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From tapeworms and vinegar to slathering yourself in soap, we round up some of the strangest diet fads from history - and weigh up whether any of them really worked Worrying about what, when and how much we eat is a dilemma that dates back centuries. But does history have anything to teach us about healthy eating? Photo: Alamy By Sarah Rainey

5:52PM GMT 26 Jan 2015


Since the dawn of time, we have worried about what we eat. Although fads come and go, dieting itself has been a perennial obsession, as much beloved of the Ancient Egyptians as modern man.

From drinking disgusting concoctions to strange bathing rituals, starving ourselves and seeking advice from dubious experts, diets have historically caused us to resort to all sorts of weird and wonderful techniques to keep ourselves in shape.

The annals of the Telegraph, dating back over 160 years, are full of bizarre healthy eating tips for women (and men) eager to lose weight.

In an article on the history of diets, published on January 4, 1974, author Brendan Lehane wrote: "About one third of Britain's population is overweight and food companies still find it worthwhile spending £79 million every year on television commercials alone. As a nation, we eat an awful lot of bread, butter and sugar, and the multiplicity of confectioners show we top up with sweets between meals. Snacks are almost synonymous with pleasure, for we have candy booths on beaches, ice-cream vans on promenades, sweet stalls in cinemas, popcorn counters in bingo halls and frankfurter stands all over the West End on Saturday evenings. It is almost surprising that after intimacy, in novels, lovers usually reach not for a toffee but for a cigarette."

Here, we round up some of the most memorable diet tips from history - some too strange to stomach, others that could be of interest to faddy eaters today...


1) Vinegar and water

First popularised by the poet Lord Byron in the 1820s, this unpleasant method involved saturating the body with vinegar and water throughout the day. Side effects included vomiting and diarrhea - and there was more evidence of its unsavoury consequences than actual weight loss.

2) Smoking

In 1925, the Lucky Strike cigarette brand popularised the "Reach for a Lucky instead of a sweet" campaign, emphasising the appetite-suppressing qualities of nicotine. It's a mentality that endures to the modern day.

3) The grapefruit diet

The precursor of the low-calorie diet beloved of A-list celebrities, this technique involved eating a grapefruit with every meal. The citrussy fruit filled the stomach with minimal calorific content, though its acidity can't have been good for that Hollywood smile. 4) Slimming soap

This one definitely sounds too good to be true. Products such as "La Mar Reducing Soap" and "Fatoff" had women rushing for the bathtub in the Thirties, where these magical products promised that lathering up would help them slim down. Their claims were dubious - there was little to differentiate them from normal hand soaps.

5) Cabbage soup

Dieters on this regime in the Fifties would, it was promised, lose 10-15 pounds a week by eating a limited diet including two bowls of cabbage soup every day. The gloopy green mixture could be supplemented with fruit (except bananas), vegetables, one baked potato, skimmed milk and - eventually - a portion of beef.

6) Sweet sherry An article from the Telegraph on August 10, 1955, by Barbara Taylor advocated a fail-safe "diet for Mrs Average". Mrs A, it urged, should drink a sweet sherry (150 calories) or a dry one (120 calories) to finish every meal.

7) The tapeworm diet

According to urban legend, the opera singer Maria Callas lost 65 pounds on the tapeworm diet, allegedly by swallowing a pill packed full of the parasites. Aficionados started ingesting cysts (baby tapeworms) to achieve the same effect, though its effectiveness - nor the story about Ms Callas - was never proven.

8) Weight Watchers

At last, a familiar diet. Weight Watchers was founded in 1963 by Jean Nidetch, who described herself as "an overweight housewife obsessed with cookies". The plan was simple: food equates to points, and each follower is restricted to consuming a certain number of points a day. Today, Weight Watchers has helped millions of dieters change their relationship with food.

9) The Sleeping Beauty diet

This odd regime followed the principle that it's impossible to eat while you sleep... so catching up on some shut-eye must be a good way to lose weight, right? The Sleeping Beauty fad was popularised in the Sixties, and followers - including the singer Elvis - sedated themselves to ensure they stayed asleep for days.

10) The cookie diet

Thankfully, this one never made it on to the pages of the Telegraph, but it gained its fair share of followers in 1975 in Florida, where a doctor recommended consuming cookies blended with amino acids. Its health effects, unsurprisingly, were never proven.

11) Prolinn

This one comes with a serious health warning. In the Seventies, a doctor named Roger Linn invented "Prolinn", a supplement comprising ground animal horns, hooves and other slaughterhouse by-products, treated with artificial colours and flavourings. Sold as a drink, it provided 400 calories and no nutrients. It is alleged that 58 people who tried the diet suffered heart attacks.

12) Slim Fast Yet another familiar name, this milkshake powdered shake - served for breakfast and lunch, before an ordinary dinner - became a diet staple in the late Seventies.

13) Breathitarianism

This odd technique, a blend of meditation and abstinence, required dieters to subsist entirely on air and sunlight. Also called "Inedia" (Latin for fasting), followers believe it is possible to live without consuming food. It emerged in the Eighties and, startlingly, continues to have support today.

14) The Elizabeth Taylor dip

In her self-help guide/autobiography, Elizabeth Takes Off, published in 1987, the Hollywood star advised fans to eat raw vegetables with one of her famous dips (sour cream, blue cheese, vinegar and a shallot) at 3pm every day. She swore by it - but whether her legendary good looks had anything to do with the diet tips is a moot point. How to Jug a Hare: The Telegraph Book of the Kitchen (Aurum Press, £18.99), edited by Sarah Rainey, is published on March 5. To order your copy for £15, call 0844 871 1514 or visit books.telegraph.co.uk





