If you’ve ever wondered what the top 10 craziest ways to shed a few pounds look like, you’re in for a wild ride. Most of us know the basic math of weight loss – eat fewer calories than you burn and the scale will eventually tip in your favor. This simple principle explains why many French folks stay trim despite indulging in butter, cream, and chocolate: they enjoy these delights, but in modest portions. Yet, the lucrative diet industry has spawned a parade of out‑landish concepts promising rapid results. Below we count down ten of the strangest, widely‑publicised diets on the planet. We’ve left out the truly oddball personal habits, because those belong on a different list entirely.

1. Macrobiotic Diet

The macrobiotic way of eating traces its roots back centuries. Its core is a grain‑centric menu, complemented by vegetables, beans, and a strict avoidance of heavily processed or refined foods. While it may seem the most sensible on this list, it carries a peculiar twist: some leading proponents champion smoking as a health‑boosting habit, arguing that it’s the non‑macrobiotic foods that spark cancer, not tobacco. Its most famous ambassador, Michio Kushi – who introduced macrobiotics to the United States – underwent colon surgery in 2004. Remarkably, his son reported that despite years of smoking, doctors noted his lungs appeared as youthful as a twenty‑year‑old’s, a claim that stunned many physicians.

2. Cabbage Soup Diet

The cabbage soup regimen is a radical, seven‑day plan built around massive consumption of a low‑calorie cabbage broth. Its popularity exploded in the 1980s, spreading like a viral fax‑chain – hence the moniker “faxlore.” Doctors across the board denounce it for offering little nutritional value; the rapid weight loss it produces is mostly water loss, not fat, and inevitably rebounds once normal eating resumes. Rumours that hospitals prescribe the soup to patients awaiting heart surgery are unfounded. Most adherents report low energy, light‑headedness, and a side‑effect that’s hard to ignore: copious flatulence.

3. Paleolithic (Caveman) Diet

Inspired by the presumed eating habits of our ancient ancestors, the Paleolithic or “caveman” diet claims that early humans, who roamed the Earth for roughly 2.5 million years, enjoyed a diet free of modern disease. Followers argue that by mimicking this ancestral menu – lean meats, fish, fruits, vegetables, roots, and nuts – while shunning grains, legumes, dairy, refined sugar, salt, and processed oils, we can reclaim that disease‑free state. Critics point out that the diet is a modern reconstruction, blending evolutionary theory with contemporary food availability, and that it often ignores the nutritional benefits of the very foods it bans.

4. Fruitarianism

Fruitarianism takes the phrase “eat the rainbow” to an extreme, allowing only fruit (or at least 75 % fruit for those who call themselves fruitarians). Some adherents believe the diet mirrors the biblical diet of Adam and Eve, citing Genesis 1:29 which describes every seed‑bearing plant as “your meat.” While the concept sounds idyllic, it can lead to serious deficiencies: calcium, protein, iron, zinc, vitamin D, most B‑vitamins (especially B‑12), and essential fatty acids are all at risk. A Columbia University health‑promotion study warns that restrictive eating patterns can trigger hunger, cravings, obsessive food thoughts, and even social isolation. Even Mahatma Gandhi dabbled in fruit‑only meals, but eventually abandoned the practice as unsustainable.

5. Bible (Maker’s) Diet

The Bible or Maker’s Diet classifies foods as “clean” or “unclean” based on scriptural guidance. Its chief promoter, Jordan S. Rubin, credits the plan with curing his Crohn’s disease at 19. However, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration forced Rubin’s company, Garden of Life, to halt unsubstantiated health claims about eight of its products in 2004. The regimen starts and ends each day with prayers of gratitude and healing, and includes short “Life Purpose” exercises before stress hits. The diet is split into three phases; Phase One bars pork, bacon, ostrich, ham, sausages, emu, and imitation meats, while also prohibiting a wide range of fish and seafood such as fried fish, breaded fish, eel, shark, crab, clams, oysters, mussels, lobster, shrimp, scallops, and crawfish.

6. Shangri‑La Diet

For those who love food but still want to lose weight, the Shangri‑La method promises a paradoxical solution: eat whatever you like, but also sip 100‑400 calories of flavorless liquid (either extra‑light olive oil or sugar water) within a two‑hour window each day, while avoiding any taste – even cigarette smoke. Proponent Seth Roberts argues that this “flavorless calorie” intake lowers the body’s set‑point weight, reducing appetite over time. While the approach has landed Roberts on the New York Times bestseller list, most physicians deem the diet scientifically weak yet essentially harmless.

7. Fletcherizing (Horace Fletcher’s Diet)

At the turn of the 20th century, Horace Fletcher marketed “Fletcherizing,” a regimen that demanded chewing each bite a whopping 32 times with the head tilted forward. After the thorough mastication, the diner would tip the head back, allowing the food to slide down the throat; anything that didn’t naturally slip was to be spat out. Fletcher even advocated chewing liquids and warned against eating while angry or sad. He amassed a fortune, dying a millionaire at 69, largely thanks to the popularity of his eccentric chewing philosophy.

8. Breatharianism

Breatharianism takes the notion of “eating nothing” to its literal extreme: practitioners claim they survive solely on the breath of air, or on solar energy and a life‑force called prana. The Breatharian Institute of America charges a staggering $10,000 for a workshop promising to teach this practice. Founder Wiley Brooks has historically billed participants up to $25 million for courses, and occasionally breaks his own rule by munching a cheeseburger and a soda to “restore balance.” Tragically, at least three individuals have died while attempting this diet.

9. Sleep (Sedation) Diet

True to its name, the sleep diet hinges on the simple equation: “If you’re not awake, you can’t eat.” Followers often resort to heavy sedation, sleeping for days on end to avoid caloric intake. Though the method technically causes weight loss (by eliminating food consumption), it’s a dangerously unhealthy shortcut. Originating in the 1970s, the diet reportedly attracted the attention of Elvis Presley, who struggled with bending to tie his iconic blue‑suede shoes.

10. Tapeworm (Fat‑Banished) Diet

The tapeworm diet is perhaps the most unsettling on our roster. Practitioners deliberately ingest a tapeworm cyst, allowing the parasite to mature inside their intestines. The worm then siphons off nutrients from the host’s food, purportedly resulting in a loss of 1‑2 pounds per week. Because importing tapeworms into the United States is illegal, some dubious “tourist farms” in Africa and Mexico harvest infected cattle for human consumption. While the method is technically effective, it is illegal, unsafe, and morally questionable.

These ten outlandish regimes illustrate just how far some will go in the quest for a slimmer waistline. Remember: if a diet sounds too good (or too weird) to be true, it probably is. Always consult a qualified health professional before embarking on any extreme eating plan.

Before 1847, vegetarians were called “Pythagoreans”. The Romantic idea that human beings should show compassion to nature and all her creatures was the basis of many a meat‑free diet. It appears that the curious Victorian age was a perfect feeding ground for such ideas—and it seemed to be authors, in particular, who applied the Romantic outlook to their eating habits. As you’ll see, some of these diets were fairly bizarre. This article dives into the world of the 10 writers diets that defined a generation of literary giants.

10 Writers Diets Overview

10 Percy Shelley’s “Pythagoreanism”

A fervent advocate for the downtrodden, Percy Bysshe Shelley was swayed by the writings of Joseph Ritson to adopt a meat‑free lifestyle in 1810, just before his stint at Oxford. He feared that consuming animal flesh would entangle his soul in a cycle of transmigration, and the philosophical musings of William Godwin only deepened his commitment to vegetarianism.

