Dieting.
Who loves dieting? You? No? If you do you’re probably in the minority. However we’ve all probably tried to diet at some point.
And speaking of some point, ever wonder what dieting was like 30 years ago? Let’s take a look shall we?
1980’s – The Scarsdale Diet
Developed in the late 1970’s, this diet was a very popular fad diet in the 80’s and consisted of…
- Two-week high protein, low-carb, low-calorie diet
- Restrictive menu
- Considered to be a starvation diet
Often these factors in tandem led to a high fat diet, which in turn increased the risk of heart diseases.
1990’s – The Atkins Diet
The Atkins diet was developed by Roger Atkins and is considered to be one of the most popular fad diets around. Even 20 years later you can still buy Atkins meal plan kits in some grocery stores. A few things about the Atkins diet…
- The Atkins diet was a reaction against the high-carb diet fad that was highlighted in the 1980’s.
- The theory of the low carb diet is it kick starts your metabolism. The diet is designed to get your body to go from converting glucose (sugar) intake into energy, to using your stored body fat.
- There is actually very little scientific data that shows the effectiveness of this diet. However, Forbes did conduct a study that showed it is one of the most expensive diets to go on based on complicated recipes and meal plans.
2000s/current
Dieting today is more popular than ever. With an increased focus on wellness, body positivity, fitness, and the ever present media, people have the desire to look and feel good.
Today there are tons of diets floating around, the most popular diet trends are currently…
- Celebrity endorsed diets, everyone wants to look like their favorite actress/supermodel. One diet that’s extremely popular is actress Gwyneth Paltrow’s diet.
- Portion control. Ziploc has made portion control baggies, cups now have measuring marks, and even some containers will portion out appropriately.
- Organic diets, no preservatives/additives please! This can also be knowing as clean eating.
- Diet Delivery/Fresh Meal Delivery, NutriSystem, PeaPod, Blue Apron. People get busy, and preparing a healthy meal can be a challenge for some. This meal service ships all you need to your home for you to prepare.
- Juice Diets. Science shows these diets are less helpful in weight loss due to the lack of fiber from the fruit, which leaves you with just the sugar!!
All in all, dieting will always be a part of our reality. Dieting also isn’t necessarily a bad thing, it’s great to take an active approach in your health and nutrition. Just be sure to always make sure you do your research and diet in a healthy way. Are you not sure where to start? Elite has a registered dietitian nutritionist who can help get you on track!
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