The History of Fad Diets, part 2 – Diets Throughout History

Henry the Conqueror, after the Battle of Hastings in 1066, went on a liquid diet consisting of bed rest and a ton of alcohol. Thomas Short, a diet writer from 1727, recommended that overweight people move away from the swamps and closer to dryer climates. Lord Byron popularized the Vinegar Diet (a cup of water and vinegar before every meal) in 1820. In 1830 Sylvester Graham invented the Cracker Diet (no caffeine and a lot of whole grain breads and crackers). In 1857 Dr. Gustav Zander invented the mechanized fat massager belt which was supposed to massage the fat off of you.