During his first marriage to Harriet Westbrook, both Shelley and his wife proudly proclaimed themselves “Pythagoreans.” Although he later relented and ate meat again, Shelley remains celebrated as perhaps the earliest famous modern‑day vegetarian, a status that has endured through the centuries.

9 Lord Byron’s Weight‑Loss Program

Lord Byron’s battle with the bulge was legendary. His appetite for starchy fare caused dramatic swings in his figure, prompting him to devise what would become the age’s inaugural “celebrity diet.”

While at university, Byron subsisted on dry biscuits and water, or boiled potatoes drenched in vinegar, convinced that the acidic punch would curb hunger, sharpen his mind, and accelerate weight loss. Between 1806 and 1811 he reportedly shed a staggering seventy pounds (about 32 kg).

When forced to attend a dinner party, he would finish the meal with a hefty dose of magnesium to counteract over‑eating. In more private moments, Byron layered himself in woolen garments to induce profuse sweating, further contributing to his slender silhouette.

8 Lewis Carroll’s Wonderland Diet

It is well‑documented that Lewis Carroll was a regular opium smoker, a habit many scholars believe flavored the surreal imagery of “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland.” In Victorian England, opium was a commonplace remedy, albeit one that contributed heavily to infant mortality.

Carroll eventually began to ingest the drug in edible form, turning to opium‑infused snacks as a more convenient alternative to smoking. Though the taste left much to be desired, the narcotic boost was prized over any concerns about halitosis.

7 Charles Dickens’ Apple a Day

Charles Dickens possessed a keen awareness of nourishment, a fascination that seeped into his storytelling—from the gaunt depictions in “Oliver Twist” to his obsessive love of baked apples. He became convinced that consuming a baked apple each day while at sea would stave off seasickness, and even believed that the disorienting feeling upon docking could be mitigated by the same fruity remedy.

6 John Keats’ Anchovy a Day

In 1820, the poet John Keats was diagnosed with “mental exertion,” and his physician, Dr. James Clark, prescribed a regiment consisting of a single anchovy and a modest slice of bread each day, hoping to soothe his stomach pains and combat tuberculosis. This meager fare, coupled with daily bloodletting—a common 19th‑century treatment—left Keats nutritionally depleted and increasingly frail.

5 Charlotte Brontë’s Poverty Porridge

The Brontë sisters grew up far from any opulent banquet hall. When meals did arrive, they were often reduced to barely edible fare—burnt porridge and a hard chunk of bread—mirroring periods of near‑starvation that the family endured.

Charlotte eventually transformed these experiences into recurring motifs within her novels, portraying heroines who would starve themselves as a testament to inner strength, suggesting that the spirit could thrive even when the body was starved of sustenance.

4 David Livingstone’s Travel Diet

Explorer David Livingstone, famed for his African expeditions, kept meticulous field diaries that also chronicled his meager sustenance while on the road. Accustomed to hearty meals at home, he was often reduced to drinking water and nibbling bird seed, a diet that left him chronically famished and caused noticeable weight loss, even forcing him to notch his belt tighter.

3 Walt Whitman’s Breakfast

The American poet Walt Whitman famously delayed the start of his day until he savored a hearty plate of meat paired with oysters. He believed the protein fueled his stamina, while the briny oysters kept his mind razor‑sharp and his wit quick‑silver. One can only wonder what culinary delights awaited him at dinner.

2 Charles Darwin’s Omelet

Charles Darwin suffered from a litany of ailments—stomach acidity, gout, and chronic flatulence. His self‑crafted regimen included ten drops of muriatic acid twice daily, a modest serving of game or fowl, a simple egg omelet, and a slice of cheese. Though his physician urged him to incorporate toast and starchy foods like potatoes, Darwin staunchly defended his custom diet, noting it alleviated his vomiting and kept him feeling steady.

1 Robert Louis Stevenson Liked It All

Robert Louis Stevenson was a gourmand in the truest sense, indulging in copious amounts of food, coffee, tobacco, and alcohol. His penchant for over‑indulgence, coupled with a diet heavy in cholesterol and carbohydrates, contributed to repeated bouts of meningitis and heightened blood pressure. Unlike Darwin’s disciplined approach, Stevenson’s lifestyle was a relentless feast that took a toll on his health.

When it comes to losing weight, the phrase “10 bizarre modern” seems to sum up a whole new wave of out‑of‑the‑box regimens that make you wonder, “Is this for real?” While solid nutrition, plenty of water, and regular movement remain the gold standard, every week seems to bring a fresh, head‑scratching diet that promises miracles. Some actually shed a few pounds, many are pure hype, and a few are downright dangerous. Below, we’ve gathered the most eye‑popping, jaw‑dropping plans that have somehow made it onto the internet—and we’re here to break them down, one wild bite at a time.

10 The Urine Diet

The Urine Diet is a truly out‑there weight‑loss scheme that forces you onto a 500‑calorie daily menu while also demanding you inject yourself with the urine of pregnant women. Proponents claim you can shed up to half a kilogram (one pound) each day, crediting the rapid loss to the hormone human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) found in the urine, which allegedly tricks your brain into thinking you’re pregnant and revs up metabolism.

Supporters argue that the hCG surge suppresses appetite, allowing dieters to stay full despite the severe calorie restriction. They point to anecdotal success stories where participants swear the urine shots kept hunger at bay, attributing every pound lost to the mysterious hormone rather than the tiny food intake.

Critics, however, say the urine and its hormones have nothing to do with the weight drop; the real driver is the 500‑calorie limit. They warn of the obvious health hazards, the high price tag (roughly $300‑$565 for a six‑week supply), and the lack of scientific backing. In short, a cheaper, safer route to slimming down is simply to eat less and move more.

9 The Dukan Diet

Conceived in 2000 by French physician Pierre Dukan, the Dukan Diet claims to mimic the eating habits of our prehistoric ancestors—who supposedly survived on a tight list of 100 foods (28 plant‑based, 72 animal‑based). Followers swear by its ability to deliver up to five kilograms (ten pounds) of loss per week, provided they also stay hydrated and exercise regularly.

The plan is split into four distinct phases. Phase one, the “attack” stage, permits unlimited lean protein—think beef, eggs, and fish—plus 1.5 tablespoons of oat bran to curb cravings and a minimum of six cups of water daily. This rapid‑fire period lasts up to ten days. Phase two, the “cruise,” adds non‑starchy vegetables and an extra half‑tablespoon of oat bran, extending for several months until the target weight is reached.

Phase three, the “consolidation” stage, re‑introduces limited fruits, hard cheese, and occasional starchy foods, while also allowing one or two “celebration” treats per week. The final “stabilization” phase lets you eat freely—except for one day a week when you revert to the strict attack‑phase rules. Throughout, Dukan advises three tablespoons of oat bran daily and at least 20 minutes of walking.

8 The Prayer Diet

The Prayer Diet proposes that weight loss can be jump‑started by daily communication with a higher power. Advocates suggest setting aside time each morning for focused prayer, using it as a mental anchor to steer you toward healthier food choices and more consistent exercise. Sample prayers—like “Guide me, Lord, as I strive to lose weight. You are my light and my anchor, and with You I know all things are possible”—are freely shared online.

While rooted in Christian tradition, the approach is touted as universal: adherents of any faith—or even secular believers in a “Higher Self” or nature—can adapt the practice. The premise is that spiritual focus cultivates discipline, which then translates into better dietary habits.

In reality, prayer alone won’t melt away pounds if you spend the day lounging. The diet’s creator admits that prayer is only the first step; lasting change also demands nutrition education, portion control, and regular physical activity. So, while the spiritual angle may add motivation, it’s not a magic bullet.

