Ditch the diet drama: three fad diets you should skip for a healthier life
Today is the day that most people abandon their New Year’s resolutions. For many, the dream of shedding a few pounds fades into a quiet acceptance of reality.
After all, diet culture has conditioned us to believe that weight loss requires extreme restrictions, impossible willpower, and the pursuit of thinness at all costs.
It’s no surprise, then, that fad diets continue to dominate our feeds especially with TikTok now serving as a global megaphone for diet trends.
From the bizarre Oatzempic (oats and lime juice as a stand-in for the weight-loss drug Ozempic) to the downright dangerous dog food diet, the internet is filled with quick-fix solutions that promise transformation but rarely deliver it sustainably.
But the worst diets throughout history prove one thing: restriction ultimately backfires. They might seem effective in the short term, but extreme diets wreak havoc on metabolism, mental health, and long-term weight stability.
So, let’s take a deep dive into four of the worst diets the world has seen and, more importantly, why it's time to rethink our relationship with food.
The arsenic diet - deadly in every sense
In the 18th and 19th centuries, people seeking a faster metabolism turned to arsenic a literal poison.
The idea was that arsenic would stimulate the body's metabolic rate, helping to burn calories faster. What dieters didn’t realise (or ignored) was that arsenic is incredibly toxic. Even small amounts could cause gastrointestinal distress, organ failure, and death.
Thankfully, this diet faded into obscurity, but it serves as a grim reminder: the pursuit of weight loss has historically led people to take extreme and deadly measures.
The baby food diet - for the toothless, not the weightless
The Baby Food Diet, popularised in the 2010s, involved replacing meals with jars of pureed baby food.
The premise? Portion control without the hassle of chewing. Celebrities and influencers endorsed it as a way to stay lean, but in reality, it was a deeply unsatisfying and nutritionally imbalanced way to eat.
Baby food is designed for infants who are transitioning from milk to solids not for adults who need fiber, protein, and a variety of nutrients. Sure, it might lead to short-term weight loss, but it’s neither sustainable nor healthy.
The dog food diet - the manosphere’s most bizarre trend
Perhaps the most baffling diet trend to emerge in recent years is the dog food diet. What started as a TikTok challenge turned into a serious high-protein fad among men in the online "manosphere" communities.
The reasoning? Dog food is packed with protein and lacks the "processed junk" found in human food.
But here’s the problem: dog food is not formulated for human digestion and often contains excessive vitamin levels that can be harmful to humans. Not to mention, the taste is questionable at best.
This diet reflects a growing trend of hyper-masculine eating habits, where extreme diets are framed as a test of toughness. But in reality, eating dog food doesn’t make you stronger it just makes you misinformed.
The grapefruit diet - a Hollywood myth that won’t die
The grapefruit diet has been around since the 1930s, resurfacing in the 1980s and again in the early 2000s. The premise? Eat grapefruit with every meal because of its supposed fat-burning enzymes.
The problem? No scientific evidence supports this claim. While grapefruit is a healthy fruit, relying on it as the cornerstone of a diet is nutritionally deficient and unsustainable.
What’s worse, extreme calorie restriction (like the kind seen in this diet) can slow metabolism, making it even easier to regain weight once the diet ends.
Despite decades of evidence showing that extreme diets don’t work, we keep falling for them. Why? Because diet culture thrives on insecurity.
It convinces us that our bodies are problems to be solved, that thinness equals health, and that food must be controlled rather than enjoyed.
But here’s the truth: the best diet is one that isn’t a diet at all.
Instead of chasing the latest fad, a balanced, sustainable approach wins every time:
- Eat a variety of foods: Metabolic balance, vitamin intake, and gut health all depend on diversity.
- Ditch ultra-processed foods: They’re the real enemy, not carbs or fats.
- Practice mindful eating: The Japanese concept of hara hachi bu (eating until 80% full) is linked to longevity.
- Move your body in ways that bring joy, exercise should never be a punishment.
The worst diets in history and today’s viral fads exist because we’ve been conditioned to believe that weight loss is the ultimate goal. But health is about so much more than a number on a scale.
Instead of chasing unsustainable trends, let’s focus on building a positive relationship with food, embracing our bodies, and rejecting the toxic cycle of diet culture.
Because at the end of the day, food is meant to nourish not punish.