Israeli Army diet
Encyclopedia
The Israeli Army diet was a fad diet
that was popular in the 1970s. It was promoted as being based on the diet used by the Israel Defence Forces for new recruits but had no connection with the Israeli Army.
The diet lasted for eight days with the dieter only eating one type of food for two days each.
If the dieter followed the regimen for the full eight days, he or she would likely experience a short-term weight loss. However, as this regime was not sustainable over the long term, the person undertaking the diet soon regained the weight as he or she returned to their normal diet. In addition, the lack of variety in the diet meant that many people failed to complete the diet regimen. As well, the diet was not a balanced diet providing the dieter with their nutritional
needs such as calories, protein and vitamins.
For these reasons, nutritionists and doctors were critical of the Israeli Army diet and it declined in popularity. It is now regarded as a classic fad diet like the grapefruit diet
or the cabbage soup diet
.
Food faddism
The phrases food faddism and fad diet originally referred to idiosyncratic diets and eating patterns that promote short-term weight loss, usually with no concern for long-term weight maintenance, and enjoy temporary popularity...
that was popular in the 1970s. It was promoted as being based on the diet used by the Israel Defence Forces for new recruits but had no connection with the Israeli Army.
The diet lasted for eight days with the dieter only eating one type of food for two days each.
- Days One - Two: Apples (black tea/coffee allowed)
- Days Three - Four: Cheese (black tea/coffee allowed)
- Days Five - Six: Chicken (black tea/coffee allowed)
- Days Seven - Eight: Salad (black tea/coffee allowed)
If the dieter followed the regimen for the full eight days, he or she would likely experience a short-term weight loss. However, as this regime was not sustainable over the long term, the person undertaking the diet soon regained the weight as he or she returned to their normal diet. In addition, the lack of variety in the diet meant that many people failed to complete the diet regimen. As well, the diet was not a balanced diet providing the dieter with their nutritional
needs such as calories, protein and vitamins.
For these reasons, nutritionists and doctors were critical of the Israeli Army diet and it declined in popularity. It is now regarded as a classic fad diet like the grapefruit diet
Grapefruit diet
The grapefruit diet, also known as the Hollywood Diet and erroneously as the Mayo Clinic Diet, is a short-term fad diet that has existed in the United States since at least the 1930s. . The diet is based on the claim that grapefruit has a fat-burning enzyme or similar property...
or the cabbage soup diet
Cabbage soup diet
The cabbage soup diet is a radical weight loss diet designed around heavy consumption of a low-calorie cabbage soup over the time of seven days. It is generally considered a fad diet, in that it is designed for short-term weight-loss and requires no long-term commitment...
.