7 The Cotton Ball Diet

The Cotton Ball Diet is a perilous trend where participants soak cotton balls in fruit juice, smoothies, or lemonade, then swallow them whole. The idea is that the saturated cotton expands in the stomach, creating a feeling of fullness that curbs the urge to eat solid foods. Videos demonstrating the method have proliferated on YouTube, especially among teenagers.

According to rumor, actress Bria Murphy—daughter of Eddie Murphy—first publicized the fad after observing models stuffing cotton balls into juice to stay slim. The practice quickly spread, despite its alarming safety profile.

Medical experts warn that the diet can lead to severe malnutrition, choking hazards, and the formation of a bezoar—a hard mass that blocks the intestines. Moreover, most “cotton” balls are actually bleached polyester fibers laced with chemicals, not natural cotton. The combination of choking risk and potential chemical exposure has sparked widespread condemnation, and health officials urge anyone considering it to stay far away.

6 The Tongue Patch Diet

The Tongue Patch Diet, devised by Beverly Hills cosmetic surgeon Dr. Chugay, promises up to 15 kilograms (30 pounds) of loss per month by stitching a small, postage‑stamp‑sized patch onto the tongue. The patch makes chewing solid foods painful, forcing patients onto a liquid‑only regimen that allegedly meets all nutritional needs under professional supervision.

Patients pay roughly $2,000 for the “miracle patch,” after which they receive a tailored liquid diet and ongoing oversight from Dr. Chugay or his team. The idea is that the discomfort limits caloric intake without the need for strict willpower.

Side effects are significant: swelling that hampers speech, sudden awakenings, drooling, chronic pain, and the risk of ulcers or infection. In worst‑case scenarios, the patch can obstruct the airway, endangering breathing. Given the high price and serious health concerns, most experts advise steering clear of this invasive approach.

5 Ear Stapling

Ear stapling, a practice borrowed from Chinese acupuncture, involves attaching tiny surgical staples to the inner cartilage of each ear. Proponents claim that stimulating specific points curbs appetite, and they recommend leaving the staples in place for two to three months for optimal effect.

The method surged in popularity during the early 2000s, though its roots trace back to the 1970s when it was called “staplepuncture.” Advocates still stress that the stapling must be paired with a balanced diet and regular exercise—otherwise, the staples add little value. Unregulated practitioners can cause ear infections, disfigurement, or other complications, making the technique risky for the uninitiated.

4 Kangatarian Diet

The Kangatarian Diet restricts eaters to vegetables and kangaroo meat, branding its followers as “kangatarians.” While they label themselves as quasi‑vegetarians, they still consume red meat, arguing that kangaroo is a more ethical alternative to traditional livestock. Kangaroos graze on wild vegetation, cause less land degradation, and emit far less methane than cattle—the planet’s top methane producer.

Supporters claim kangaroo meat is free‑range, organic, and nutritionally superior for those seeking a lean protein source. Legalized for sale in 1993, the meat has sparked misconceptions, such as the belief that kangaroos are farmed. In reality, obtaining kangaroo meat outside Australia is challenging, limiting the diet’s global reach.

3 Cookie Diet

Created by weight‑loss expert Dr. Sanford Siegal, the Cookie Diet hinges on nine tiny 60‑calorie cookies spread throughout the day, alongside a single larger meal. Advocates argue that the cookies suppress hunger, allowing dieters to stay within a 500‑700 calorie dinner window that includes lean proteins like chicken, turkey, or seafood, plus a cup of vegetables and eight glasses of fluids.

Critics note that the plan lacks essential vitamins, minerals, and a broad range of fruits and vegetables. Dr. Siegel himself admits the diet isn’t meant for long‑term use. Moreover, the cookies cost $50‑$60 per box and are only available to patients at his clinics, raising questions about practicality and sustainability.

2 Clay Cleanse Diet

The Clay Cleanse Diet revolves around ingesting bentonite clay—a volcanic ash touted as a “healing clay” rich in calcium, magnesium, and other minerals. Proponents claim the clay swells when mixed with water, creating a feeling of fullness while allegedly binding toxins and pulling them out of the body.

A 2005 study at Texas Tech University examined 50 volunteers who consumed varying amounts of bentonite. While the research found no evidence that the clay detoxifies the body, it deemed the product “somewhat safe” when used in limited quantities. Experts advise no more than one teaspoon per day, accompanied by ample water.

Scientific consensus finds no solid proof that bentonite aids weight loss. Potential side effects include constipation, bowel obstruction, dehydration, low blood pressure, and nutrient deficiencies. In short, the risks appear to outweigh any unproven benefits.

1 Baby Food Diet

The Baby Food Diet, popularized by fitness guru Tracy Anderson, replaces breakfast and lunch with 14 jars of baby food, reserving dinner for a vegetable‑rich, low‑fat meal. While the plan can help maintain a slim figure, it’s not designed for active weight loss; it’s more of a maintenance strategy.

Because baby food consists mainly of fruits and vegetables, the diet boosts intake of these nutrient‑dense foods while offering pre‑portioned servings that curb overeating. It also eliminates the need for cooking. However, scientific research on the diet’s effectiveness is scarce, and concerns linger about insufficient fiber and overall nutritional completeness.

In the absence of solid studies, many wonder whether swapping adult meals for infant purees is truly beneficial. As one Irish student, Laura, muses, the novelty of snacking on baby food may wear off quickly, especially when healthier, more balanced options are readily available.

Why 10 Bizarre Modern Diets Shock the World

From urine injections to kangaroo meat, each of these ten plans pushes the envelope of what we consider a “diet.” While some claim rapid results, the scientific community largely warns that safety, sustainability, and proven efficacy are often missing. So, before you jump on any of these wild rides, remember that the tried‑and‑true trio of balanced nutrition, regular hydration, and consistent exercise remains the most reliable path to lasting health.

When an archaeological site is uncovered, the burning question becomes “what did these people eat?” While that may not sound as thrilling as hidden chambers or cursed treasure, the answer unlocks the very way our ancestors survived, adapted, and reshaped their world. By peeling back the layers of time with 10 amazing ways, researchers piece together subsistence strategies, environmental relationships, and even the spread of agriculture itself.

10 Teeth Marks

Teeth are built from exceptionally durable tissue, which means they often survive the ravages of time. As we chew, microscopic scratches are etched onto enamel, and the size and direction of those scratches tell a story about the diet. Modern Inuit, whose meals are dominated by meat, exhibit primarily vertical scratches on the side surfaces of their teeth, whereas groups that subsist almost entirely on plants show a mixture of shorter vertical and horizontal marks.

By cataloguing these wear patterns, scientists can not only decide whether a population leaned toward meat, vegetables, or a balanced mix, but they can also draw broader conclusions about dietary evolution. Fossil teeth dating from the early Stone Age (about 2.7 million to 200,000 years ago) reveal a clear trend: newer specimens display fewer long vertical scratches and a rise in shorter, more horizontal marks, indicating that over millennia our ancestors diversified their menus and relied less exclusively on meat.

9 Remains Of Individual Meals

On rare and extraordinarily lucky occasions, archaeologists stumble upon meals that have survived almost untouched for centuries. Pompeii provides the most famous showcase: volcanic ash froze dining tables in place, preserving plates of food exactly as they were served. Likewise, entire ancient market stalls have been uncovered, complete with their original wares ready for cataloguing.

Feasting also played a pivotal role in burial customs across cultures. Egyptian tombs, for instance, contain not just basic provisions like fish and fruit but also elaborate dishes such as cakes, cheese, and wine. In Han‑dynasty China (206 BC–AD 220), excavated tombs reveal banquet spreads with labels attached to each dish, detailing their composition and offering a vivid snapshot of elite culinary practices.

