Weight-reduction plan developments have come and gone through the years. Some had been quirky, others had harmful restrictions.
Who hasn’t heard of a celebrity-backed liquid cleanse or the promise of speedy weight reduction after adhering to unusual meals combos?
However which of those fads truly labored, and which do diet specialists in 2025 firmly discredit?
To assist kickstart your New 12 months’s well being objectives, MyFitnessPal dietitians took a deep dive into the evolving historical past of fad diets to see if any had advantage.
In addition they supplied evidence-based suggestions for constructing a sustainable, wholesome way of life, centered on diet for actual life.
Right here’s a decade-by-decade breakdown of essentially the most iconic food regimen fads over the previous 100 years and their affect on well being, in line with specialists.
Twenties–Nineteen Thirties: The Grapefruit Weight-reduction plan
The Pattern
Also called the “Hollywood Weight-reduction plan,” this widespread strategy concerned consuming half a grapefruit earlier than each meal. The declare? Grapefruit contained enzymes that would “burn fats,” turning the fruit right into a shortcut for weight reduction.
Dietitian Verdict
“Including fruit to your food regimen can truly be an effective way to assist with weight reduction! It provides fiber that will help you really feel full. It’s usually low in energy however excessive in quantity,” says Stephanie Nelson, MyFitnessPal’s Senior Lead Diet Scientist (1).
However she emphasizes that grapefruit doesn’t burn fats.
Including grapefruit to meals “with out making another adjustments to your food regimen gained’t truly end in weight reduction,” says Nelson.
Melissa Jaeger, RD, LD, Head of Diet at MyFitnessPal, agrees. She notes that grapefruit has quite a lot of nutritional vitamins and minerals, like vitamin C, which helps our immune methods (2).
“However there merely isn’t any scientific proof to assist fat-burning claims about grapefruit,” she concludes.
Jaeger additionally notes that some variations of this food regimen restricted every day energy to 800. That isn’t sufficient to satisfy every day vitality wants (3).
She additionally warned that grapefruit and its juice work together with some medicines (4). So, this food regimen could also be dangerous for some individuals. All the time speak to your physician about meals it’s possible you’ll must keep away from should you take medicines.
Knowledgeable Takeaway
Get pleasure from grapefruit as a part of a balanced food regimen, however overlook the fat-burning claims. Wholesome, sustainable weight reduction requires a affordable calorie deficit and a concentrate on nutrient-rich meals (5).
Nineteen Forties–Nineteen Fifties: The Grasp Cleanse
The Pattern
Trending within the Nineteen Forties and widespread once more within the early 2000s, The Grasp Cleanse, often known as the Lemonade Weight-reduction plan, concerned a largely liquid food regimen routine.
Throughout the principle cleanse section, dieters drank a mixture of lemon juice, maple syrup, cayenne pepper, and water for a number of days. They aimed to “detox” and drop some pounds.
In addition they drank a cup of laxative tea within the night to encourage bowel actions.
Dietitian Verdict
“Juice cleanses trigger weight reduction as a result of individuals who do that primarily starve themselves,” says Nelson (6).
Notably, a lot of the load misplaced throughout cleanses is probably going because of the lack of water and muscle mass relatively than precise physique fats (7).
She provides that “individuals who do that strategy are likely to achieve the load again after the “cleanse” is over until they modify their food regimen habits long-term (6).”
Nelson explains that individuals should change their food regimen to drop some pounds long-term, so this cleanse is ineffective.
Knowledgeable Takeaway
A liquid cleanse isn’t mandatory, and doing one could decrease your metabolism (8). Your physique already has efficient built-in detox methods—the liver and kidneys (9, 10)!
Taking laxatives while you don’t want them may also result in problems like dehydration, as you lose fluid in your stools (11).
General, Nelson advises, “it’s finest to skip this one!”
Nineteen Sixties: The Sleeping Magnificence Weight-reduction plan
The Pattern
Probably the most excessive model of this food regimen suggested dieters to sedate themselves for as much as 20 hours a day. This was to keep away from consuming completely throughout these hours.
Dietitian Verdict
It is a very harmful food regimen pattern, cautions Emily Sullivan, RD, Meals Knowledge curator at MyFitnessPal.
Amongst severe well being problems, she warns that this food regimen may result in malnutrition from not consuming sufficient, together with threat of dependancy to sleeping capsules (12, 13).
As an alternative, Sullivan advises getting the correct quantity of sleep, which is essential for weight administration and total well being.
She means that 7-9 hours of sleep per day is right, and actually, some analysis exhibits that sleeping lower than 6 hours per evening can result in weight achieve (14).
Alternatively, she notes that oversleeping, equivalent to 9-10 hours nightly, has additionally been linked to weight achieve when in comparison with sleeping 7-8 hours (15).
