Fad Diet

A fad diet is a diet that is popular for a time, similar to fads in fashion. Fad diets usually promise rapid weight loss or other health advantages, such as longer life. They are often promoted as requiring little effort and producing a "quick fix". In many cases, the diet is characterized by highly restrictive or unusual food choices, which can cause serious health problems. Fad diets are a big business. Celebrity endorsements are frequently used to promote fad diets, which may generate significant revenue for the creators of the diet through the sale of associated products. The modern fad diet originated in the 1930s. This was the decade when the first liquid diet drinks were marketed, when the grapefruit diet, first became popular, and when the Zen macrobiotic diet was developed, although it did not become a fad for another generation.