8 Animal Remains

Bones, antlers, shells and the like are treasure troves of dietary data. By scrutinising animal bone assemblages, specialists can calculate the age, sex, and season of death for the creatures, painting a picture of hunting or herding cycles. Statistical analyses also reveal whether the animals were wild or domesticated; domesticated specimens often bear tell‑tale signs of use, such as osteoarthritis in the lower limbs of draft animals like camels, cattle, or horses.

Some domesticated species, such as alpacas and llamas, display a higher mortality rate among juveniles compared with their wild relatives, hinting at selective breeding pressures or different management strategies. These subtle skeletal clues help reconstruct the complex relationship between people and the animals they relied upon.

7 Digestive Tract Contents

The soft tissues of the stomach and intestines are notoriously fragile, surviving only under exceptional conditions—think bone‑dry deserts or icy tombs. When preservation does occur, researchers can extract remnants of the last meals directly from the digestive system, offering a literal snapshot of what someone ate moments before death.

Take the Danish Tollund Man, whose stomach contents consisted exclusively of plant matter, indicating a vegetarian diet in his final days. Meanwhile, forensic analysis of Lady Dai, a second‑century BC Chinese noblewoman, uncovered 138 sweet‑melon seeds, confirming not only her appetite for the fruit but also that she perished during the summer season when melons were ripe.

6 Tooth Decay

Dietary shifts have left unmistakable marks on dental health. The introduction of refined sugars and starchy foods dramatically increased the prevalence of cavities, carving a distinct pattern of decay and tooth loss. Starchy diets, in particular, erode enamel more quickly, meaning societies that relied heavily on cereals suffered higher rates of dental disease.

Archaeologists can even differentiate between hunter‑gatherers and early farmers by tallying missing teeth. Around 30,000 BC, adults averaged 2.2 missing teeth; by 6500 BC that number rose to 3.5, and in the Roman era it climbed to 6.6. The takeaway? The fierce Stone Age hunters boasted brighter smiles than their later, cereal‑eating Roman counterparts.

5 Fecal Material

Even after food has traveled the entire alimentary tract, traces can linger in ancient poo. Specialists who brave the study of desiccated paleofecal matter—sometimes dubbed “ancient poop analysts”—unlock a cornucopia of dietary clues. Human feces carry unique chemical signatures that set them apart from animal droppings, and they can preserve a smorgasbord of remnants: pollen, plant fibers, seeds, bone shards, egg fragments, nuts, mollusk shells, and even tiny insects.

These microscopic treasures are often retrieved from forgotten cesspits, latrines, or ancient sewers, where daring researchers extract the material for analysis. By examining the composition, scientists can reconstruct the full spectrum of foods consumed by past populations.

4 Food Processing Tools And Equipment

Food acquisition and preparation rarely happen unaided; tools leave behind unmistakable fingerprints of culinary practice. Fishing gear—hooks, spears, traps, and nets—survives in the archaeological record, indicating reliance on aquatic resources. Likewise, stone blades used to butcher animals bear microscopic wear patterns that match specific cutting tasks.

Hunting evidence emerges not only from weapons like bows and arrows but also from tiny arrowheads embedded in animal bones. Agricultural activity, on the other hand, reveals itself through stone grinding stones, sickles, and pottery that sometimes retain microscopic food residues, confirming the processing of cereals and other plant foods.

3 Isotopic Methods

We truly are what we eat, and isotopic analysis proves it. By measuring the ratio of nitrogen‑15 to nitrogen‑14 in bone collagen, scientists can infer an individual’s position in the food chain. Higher nitrogen‑15 levels signal a diet rich in animal protein, while lower ratios point to plant‑based consumption.

Marine diets push the nitrogen‑15 signal even higher because oceanic food webs contain more trophic levels than terrestrial ones. Thus, coastal populations leave a distinct isotopic fingerprint compared with inland farmers.

Intriguingly, nursing infants exhibit the highest nitrogen‑15 ratios of all, as they effectively “eat” their mothers’ tissues, placing them at the apex of the dietary chain during early life.

2 Botanical Remains

Plant micro‑fossils such as phytoliths act like botanical fingerprints, each shape unique to a particular species. These silica bodies can be recovered from sediments, pottery shards, tooth surfaces, or the edges of stone tools, allowing researchers to pinpoint exactly which plants were processed or eaten and whether they were wild or domesticated.

Pollen grains, another resilient botanical residue, survive in soils, feces, and even on teeth. By comparing pollen assemblages from different occupation layers at a site, archaeologists can track shifts in plant exploitation over time, revealing changes in agricultural practices or foraging strategies.

1 Tartar

Tartar, the calcified buildup on teeth, acts like a time capsule for diet. As it accumulates, tiny food particles become trapped within its layers. Modern dentists scrape tartar away, but ancient peoples often sported thick deposits, preserving a detailed record of what they ate.

Because pollen grains survive well in tartar, scientists can identify specific plant species consumed. Moreover, the stratigraphy of tartar—inner layers representing early life and outer layers reflecting later years—offers a chronological food biography. Recent studies have even detected plant and bone fragments in tartar from two‑million‑year‑old hominids, showcasing the method’s incredible potential.

11 Further Reading

Now that we’ve uncovered the ancient culinary world, why not dive into some quirky modern lists? Check out these tasty follow‑ups: “10 Bizarre Modern Diets You Won’t Believe Exist,” “Top 10 Craziest Diets Ever,” “10 Eccentric Eating Habits Of Influential Figures,” and “Top 10 Food Facts and Fallacies.” Happy reading!

When many people think of diets, the first thing they think of is losing weight. While that is often true, not all diets are solely about taking off pounds. A diet is really just the way that someone tends to eat on a regular basis, when and what foods they eat and how much. Some diets are undertaken for moral reasons, such as is the case with people who sustain from eating delicious, succulent cuts of meat that make your mouth water. Others believe that their strange diet will make them healthier, even if they aren’t concerned about losing weight at all. Of course some diets are mostly about losing weight, and those are usually the strangest.

10. The cookie diet.

The cookie diet sounds really stupid when you first hear about it, because it doesn’t seem like you are going to have much of a chance to lose weight eating confections. However, the diet plan is actually supposed to be quite good at causing you to lose weight. The idea is that you eat several specially formulated cookies throughout the day to control hunger and keep your caloric intake small and then have one mid size meal. While it does help people lose weight, the problem is that it does so by keeping people on a caloric restriction of around 1,000 to 1,200 which isn’t exactly enough for a human to get by on in a healthy manner. Many people supplement the lack of proper nutrition with multivitamins, due to not getting the right nutrition on the lower caloric plans.

9. The ramen diet.

This one is popular among college students mainly because it is easy and cheap and many young people eat far too much of it. Unfortunately ramen has pretty much no nutritional value, unless you count an incredible amount of sodium, reaching as much as 3,000mg in some flavor packets of ramen. To make matters even worse, ramen noodles are really high in fat, especially saturated fat. While some people suggest leaving out the seasoning packet and mixing ramen noodles with something healthier, the noodles themselves still contain an incredible amount of sodium. Really people would find more bang for their buck just buying a dollar box of actual pasta instead.

8. Raw food.

One of the crazier diet fads that seems to enjoy a resurgence on a semi-regular basis and has a strong steady following is the raw food diet. This diet isn’t really focused on losing weight at all, and isn’t particularly a moral choice either. The raw food diet is usually undertaken by people who have become convinced that eating food in its raw, natural, unprocessed state is the best for you. However, this makes their diets extremely limited, focused mostly on fruits and vegetables with certain select kinds of raw fish, meat and dairy products as well. The main problem with this diet isn’t necessarily nutrition but that you will be spending an incredible amount of time in the kitchen preparing everything, as the diet is highly specialized.

