A Timeline of Fad Diets - history repeating itself.

1820 Vinegar and Water Diet
Made popular by Lord Byron
1825 Low Carbohydrate Diet
First appeared in The Physiology of Taste by Jean Brillat-Savarin
1830 Graham’s Diet
Only legacy: Invented Graham crackers
1863 Banting’s Low Carbohydrate Diet
“Banting” becomes a popular term for dieting
1903 Horace Fletcher promotes “Fletcherizing”
Chew food 32 times
1917 Calorie Counting
Introduced by Lulu Hunt Peters in her book Diet and Health, With Key to the Calories
1925 Cigarette Diet
“Reach for a Lucky instead of a sweet”
1928 Inuit Meat-and-Fat Diet
Caribou, raw fish and whale blubber
1930 Hay Diet
Carbohydrates and proteins not allowed at the same meal
Dr. Stoll’s Diet Aid
First of the liquid diet drinks
1934 Bananas and Skim Milk Diet
Backed by the United Fruit Company
1950 Cabbage Soup Diet
Flatulence is listed as a main side effect
Grapefruit Diet
Also known as Hollywood Diet
1960 Zen Macrobiotic Diet
Created by Japanese philosopher George Ohsawa
1961 Calories Don’t Count Diet
FDA filed charges regarding diet’s claims
1964 Drinking Man’s Diet
Harvard School of Public Health declared diet unhealthful
1970 Sleeping Beauty Diet
Individuals heavily sedated for several days
Liquid Protein Diets
Liquid protein drinks were low in vitamins and minerals
1981 Beverly Hills Diet
Only fruit for first 10 days but in unlimited amounts
1985 Fit for Life
Avoid combining protein and carbohydrate foods
Caveman Diet
Foods from the Paleolithic Era
1986 Rotation Diet
Rotating number of calories taken in from week to week
1987 Scarsdale Diet
Low-carbohydrate, low-calorie diet plan
1990 Cabbage Soup Diet
Diet from 1950s resurfaces on the Web
1994 High Protein, Low Carb Diet
Dr. Atkin’s version
1995 Sugar Busters — Cut Sugar to Trim Fat
Eliminates refined carbohydrates
1996 Eat Right for Your Type
Diet based on blood type
1999 Juice, Fasting and Detoxification
Perennial dieting favorites reappear in combination
2000 Raw Foods Diet
Focuses on uncooked, unprocessed organic foods
2001 High Protein, Low Carb Diet
1994 diet updated
2004 Coconut Diet
Fats replaced with coconut oil
2005 Cheater’s Diet
Cheating on the weekend is required
2006 Maple Syrup Diet
Features a special syrup-lemon drink

Thanks to The American Dietic Association for this timeline.