette Diet
As mentioned in the introduction, there is nothing healthy about this 1920s diet. In fact (as you likely already know) smoking can be extremely hazardous to your health. According to US News, tobacco companies marketed cigarettes as an option for weight control because they could suppress users’ appetites. One such company, Lucky Strike, used the slogan: “Reach for a Lucky instead of a sweet.” We are not suggesting that cigarettes should be added into your diet, but there is still a lesson to be learned from this diet — beware of “healthy” marketing. Before you place something labeled as healthy, do your research to make sure the product won’t just cause more problems.
The Grapefruit Diet
Also known as The Hollywood Diet, this diet first gained traction in the 1930s and was revived in the 1970s, when it became even more popular. The diet required eating half a grapefruit or drinking grapefruit juice with every meal and limiting calories to “as little as 800 calories” per day. According to Cleveland Clinic, the 10-to-12-day diet promised a weight loss of 10 pounds through grapefruit’s “fat-burning enzymes that melt off pounds” (a prime example of why you shouldn’t believe everything you read in a 1930s magazine). However, grapefruit has some amazing health benefits. It contains high amounts of vitamins A and C, fiber and antioxidants, and doesn’t cause blood sugar to rise, according to Cleveland Clinic. So, feel free to add it to your breakfast or have it as a snack!
The Drinking Man’s Diet
Have your alcohol and drink it too! If something seems too good to be true, it probably is, and this 1964 diet is no exception. Known as the grandfather of low-carb dieting, this diet was extremely popular, allowing dieters to eat as much of their favorite foods as they wanted — “steak and whisky, chicken and gin, ham, caviar, pâté de foie gras, rum and roast pheasant, veal cutlets and vodka, frogs legs and lobster claws” — and count them as zero calories. This diet was actually printed in an actual booklet which provided tables with carbohydrate amounts for different foods, according to Forbes. However,it failed to promote moderation. While higher protein and lower carb levels along with the occasional cocktail aren’t necessarily bad, anything without moderation can become a problem. You’re much better off striving for whole foods and balanced meals.
The Cottage Cheese Diet
Created in the 1950s, the Cottage Cheese Diet became very popular in the 1970s. According to NPR, the average American consumed five pounds of cottage cheese per year in the early 70s. According to Healthline, the diet generally required a dieter to eat only cottage cheese for every meal, sometimes alongside fruits and vegetables. The diet would be done for at least three days and was once again very restrictive of calorie intake. However, cottage cheese is very high in protein (28 grams per cup) and is a great addition to meals or can be used as a substitute for meat in meals. Just remember to balance!
The Wine and Eggs Diet
This three-day Vogue diet from the 1970s promised five pounds of weight loss and followed a strict meal plan.
The plan was as follows:
BREAKFAST: 1 egg, hard-boiled; 1 glass white wine dry, preferably Chablis); Black coffee
LUNCH: 2 eggs, hard-boiled is best, but poached if necessary; 2 glasses white wine; Black coffee
DINNER: 5 oz. (150 g.) steak, grilled with black pepper, lemon juice; Remainder of white wine (one bottle allowed per day); Black coffee.
Let’s just leave this one with the question: What could they possibly have been thinking? And for what we can learn? Nothing’s wrong with a bit of extra protein in the day — as long as it comes along with other food and we nix the wine.
The Cabbage Soup Diet
Another 1950s diet that became popular in the 1980s, the Cabbage Soup Diet consisted of well, cabbage soup. Healthline says the diet claimed to help dieters lose up to 10 pounds in just one week, eating cabbage soup at every meal. One to two other foods such as “fruits, vegetables or skim milk” were also allowed. And people did lose weight due to: (you guessed it!) not eating enough calories. According to Healthline, cabbage does have many health benefits, containing vitamins K and C and folate, helping with digestion, and possibly working to stop inflammation, heart disease, high blood pressure and high cholesterol. But let’s maybe add some meat, potatoes and hearty vegetables to our cabbage soup. And unless it’s your favorite food, you don’t have to eat it at every meal.
WARNING: This is not a bucket list. Do not try at home! 😉
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