7. The Atkins diet.

The Atkins diet is too famous to leave off this list, and is probably the most controversial item here. While some people still defend it, it is not nearly as popular as it was during the height of its fad popularity. In fact, while the Atkins diet may not be as popular as it once was, many people still embrace a low carb diet. The problem the Atkins diet was looking to solve was the fact that most carbohydrates people were eating were mostly white flour and white sugar, not very good for you. However, the Atkins diet eliminates enough carbohydrates in your diet that it can actually be bad for you. A better approach that some people go for is to use some of the ideas in the Atkins diet, but still eat carbohydrates, just stick to good ones made entirely from whole grains.

6. TV dinner diet.

Another popular diet plan is the TV dinner diet; many people buy them by the cartful because they are quick and relatively cheap. More importantly to those watching their weight however, is that the TV dinners make portion control a lot easier and make calorie counting simple. The problem with these dinners is mainly that the sodium content is usually astronomical. Much of the time you’ll be lucky to find one that has a sodium count per serving that is less than a 1,000mg and oftentimes it will be much higher than that. Unfortunately, it looks like these frozen meals aren’t a very healthy choice.

5. Nothing but liquids.

All liquid diets are occasionally prescribed for medical reasons; however, it is usually for a very short period of time. Of course some people saw the potential for weight loss and a new diet plan was born. While some companies will peddle various products for a liquid diet that helps you lose weight, the main problem is that it is a yo-yo diet. Specifically this means you may lose a lot of weight while you are on it, but will find it hard to not put the weight right back on after you stop.  Worse yet many people who try to follow such a diet plan over an extended period of time develop health problems; it is not good for you long term.

4. Fruitarianism.

Fruitarianism is perhaps the strangest and most restrictive diet plan in the world. Vegans themselves are considered to be pretty extreme, taking their diet beyond just the table and into other aspects of their lives as well. However, fruitarianism is so extreme that even vegetables are not allowed. The idea being that unless something can be removed from a plant without doing harm to the plant, they will not eat it. Some are so extreme that they won’t even eat seeds or anything that might be able to create another plant. But if you thought that was extreme, some will ensure they only eat fruit that fell from a tree and will refuse it if it was picked by hand. The diet makes it very difficult to get proper nutrition and would be very difficult for most people to maintain.

3. Dairy diet.

Some recent studies have supposedly pointed toward large amounts of dairy in a diet being great for weight loss; however, the studies are quite misleading. Essentially the studies found that those in their dairy group lost more weight, but those in the dairy group were getting the nutrients from taking calcium supplements, not from actually eating dairy products. To make matters even more absurd, the study was supported by the National Dairy Council, which is like Coke supporting a study saying that soda is good for you. The truth is dairy products have some useful nutrients but should be consumed in moderation like all foods, as certain forms of dairy products in large amounts can have negative effects. For instance, large amounts of cheese are not particularly great for your cholesterol.

2. Chocolate cake diet.

This one isn’t exactly a fad diet; however, with this recent research it’s probably not long until a company markets their own special cake diet plan to fit this new idea. Essentially new research found that those who eat a confection such as chocolate cake with well balanced breakfast actually lose a pretty good amount of weight. The idea behind it is that eating the sugary confection in the morning helps speed up the metabolism, and makes you less likely to crave the sweets later in the day. And because you ate the confectionary early in the day, you don’t really have to worry about gaining weight from it, your body should have it all digested well before the day is over. Perhaps this one is a decent idea, and it would be as simple as pairing a small confection with a balanced breakfast in the morning.

1. Baby food diet.

One of the most bizarre fad diets is the baby food diet, many point to a fitness trainer named Tracy Anderson as the originator, although she has denied it recently, the diet also does not have an official set of rules. However, supposedly some in Hollywood have cottoned on to the idea and made it into a fad. Usually the diet involves replacing a couple of your meals with baby food and keeping your third meal low in calories. The other variation involves eating normal meals but eating baby food instead of snacks that might otherwise be high in calories through the day. Nutrition experts have pointed out that baby food is actually meant for babies, and won’t necessarily have the right nutrients for a grown adult. They also feel that with the wildly varying calorie content in baby food, and the fact that the taste and texture will likely never satisfy an adult, that they can’t see anyone keeping up with the diet for more than a few days.

Let’s face it: to the world, looks matter. Everyone wants to be attractive, and the people who society considers attractive generally have it easier. It shouldn’t be that way, but it is—because society is problematic. And for better or worse, the concept of looking good is tightly interwoven with skinniness. 

The quest to be skinny is a permanent struggle for many, often with constantly shifting goalposts. Many resort to drastic measures to shed some pounds, and there is always another predatory pseudo-scientist entrepreneur there to capitalize on them with another fad diet. 

Diet fads come and go, but the common links between (almost) all of them are their specious science, dubious results, and selfish profiteers. Here are ten of those diet fads that have come and mostly gone, who more often than not shed those pounds at the cost of your health and safety—or at least dignity.

10 Tapeworms

There is a long, long history of people using tapeworms to lose weight. Tapeworms are worms that survive via parasitism. In this case, they latch onto a section of the inside of someone’s intestine via hooks or suckers and steal a portion of nutrients from their host’s meals. The thought is that, by intentionally swallowing a tapeworm, someone can allow it to feed off their food, causing them to digest fewer calories and lose weight. As it turns out, it just doesn’t work that way.

There are thousands of different tapeworm species, and many won’t even accept humans as hosts. Among those that do, many feed so much they cause malnutrition, diarrhea, and anemia. And even if you happen to find just the right parasite at the sweet spot of calorie consumption, there is a chance the tapeworm, or the offspring it produces inside of you, will exit the gut and infect other parts of your body, causing any number of health issues. This fad diet is a long-lasting one, but is gradually falling out of favor due to, presumably, natural selection.

9 The Clay Diet

The clay diet grew to popularity thanks mainly to endorsements by actresses Shailene Woodley and Zoe Kravitz, which is not a great start. The idea is to consume with your food bentonite clay, a type of volcanic ash that is notoriously absorbent. The clay, allegedly, will bind to unwanted chemicals in your body and help you pass them when you poop a bunch of clay.

Except that is not how any of that works. Bentonite clay is indeed very absorbent, so much so that it binds to and absorbs everything it can, including the nutrients you need to survive (because duh; clay doesn’t magically know what you want to keep and what you don’t). It also tends to swell up in your gut (all that binding), causing distention and even perforating your bowels. In short: no, it is not a good idea to eat dirt, even if someone from Big Little Lies thinks you should.

8 Fletcher Chewing

Horace Fletcher was a non-doctor from the 1800s who struggled with obesity. He devised a “system” to combat it through… chewing food more. That’s really it. “Fletcherism” as some human doorknobs call it, is the strict adherence to chewing every bite at least 100 times. Fletcher himself was sure to add that the diet worked regardless of what someone eats, so a gallon of ice cream chewed 100 times is fine by Ol’ Fletch. Somehow, his ideas have survived to the modern-day, mainly because neither common sense nor scientific literacy is ubiquitous quite yet.

7 The Baby Food Diet

The baby food diet is a pretty good name in that it tells you the whole story on its own. The diet works by replacing meals with baby food. Not every meal, thankfully, just one or two per day. The reasoning behind the diet is simple enough. Baby food contains fairly complete nutrition and few calories. So it should work, right? I mean, yes, in the sense that never breathing again would work in preventing hyperventilation.

