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History of Dieting: Diet Fads from the 1800s

Considering that 64% of Americans are overweight (Center of Disease Control), it’s understandable that millions of Americans are taking efforts to maintain a healthy body weight. While diets may seem like they’ve become popular in the last 50 years, you may be surprised to learn that people have been dieting since the 1800s! For the next few days, we will explore diet fads from the 1800s, 1900s, and the millennium.

Diet Fads from the 1800s:

• Vinegar Diet. How would you like to eat food that had been soaked in vinegar? That’s exactly what the British poet, Lord Byron, did and reportedly lost 60 pounds by this simple method. There is speculations among historians whether he had an eating disorder.
• Graham’s Diet. The creator of the Graham Cracker, Sylvester Graham was a Presbyterian minister with strong opinions on diet. He taught his followers, “Grahamites,” to avoid coffee, alcohol, tea, spices, and meat. Instead, they subsisted on a diet of pure water, fresh fruits and vegetables, high fiber foods, and whole wheat. Strange, one might have thought their diet would have been based on graham crackers…
• Zander Machines. The Swedish doctor, Dr. Gustav Zander, developed a peculiar concept to lose weight that involved wrapping one’s body in a vibrating strap, a method that can be seen in old movies.
• Banting Diet. The first popular diet book was called “Letter on Corpulence” and written by an English casket maker named William Banting who battled with his weight. His diet concept included eating dry toast, lean meats, unsweetened fruit, and green vegetables.

While some of these concepts are still practiced today, many further developments have been made on diets since the 1800s. If you’re looking to establish a diet routine, a certified nutritionist or dietitian can help you construct a diet that will take into consideration your eating, exercise, and weight loss goals. Nutritionists with online degrees can help you achieve optimum health. Find a nutritionist in your area at http://www.findanutritionist.com/.

If you were to choose one of these diet fads from the 1800s, which would it be? Graham’s Diet would be my choice.

Stay tuned for Diet Fads from the 1900s!

History of Dieting: Questionable Diet Fads from the 1900s
History of Dieting: Today’s Diet Fads
Source Diet Fads: Some Smart, Some Scary

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