Saturday, February 28, 2009

What A Diet Is The Cookie Diet?

By Slim Slater

One of the most ridiculous fad diets ever invented is the cookie diet. In essence this diet claims that amino acids baked into cookies can control hunger.

Fad diets seem to be everywhere these days. In general a fad diet is a diet which is designed to last for short periods of time, during which large amounts of weight can supposedly be lost. Often times, like the cookie diet, these diets rely on one miracle food with amazing properties for weight loss. These diets rely on slick pitches that make it seem silly not to buy and try the diet.

The cookie diet was created by a physician named Sanford Siegel in 1975 while he was researching a book on the effect of natural foods on hunger. The cookie diet consists of eating 6 cookies in place of breakfast and lunch, then consuming a normal dinner. All told the daily caloric intake was about 800 calories. Very quickly the cookie diet became a huge success, with 14 clinics in Florida and 10 in Latin America expounding this amazing weight loss formula. In the middle 1980s over 200 doctors were prescribing Dr. Siegel's cookie diet in their own practices. It was at this time that shakes and soups were added to the mix, these also containing the amino acids that control hunger.

There is another version of the cookie diet referred to as the Hollywood cookie diet because it became popular with many Hollywood stars. Stars and starlets made their use of the diet well known, which helped vault it to public attention. This newer version of the diet included four cookies and a dinner. The four cookies allowed on this diet consisted of a combined 600 calories and various vitamins.

If you're thinking of the cookie diet take Donnie Brasco's advice - forget about it. Remember that good health comes from a balanced diet and an exercise program. Even if the star of your favorite movie claims to love them, avoid so called miracle weight loss foods.

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