Baby food containers typically have 75-100 calories, so of course, replacing a full 2/3 of your meals with only 150-200 calories will result in weight loss. It does this through a mechanism doctors refer to as “starvation,” which removes fat but also removes muscle, bone, and also kills you. The fad was started by celebrity trainer Tracy Anderson and was adopted by celebrities like—shocker—Gwyneth Paltrow.

6 Dr. Siegal’s Cookie Diet

You must understand, I desperately want this diet to work. It pains me to write that it doesn’t. Or rather, it doesn’t work for free. There are a ton of stories of this diet working, but with about a dozen major caveats apiece. Here are some of my favorites:

A. They aren’t cookies. Not like you think. Not Oreos, Chips Ahoy, or Keebler’s. They’re more like fiber-bar/muffin hybrids that lack the taste and texture of cookies. Basically: there’s no cookie in the cookie diet. B. They also require a daily multivitamin, because they’re nutritionally a one-trick-pony—all fiber and protein, nothing else. C. They also require a full other meal of assorted meats, fruits, and veggies every day, which defeats the whole purpose of ‘losing weight by just eating cookies.’ D. My favorite. It costs $69.99 every week. That’s $3,640 per year. For fiber bars. Plus you need normal groceries, too. Luckily, it seems their sales are in decline and one of Dr. Siegal’s other health fads has already gone under.

5 The Cabbage Soup Diet

It’s easy: you can only eat cabbage soup, but you can eat as much cabbage soup as you want. We can stop right there: any diet that says that you can only eat X but eat as much X as you want is bad for you. Plain and simple. There is no one food, even a combination food, that is enough to provide a healthy existence and maintain energy and general wellbeing. Well, aside from specifically formulated mixtures with a large number of ingredients and complete nutrient profiles, but cabbage soup ain’t that. The American Heart Association listed a number of health issues the cabbage soup diet can cause, and it’s not pretty. It’s not a popular fad anymore, and with good reason.

4 Alkaline Diets

It can be hard to scroll through comment sections in general, but underneath videos about the wonders of “alkaline foods” (many of which aren’t alkaline), you’ll find a nightmare land of pseudoscience, willful ignorance, and anecdotal evidence of how ‘my brother’s friend’s sister’s husband’s butcher’s baker’s candlestick-maker said it totally worked for her.’ It didn’t, and it doesn’t. There is zero science to support the claims that alkaline foods promote weight loss and the claims that they even prevent cancer and other diseases.

There is a nugget of truth to this diet, though it’s accidental. Many foods that are highly acidic happen to be processed, fatty, and/or alcoholic. But those foods are bad because they’re processed, fatty, and/or alcoholic, not because they’re acidic. Yes, cutting those foods will improve your health and likely lead to weight loss. But not because of a made-up mish-mash of sciencey-sounding words. It’s because eating less unhealthy foods and eating more healthy foods is a good thing, which shouldn’t bear mentioning.

3 The Cotton Ball Diet

Eating cotton balls can kill you. Eating enough cotton balls will certainly kill you. This trend emerged in the modeling industry, where extreme societal expectations of women’s bodies forced them to resort to equally extreme measures. They began eating cotton balls because they allegedly create a feeling of fullness without adding any of those pesky (life-sustaining) calories. But objects with no caloric value are by definition non-food items, meaning no human should ever eat them. Reporting on the matter has died down, so you can only hope that the fad has died down, as well.

2 The Breatharian Diet

No one should have to say (type) this out loud (quietly): you cannot sustain yourself just by breathing. Air is not a substitute for food. The people that say air is a viable option for nourishment are liars. I know, there are many videos online wherein these people claim to have gone years without food, just by breathing correctly. They are liars. “But what about the breatharian couple?” you say. “They’ve gone decades without air, and they look great!” No, they haven’t, and… well, yes, they look great. But that came from eating healthy food. Then they realized they could get rich from making sensational claims which people would eat up—or not, because it’s air—and shell out money for. So they made those videos. It’s beneath me, all of humanity, and most invertebrate life (except for yellow-jackets. They’re awful, and nothing is beneath them), to dignify the breatharian’ movement’ with any more words.

1 The Master Cleanse (and any cleanse)

The sad thing is that this diet hasn’t failed in terms of popularity—it’s still popular among those with ‘coincidentally’ nutrient-deficient brains- but it consistently fails to produce lasting results. The master cleanse— essentially drinking only lemon juice, maple syrup, cayenne pepper, and water—became popular because Beyonce allegedly used it to great effect. That is certainly possible, but like all half-thought-out fad diets, the results are either temporary or come at a great cost to personal health.

The master cleanse, as most cleanses, is an attempt to ‘detox’ the body, i.e., remove ‘toxins.’ As a former biologist and researcher, trust me when I say that 99% of people who use the word toxin do not know what it means. Seriously, Merriam Webster/Apple Dictionary App/Oxford English Dictionary that word right now. Toxins, in the way that health-hipsters talk about them, don’t exist. Many molecules are bad for our bodies, of course, but within normal levels, they are naturally filtered out by our livers and kidneys. The best way to help those organs do that is to eat a healthy, balanced diet, get enough sleep, manage your stress, and exercise regularly, not listen to singers with undisclosed endorsements and no scientific background.

According to Gallup, 51% of Americans want to lose weight, and about half that number are seriously trying. Whatever we’re doing, though, it’s not working: Americans are about 15 pounds chubbier than they were in 1990. The truth is, we have no idea how many people will succeed at losing weight; but we do know that the most successful dieters follow a simple strategy: eating less, eating healthier, and exercising. Apparently the weight loss cliche – “calories in, calories out” has some truth in it. How boring.

“But hey,” the fad dieters out there might say. “It’s a challenge always counting calories all the time!” If counting calories is hard, we certainly don’t want to try these crazy fad diets. Talk about hard–they require way more effort than just counting calories. In this list, we included the most crazy and dangerous diets we could find.

10. The Tongue Patch Diet

The tongue is a marvellous matrix of muscles. Virtually inexhaustible, it’s made up of a bunch of muscles that do all kinds of things, allowing us to taste and swallow food–and do important functions like forming words so we can talk. The tongue is pretty awesome. That’s what makes this first diet, um, particularly hard to swallow. As it were.

The tongue patch diet – which entails a stamp-sized tongue patch sewn onto the tongue – isn’t actually a medieval torture device (although it sounds like it should be in a list of “particularly cruel and unusual punishment devices”). No, the tongue patch is a modern cosmetic surgery that allegedly helps people lose up to 30 pounds a month by, well, forcing them not to eat. This patch makes eating so painful that people with tongue patches can only consume liquids.

Risks of a tongue patch include lots of pain, infection of the tongue, looking weird when you start drooling for no reason, and oh–the risk of it dislodging, swallowing it, and choking to death. We’ll pass, thanks.

9. The Cotton Ball Diet

Perhaps, like us, you went through life thinking that people would never sit down and eat a big bag of inedible organic fibre–like cotton, for example. Like idiots, we certainly thought that. We blindly believe that no one would ever look longingly at a Q-tip.

We were so, so wrong.

Cotton is a natural, breathable fibre that grows on plants and is awesome because it’s comfortable and easy to wash–and we like it so much we produce about 25 million tons of it every year.

For clothing. Not for food.

Now, it’s apparently a thing where some people eat cotton balls as part of a diet strategy. First, to make this dry, inedible fibre tasty, such dieters first soak the cotton balls into something sweet like orange juice. Then they eat the cotton balls.

Naturally, this poses two big issues. First: cotton balls don’t offer humans the life-sustaining nourishment usually offered by other foodstuffs. Second: cotton balls can get lodged in our body, leading to a mass of big cotton blockage in our digestive tracts called a bezoar. This leads to things like choking, gastric ulcers, intestinal bleeding, and gangrene.

