Eating Disorder Education Organization

Dieting in the 1930s

They're happy because they eat lard The Grapefruit Diet, also known as the Hollywood Diet or the Mayo Diet is a short-term, quick weight loss plan promising a 10-pound weight loss over 12 days. Long-term weight control is not part of the diet plan. The diet is based on the claim of a magical ingredient in grapefruits that is supposed to trigger fat burning when grapefruit is eaten with protein. There are required foods for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and bedtime. In addition, a half grapefruit must be eaten with every meal. Dieters are also encouraged to drink black coffee and 64oz of water throughout the day (1).

Who'd belive I was skinny and lonely a few weeks ago Pills containing the chemical Dinitrophenol, claimed by some to prevent food energy from being turned into fat, were taken by approximately 100,000 Americans. It was later discovered that Dinitrophenol was actually poisonous and resulted in blindness and, in some cases, death. Dinitrophenol became illegal as part of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act of 1938 (2).

Tape worms Dr. Stoll’s Diet Aid was the first of the liquid diet drinks, a combo of milk chocolate, starch, and an extract of roasted wheat and bran.

The Bananas and Skim Milk Diet was not so surprisingly backed by the United Fruit Company.

Reach for a Lucky instead of a sweet The Dr. Hay Diet or Food Combining Diet required that proteins, starches, and fruits be eaten separately to avoid acidosis, which Dr. Hay claimed "drained vitality and led to fat." He urged one food category per meal, plus an enema every day to "flush out the poisons."

Kelp-A-Malt promises to help you gain weight by nourishing the digestive glands to enable you to digest fats and starches. It claims to accomplish this by providing “an amazingly effective digestive substance which actually digests 4 times its own weight of the flesh-building foods you eat,” and by stimulating and nourishing the “internal glands which control assimilation the process of converting digested food into firm flesh, new strength and energy”.

How do you look in your bathing suit men People unhappy with their skinny bodies tried to gain weight by taking Ironized Yeast Tablets which claimed to help you gain “new naturally attractive pounds, popularity and success” in just a few weeks.

How do you look in your bating suit women

References:

Zelman, KM. The grapefruit diet. WebMD. Available at: http://www.webmd.com/diet/features/the-grapefruit-diet. Accessed August 27, 2008.
Hecht, A, Janssen, W. Dirt drug danger deja vu. Quackwatch. January 29, 2003. Available at: http://www.quackwatch.org/02ConsumerProtection/FDAActions/bachynsky.html. Accessed August 27, 2008.
Waldbieser, J. Diet's demise. MSN health and fitness. Available at: http://health.msn.com/weight-loss/articlepage.aspx?cp-documentid=100205644. Accessed August 27, 2008.
American Dietetic Association. Fad diet timeline. Eatright.org. February 1, 2007. Available at: http://www.eatright.org/nnm/timeline.swf. Accessed August 27, 2008.
Gruber, B. The history of diets and dieting. Karlloren.com. May 25, 2002. Available at: http://www.karlloren.com/diet/p119.htm. Accessed August 27, 2008.
Kelp-o-malt: Skinny girls (Nov, 1934). Modern Mechanix. May 26, 2007. Available at: Available at: http://blog.modernmechanix.com/2007/05/26/kelp-o-malt-skinny-girls/. Accessed August 27, 2008.
Who'd believe I was skinny and lonely a few weeks ago (Aug, 1935). Modern Mechanix. June 1, 2006. Available at: http://blog.modernmechanix.com/2006/06/01/whod-believe-i-was-skinny-and-lonely-a- few-weeks-ago/. Accessed August 27, 2008.

Image Sources:

<<Close this Window>>