Knowledgeable Takeaway
Prioritize high quality sleep, however follow the really useful every day vary. Over-sleeping or utilizing sedatives to keep away from consuming has no place in a wholesome way of life. When you’ve got disordered consuming or bother sleeping, attain out to a physician or psychological well being skilled for assist.
Nineteen Seventies: The Egg & Wine Weight-reduction plan
The Pattern
This three-day food regimen concerned consuming eggs, black espresso, and wine for breakfast and lunch. Then, steak and wine for dinner.
The concept was to cut back calorie consumption drastically however make weight-reduction plan extra “tolerable” by together with alcohol.
Dietitian Verdict
Jaeger says, “this food regimen is low in nutrient-dense energy with a excessive focus of energy from alcohol — not the makings of a secure, balanced, nutrient-rich food regimen.”
She notes that it lacks fruits, greens, complete grains, and wholesome fat. So following this food regimen for a very long time could threat dietary deficiencies resulting from its excessive restrictions (16).
Additionally, the food regimen’s reliance on alcohol raises well being issues, from dehydration to impaired judgment (17, 18).
Alcohol has empty energy and promotes irritation (19, 20). This negatively impacts well being and weight objectives.
General, Jaeger says that “fast fixes” and really restrictive diets don’t result in secure, efficient weight reduction or wholesome habits.
Knowledgeable Takeaway
This food regimen displays the worst of quick-fix fads. It’s restrictive, promotes dangerous consuming behaviors, and does nothing for long-term well being or sustainability.

Nineteen Eighties: The Cabbage Soup Weight-reduction plan
The Pattern
This week-long food regimen allowed limitless cabbage soup. It paired the soup with modest parts of particular meals, like skim milk or fruit, on sure days. Like many fad diets, it promised speedy weight reduction.
Dietitian Verdict
“Whereas recipes discovered on-line for making home made cabbage soup for this food regimen include quite a lot of greens, this singular recipe doesn’t make for a balanced food regimen,” says Jaeger.
This food regimen is extraordinarily low in energy and lacks protein, fats, and different very important vitamins. Any speedy weight reduction is probably going largely water and lean muscle, not fats, and isn’t a long-term resolution (7).
Jaeger additionally emphasizes that this food regimen doesn’t have scientific proof to assist its weight reduction claims or to assessment its security.
She advises us to construct sustainable diets, avoiding fads that declare to assist us quickly meet our objectives.
Knowledgeable Takeaway
Purpose for selection in your food regimen relatively than specializing in one meals or kind of meal. Addressing total consuming patterns makes sustainable weight reduction extra profitable.
Nineties: The Blood Kind Weight-reduction plan
The Pattern
This food regimen claimed an individual’s blood kind (A, B, AB, or O) dictated which meals had been healthiest for them.
For instance, kind O people had been suggested to eat a high-protein, meat-heavy food regimen, limiting vegetarian proteins (21). In distinction, kind A people had been inspired to keep away from meat and as a substitute select extra seafood and vegetarian protein sources (21).
Dietitian Verdict
“The idea behind these diets is that a person’s blood kind is theorized to be their ancestral blood group,” says Brookell White, MS, RD, a Meals Knowledge Curator at MyFitnessPal.
Although the concept of this food regimen appealed to many, there’s a lack of analysis to assist its claims.
One examine of this consuming type discovered potential advantages for physique weight and a few well being markers, like blood stress and ldl cholesterol (22).
However White factors out that the well being advantages in followers had been possible resulting from higher consuming habits (extra vegetarian meals) relatively than blood kind (22).
“This appears to be the consensus for many research which were executed,” she says (23, 22).
Knowledgeable Takeaway
There’s no want to find out your blood kind to eat healthfully. Deal with evidence-based dietary patterns with loads of selection, such because the Mediterranean food regimen.
2000s: The Uncooked Meals Weight-reduction plan
The Pattern
One of many extra lasting developments, the Uncooked Meals Weight-reduction plan, promotes consuming raw, unprocessed meals to retain pure vitamins and enzymes. Often, individuals following a uncooked meals food regimen solely eat vegan, plant-based meals.
Dietitian Verdict
Daisy Mercer, RD, a Meals Knowledge Curator at MyFitnessPal says consuming uncooked meals like vegetables and fruit can have advantages. These meals present essential vitamins like fiber, antioxidants, nutritional vitamins, and minerals (24).
Mercer additionally says that consuming uncooked typically means consuming much less processed meals. It’s going to usually present us with extra fiber, and our our bodies will work more durable to digest them. That can result in higher satiety and fewer want to overeat.
Consuming a uncooked meals food regimen can also assist cut back consumption of sodium and saturated fat, she notes.