The good news? A big cotton bezoar in your gut can help reduce appetite. But since it can lead to tissue death and requires surgical removal, we think you should probably leave cotton for your clothing.

8. The Kimkins Diet

Very low calorie diets – diets under 800 calories – entail risks like fatigue, nausea, diarrhea, hair loss, heart arrhythmia, stroke, and brain haemorrhage. For that reason, very low calorie diets should be taken up only upon supervision of a doctor. That’s one reason this next diet is particularly crazy.

The Kimkins diet – including its fake testimonials and reports of lethargy, hair loss, irregular heart beat, and fainting – can be all yours for $59.99.

The Kimkins Diet achieved popularity due to an embarrassingly bad 2007 article by Woman’s World Magazine (that the magazine has since apologized for). This diet calls for eating about 500 calories a day and replacing with laxatives–both of which are dangerous practices.

This dangerous dietary regimen is advised – not by a doctor or nutritionist, but – by a morbidly obese gal by the name of Heidi Kimberly “Kimmer” Diaz, a woman who used a picture of a Russian model to fake a 200lb weight loss. She was sued in a class action lawsuit, and has since filed for bankruptcy.

7. Red Bull Diet

Red Bull may not actually give you wings, but even a single can of the stuff can give you a heightened risk of heart attack and stroke. That’s one of the reasons this next diet is, uh, a little crazy.

23 year-old New Zealand woman Brooke Robertson, hoping to lose a little post-baby weight, took to drinking 14 cans of Red Bull a day. 14 cans. A day. Let’s put that into context:

A 12-pack of Red Bull’ll run you over $18 a day–so, not exactly cheap. Next, 14 cans of Red Bull equals about 1,540 calories a day (even more than the often-recommended 1,200 calories a day for women on a diet). 14 cans of Red Bull has a whopping 378 grams of sugar per day–an amount equal to eating 94.5 sugar cubes a day. Holy moly, that’s a lot of sugar. Especially for someone on a “diet.”

Suffice it to say, Brooke lost about 45kg on this diet–probably from having a raging case of insomnia, jitters, and a massive caffeine addiction. It didn’t end too well, though, and Brooke had a heart attack, a two week hospital stay, and a current heart murmur that won’t go away, as well as constant pain, cramping, and anxiety. Um, no pain, no gain? We think maybe we’ll just cut out the calories next time.

6. Corset Diet

For about 400 years – particularly during the Victoria era – corsets were a fashionable way of dress for women (and, er, some “Dandies”), despite being viewed also as an “instrument of torture” and female oppression.

For a woman on the corset diet, she’ll start out wearing corsets about 2-4 hours a day, and work up to an impressive 12 hours, upping by 30 minutes a week. Apparently, Jessica Alba swears by it. What could be wrong with that?

Well, the problem with corsets is that it can crush people’s ribs and internal organs. But what’s a little crushed organs if you can lose weight? Except it also restricts oxygen, and can damage the liver, spleen, and kidneys (it turns out that those organs need oxygen). Sorry, Jessica Alba–we’ll stick to the doctors and registered dieticians on this one.

5. Ear Stapling

Acupuncture can be traced back to China about 2,500 years ago. One assumption of acupuncture is that our bodies have various “acupuncture points” that can provide relief. There is contradictory evidence of the efficacy of acupuncture.

A loose derivate of acupuncture is ear stapling. During this procedure, small staples are placed in the inner cartilage of the ear, and left in for several weeks (or several months). Allegedly, this helps to stimulate appetite control.

So what’s the problem? This procedure is often performed by people without a medical license. Sometimes it’s performed in the back of people’s cars, or at state fairs. And it carries significant risk of infection and permanent disfigurement–and there is no proof that it works.

4. Feeding Tube Diet

One of the grossest diets out there is the feeding tube diet (a.k.a. the K-E – or Ketogenic Enternal Nutrition – Diet). This diet was created by Dr. Oliver Di Pietro. It involves carrying around a bag of fluid, and wearing a nose drip.

A nose drip. That runs from the nose to the stomach. For ten days. Gross.

The feeding tube diet promises that people can lose up to 20 pounds in ten days… and virtually guarantees they’ll look disgusting while doing it. Risks include bad breath, constipation, tiredness, emotional challenges, regaining the weight, and well–the absolute grossness of the nose tube that connects to your stomach. Pass.

3. Clen

Forget cocaine and Adderall. The next insane drug that celebrities are rumoured to be taking by the truckload is a hormone growth stimulant called Clenbuterol – “Clen” – which is approved as a steroid to treat respiratory illnesses in horses.

Horses. Not humans. It’s not even approved for animals that will enter our food chain.

Now used by some particularly crazy dieters and athletes, its side effects include nausea, dizziness, drowsiness, tremors, vomiting, palpitations, and arrhythmia (irregular heartbeat)–and can cause poisoning. Unless you’re a horse, you’ll probably want to stick with good ‘ol cocaine–or better yet, pass on drugs altogether.

2. hCG Diet

The hormone human choriogonadotropin is produced in the human body early in pregnancy. It’s that hormone that’s detected in the pregnancy test sticks we pee on. In drugs like Novarel, this hormone is indeed extracted from the pee of pregnant ladies.

Side effects include: headaches, restlessness, tiredness, and pain from the needle injection site–as well as the less common swelling of ankles, mood changes, and more.Oh, and it’s not proven as an effective weight loss solution. For some reason, though, that hasn’t stopped desperate people from using it.

hCG was prescribed by a guy named Dr. A Simeons in 1954. The problem is that it didn’t work to help the dieters lose weight until the dieters nearly starved themselves. So, along with 125 units of hCG injected daily for 8 weeks, the dieters needed to follow a rigid low-calorie diet totally about 500 calories a day.

If you follow this diet, you’ll probably lose weight. That’s because you’re eating 500 calories a day, on a risky diet that doesn’t provide people with RDA of protein. The hormone itself doesn’t help, with studies showing that hCG just isn’t effective in aiding weight loss.

1. Breatharianism

This one is more than a little crazy. So, imagine a world where you can live on sunshine alone–no food, no water, just the natural prana breeze. Sound nice? Well, I guess, if you didn’t love ice cream or pecan pie or anything. Nevertheless, this is the reality as alleged by breatharians–people who believe they can live on prana – mainly sunlight – alone.

Naturally, not eating results in weight loss. And then, eventually, you die. A self-described breatharian prophet, Jasmuheen, claims not to have eaten real food for years. Do you find that a little hard to believe? So did a TV station, who challenged her to prove it. Turns out–she can’t live on air alone, and she became dangerously dehydrated after only 48 hours–forcing the supervising doctor to shut down the challenge.

Perhaps breatharians will count that in the win column–after all, Jasmuheen can claim the air was too polluted to get her prana. I guess we’ll never know for sure. I’m personally curious why there are so few John C. Reily-looking breatharians out there who are virtually gorged on prana–just absolutely stuffed and bloated from prana. I mean, there’s a whole lotta sunshine out there, right? Instead, we have multiple cases of breatharians dying of something that looks suspiciously like starvation.  So, dieters of the internet world: skip this crazy fad and maybe just cut calories a bit–for a start.

Kelly Doyle tweets sometimes, so check her out.

In the world of popular culture, diets have been consistently talked about since far before the Golden Age of Hollywood. There are trendy diets that caught on and stuck around for years, like the Atkins diet or the Master Cleanse. And then there are the ones that are just myths, like Jackie Kennedy eating one baked potato filled with caviar every day. But some diets got everyone talking and, at times, defined eras. Let’s explore ten of the worst fad diets celebrities swore worked.

