Encyclopedia of Diet Fads: Understanding Science and Society (2nd edition)

摘要

In a sea of conflicting and confusing weight loss advice, dieters often seek a buoy of science to which to cling. The trouble is the scientists keep changing their advice based on newer research. References like this one may help to distinguish among the plethora of diet cults that have sprung up in the past couple of centuries. The authors are both freelance writers who have written on this topic before. Focusing on America's long and varied history of trying to achieve the perfect figure, this work is a solid record of our many follies. A few notable omissions: no mention of Kellogg's contribution to our obsession with breakfast cereal. However, this example may point out that most things are fads until they stand the test of time, at which point they become mainstream and accepted generally. Is "aerobic activity" really a fad? Every fitness instructor this reviewer has consulted maintains that it is necessary for weight loss and muscle tone, and there is quite a bit of science to back this up. The introduction, Early History of Dieting and Fad Diets, is definitely worth a read in itself. In the early 1800s, the Victorians included thinness in their ideal of beauty. A woman's ability to rein in her appetite might correlate with her sexual appetite. This trait was associated with docility and gentility. With the advent of technology and literacy, a burgeoning publishing industry was able to target a great many "medical advice" books to women of all classes. To fit into the unnatural shapes of the new fashions, and therefore be accepted and even envied by her circle, a woman sometimes had to go to great extremes. Lord Byron, with a tendency to avoirdupois himself, was said to be "disgusted" by watching women eat, and kept his own figure trim by periodically taking only vinegar and water. Mention is made of Sylvester Graham, namesake of the cracker, and the author of the first diet book, A Letter on Corpulence, by William Banting. A clear and concise explanation of the Dexatrim debacle is given.