Before we embraced healthy eating habits, there was a time when everyone was obsessed with reaching a certain weight and size. The 1990s were when supermodels ruled the runway, and they were the definition of the ideal body that the media projected to women. Today, we’re bringing you the 10 diet fads that were completely insane (and unhealthy).
10. Meal Replacement Shakes
The 1990s were the years responsible for the boom of liquid diets. One popular diet is the meal replacement shakes, where people swap actual solid meals with pre-portioned and artificial-flavored beverages. They were marketed through celebrity endorsements for people who want to shed some pounds immediately. However, the reality of liquid diets is that they lack the nutrition needed, leading to nutrient deficiency.
9. Special K Diet
The 1990s were also the glory years of breakfast cereal. With this, Kellogg’s created the Special K Diet as a simple path to weight loss. It involves replacing two meals with a bowl of Special K cereal. The marketing shows that your jeans will lose their size in just weeks! While it’s on the less extreme side, it promotes restrictive eating patterns and lacks essential nutrients.
8. The Rise of Low-Fat and Non-Fat
You may remember heading to the supermarket during the 1990s and seeing all these low-fat and non-fat products. These products range from cookies, chips, and dairy products that are marketed as the better alternative. However, manufacturers load them with excessive sugar and artificial flavors to compensate for the lack of flavor.
7. The Atkins Diet
Dr. Robert Atkins introduced the Atkins Diet, a drastic reduction of a person’s carbohydrate intake. It favors the high-protein and high-fat diet with a promise of weight loss in days. However, the diet eliminates good carbohydrates from fruits, vegetables, and whole grains.
6. The Zone Diet
Developed by Dr. Barry Sears during the mid-1990s, the Zone Diet is a scientifically grounded fad diet. It deals with the control of insulin levels through a ratio of 40% carbohydrates, 30% protein, and 30% fat. The idea is that your body will be in a metabolic state or “zone” where you burn fat and reduce inflammation. However, it was criticized as the strictness could lead to an unhealthy relationship with food rather than a holistic approach.
5. Herbal Supplements
Herbal supplements found a big market during the 90s with the diet culture. Many supplements were marketed as natural solutions for weight loss, with exotic plans playing an important role. Herbal supplements promised appetite-suppressing properties without dietary changes and exercise. However, they lack scientific evidence, while some pose dangers due to undisclosed ingredients.
4. Sugar Busters Diet
The Sugar Busters Diet was all about eliminating processed sugar and high-glycemic carbohydrates. While reducing refined sugar is a good step, the belief is flawed. This diet operated with the belief that insulin was fattening and you could lose weight by avoiding it. This promotes an unbalanced intake and distortion of supposedly healthy foods.
3. Wow Chips (Olestra)
Through the low-fat craze, the Wow Chips made with fat substitute Olestra were sold in markets. By consuming these chips, they promised the impossible, which is zero fat, zero calories, and zero grams of cholesterol. Olestra is left unabsorbed through the digestive system, preventing the body from absorbing fat with vitamins.
2. Lemonade Diet
The Lemonade Diet, which is also known as the Master Cleanse, involves consuming nothing but this concoction of lemonade. It features lemon juice, maple syrup, and cayenne pepper, which are pretty popular among celebrities. The promise? Rapid weight loss and detoxification of your body. However, this extreme diet is a dangerous approach towards weight management due to a lack of essential nutrients. Also, no scientific evidence proves that it detoxifies the body.
1. Cabbage Soup Diet
This infamous seven-day crash diet promises rapid weight loss in just a week. It involves consuming large quantities of low-calorie cabbage soup with a few selected foods for specific days. Don’t even plan on partaking in this dangerous diet, as the drastic weight loss is due to water loss and not the fats themselves.