Trigger warning: This article contains a discussion of restrictive eating without the consent and supervision of a medical professional. Always speak with your doctor before starting a weight loss program.

10 The Juice Cleanse – Salma Hayek

The juice cleanse is an ever-popular fad diet that celebrities constantly reference as their go-to diet before big events or when they need to drop weight quickly. While it’s true that some individuals might lose weight while doing a multiple-day juice cleanse (only drinking juice is essentially just starving yourself, duh), some outlandish medical claims have been made about juice cleanses.

Although there is no science backing up these claims, many avid juicers will tell you that juice cleanses “detox” your body, prevent cancer, boost your immune system, and help with digestion.

One celebrity that loves juice cleanses so much that she started her own juicing company, Salma Hayek, is cited as saying, “After doing a juice cleanse, I’m motivated to eat healthier and not emotionally. Cleansing is like my meditation.”

9 The Coachella Diet – Beyoncé

In the Netflix documentary, Homecoming (2019), which details Beyoncé and her team’s preparations for her iconic Coachella performance, she talks about the diet she went on leading up to the performance. In less than half a year, Beyoncé dropped the weight she had gained during her pregnancy with twins.

Although preparations for the performance meant daily dance practice and physical training, Beyoncé went on a 44-day diet that cut out carbs, meat, fish, alcohol, and dairy. Beyoncé herself said that her diet and exercise routine during this time was too extreme and that she would never do it again; despite her own warning, the Coachella diet gained popularity across social media platforms.

8 The “Fruitarian” Diet – DaVinci, Gandhi, Jobs, & Kutcher

While this diet has a pretty long history, including the likes of Leonardo DaVinci and Mahatma Gandhi, it was introduced to pop culture after the passing of Steve Jobs, a known fruitarian. When Ashton Kutcher was preparing for his role in Jobs (2013), as the late great founder of Apple, he decided to try the fruitarian diet for 30 days to help him get into character.

According to Mila Kunis, spouse of Kutcher, in her episode of Hot Ones, Kutcher found himself in the hospital with pancreatitis twice during the film’s production due to his eating habits. The Cleveland Clinic details the risks of “fruitarianism,” including tooth decay, diabetes, and malnourishment.

7 The “Friends Diet” – Aniston, Cox, & Kudrow

The “Friends Diet” is a collection of fad diets that actresses Jennifer Aniston, Courtney Cox, and Lisa Kudrow were on for the ten years they filmed the show Friends (1994-2004). While all three women were on pretty restrictive diets respectively, reportedly consuming no more than 1,200 calories a day for the entire length of the show, the most consistent part of their diet was what is infamously known as “The Jen Salad.”

“The Jen Salad” includes:

• 1 cup of bulgar
• 2 diced cucumbers
• 1 can of chickpeas
• 1/4 cup of minced red onion
• 2 tablespoons of chopped parsley
• 1 tablespoon of mint
• 1/2 a cup of pistachios
• 1/2 a cup of feta

While this salad doesn’t sound terrible, the famous trio ate this salad every day for ten years despite there being no dressing, which I couldn’t live without. And Aniston, she had the Jen Salad for dinner too…

6 The Carnivore Diet – Jordan B. Peterson

In 2018, during an episode for the Joe Rogan podcast, internet personality and psychologist Jordan B. Peterson describes his new favorite diet as consuming strictly beef, salt, and water. Due to the popularity of both the Joe Rogan podcast and Jordan B. Peterson himself, this diet grew in popularity despite the lack of science backing its claims of improved mental health and overall physical health.

An article published by The Cleveland Clinic notes that the Carnivore diet can lead to extreme constipation and an increased risk of heart disease.

Other celebrities that have tried the carnivore diet include Joe Rogan, who cited 2-weeks of “explosive diarrhea” when starting the diet, Mikhaila Peterson, Jordan B. Peterson’s daughter, and social media influencers, “The Buff Dudes.”

5 The Daniel Diet – Christ Pratt

The Daniel Diet, also known as the “Daniel Fast,” is a diet that follows a meal plan extrapolated from The Book of Daniel. It consists of a very strict plant-based diet, cutting out animal byproducts, processed food, alcohol, added and artificial sugars, caffeinated beverages, dairy, yeast, solid fats, and just about everything other than beans, lentils, fruit, vegetables, and whole grains.

Although the Daniel Fast is only 21-days long, in an interview with Stephan Colbert, Chris Pratt talks about going on the Daniel Diet for 30 days as a fast similar to the Catholic lent. Registered dietitian Katey Davidson stresses that this diet is not necessary for healthy living, nor is it a recommended method for weight loss, but freedom of religious choice is important.

4 The Paper Cup Diet – Nine Muses

The paper cup diet was introduced to pop culture by the K-pop girl group, Nine Muses. The gist of this diet is that every meal (of the three meals allowed by the diet) must fit into three paper cups. Dieters could fill one of the cups with brown or mixed grain rice, another with fruit, and the third with side dishes. Dieters should avoid greasy and high-fat food as well. The theory is that this would take the focus away from counting calories and instead cause dieters to be more conscious of portion control.

This diet allegedly gained traction among “pro-anorexia” internet forums and has become quite infamous within the K-pop community. When you look up “the paper cup diet” on YouTube, there are multiple videos made by teenage girls and women in their early 20s trying the diet, with many of those videos receiving hundreds of thousands of views.

3 The 8-Day Goat Milk Cleanse – Gwyneth Paltrow

This “cleanse” was endorsed by none other than the queen of cleanses, Gwyneth Paltrow. Apparently, consuming exclusively goat milk is supposed to cleanse your stomach and intestines from the parasite that you may or may not have. Not only is there no real science behind this cleanse, but there is also no recommendation for you to get diagnosed with a parasite by a doctor before doing it. You’re supposed to assume that you have a parasite or be diagnosed by a naturopath.

GOOP even has an article called “You Probably Have a Parasite—Here’s What to Do About It,” wherein the naturopath supporting this cleanse, Linda Lancaster, responds to medical questions without a medical degree or any medically backed answers. The kicker is that this cleanse recommends drinking raw, unpasteurized goat milk if you have access to it.

According to the CDC, “Raw milk can carry harmful bacteria and other germs that can make you very sick or kill you. While it is possible to get foodborne illnesses from many different foods, raw milk is one of the riskiest of all.” I think we will run far away from this fad diet; sorry, Gwyneth.

2 The Alkaline Diet – Beckham, Paltrow, Ripa, & Aniston

Praised for years by celebrities like Victoria Beckham, Gwyneth Paltrow, Kelly Ripa, and Jennifer Aniston, the Alkaline diet consists of eating alkaline foods and reducing high-acid foods like meat. Although the diet itself isn’t unhealthy when an adequate amount of calories is consumed, the point of the Alkaline diet is disease prevention and, more specifically, cancer prevention.

The diet creator, Robert O. Young, is currently facing jail time for practicing medicine without a medical license. Not only does his alkaline diet claim to prevent cancer, but he actually attempted to treat a woman’s cancer with baking soda infusions.

1 The Sleeping Beauty Diet – Elvis Presley?

Despite sounding very pretty, the sleeping beauty diet is arguably the least pretty of all the diets mentioned on this list. The diet concept is that if you are sleeping, you’re not eating. Individuals will extend their usual amount of sleep in order to avoid eating. Some will even take sleeping pills to induce sleep at times that they wouldn’t usually feel tired, upping the length of their sleep from 8-10 hours to 18-24 hours.

In the case of Elvis Presley, who was known for having a big appetite and a noticeably fluctuating weight, a doctor allegedly put Elvis in a medically induced coma in order for him to lose weight.