Moreover, uncooked plant-based meals could include extra nutritional vitamins and minerals (25). Some vitamins may be misplaced in cooking, Mercer factors out (25).
For instance, sure cooking strategies, like boiling, can significantly cut back the water-soluble vitamin content material, like vitamin C, in vegetables and fruit (26). It might be finest to cook dinner high-vitamin C meals extra shortly, with much less warmth and water, equivalent to by steaming (26).
However analysis means that a mixture of uncooked and cooked meals within the food regimen could also be finest for our well being (25).
A uncooked vegan food regimen, with over 90% uncooked meals, won’t be secure long-term (25). It might trigger micronutrient deficiencies and different well being points (25).
Mercer cautioned {that a} uncooked meals food regimen may also change into harmful when uncooked or undercooked meats are concerned, posing a threat of foodborne sickness (27).
Knowledgeable Takeaway
Consuming extra vegetables and fruit is an effective way to assist your well being. As an alternative of worrying about whether or not they’re cooked or uncooked, concentrate on consuming quite a lot of plant-based meals as a part of a balanced food regimen.
2010s: Juice Cleanses
The Pattern
Juice cleanses are while you eat nothing however juice from vegetables and fruit for a time frame, typically from in the future to 1 week. It turned fashionable as a “detox” methodology, with supporters claiming it “resets” the physique.
Dietitian Verdict
Like several liquid fad food regimen, juice cleanses could cause speedy weight reduction (28).
“That is largely resulting from not consuming sufficient energy,” Mercer factors out, relatively than any particular impact of the juice cleanse on weight reduction (28).
And, as soon as once more, should you don’t make wholesome, sustainable adjustments to your food regimen, you’ll possible achieve the load proper again (28).
Mercer notes that consuming unsweetened, 100% fruit and vegetable juices sparsely can increase your vitamin and mineral consumption (29).
Simply take into account that juice lacks fiber. This results in fast absorption of pure sugars, which might act like refined sugar and trigger short-term blood sugar spikes (30).
Moreover, we frequently eat extra juice than we might complete meals, leading to further energy (31).
Juices with decrease pure sugars and energy, like celery or cucumber juice, could also be higher for managing physique weight.
Knowledgeable Takeaway
Unsweetened fruit and vegetable juices may be a part of a balanced food regimen in small quantities. Simply don’t depend on them for diet or pointless “cleaning” of the physique. For wholesome weight reduction, select complete fruits and veggies most frequently, and use juice splashes to taste your water!
2020s: The Carnivore Weight-reduction plan
The Pattern
This food regimen promotes consuming like some early ancestors who solely consumed animal merchandise, together with meat, eggs, and a few dairy. It goals for weight reduction and claims to have anti-inflammatory results.
Dietitian Verdict
Proponents of this food regimen declare it improves illnesses and aids in weight reduction, says White.
However, she provides, “there isn’t any proof that means that is true. The truth is, proof appears to counsel {that a} diverse food regimen is finest usually (32).”
She warns that the Carnivore Weight-reduction plan lacks fiber and key nutritional vitamins, particularly C and E.
These vitamins are discovered virtually solely in crops (33, 34). They’re essential for the whole lot from intestine well being to immunity and most cancers prevention, she says (35, 36, 37).
Plus, White says that “animal merchandise are excessive in saturated fats, which can improve your threat of coronary heart illness (38).”
“Pink and processed meats are one other concern,” she says, noting that the Worldwide Company for Analysis on Most cancers considers processed meats carcinogenic (cancer-causing) and purple meats ‘most likely carcinogenic’ (39).”
Knowledgeable Takeaway
Whereas the carnivore food regimen could result in weight reduction, it’s restrictive and lacks important vitamins and scientific assist. For the perfect long-term well being and weight outcomes, keep on with a balanced food regimen wealthy in plant-based meals.
The best way to Method “Fad Diets” of the Future (Spoiler: Don’t)
Trying again at 100 years of weight-reduction plan fads, one factor is evident—essentially the most sustainable weight reduction methods don’t lower corners or depend on “miracle” options.
Fairly, they promote nutrient-rich, balanced consuming mixed with train and different wholesome habits.
“We encourage striving for progress, not the idea of perfection,” says Jaeger.
So, she advises, as a substitute of making an attempt the newest fad or revisiting an outdated pattern, attempt:
- Monitoring your meals
- Constructing consciousness of your diet habits
- Know the place you stand along with your well being
And Jaeger concludes, “most significantly, don’t let any food regimen get in the way in which of actual life.”
“You may select to take pleasure in a aspect of fries when eating out with associates or have a slice of cake at a party, and skip the meals guilt,” she says.
Research present that individuals who observe their meals usually tend to obtain their weight objectives.
MyFitnessPal empowers you with diet data that you want to succeed.
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