Ancient Diet Techniques for Modern Times

by Susan Patterson
Dieting is as old as mankind. Even though many prefer to stay on top of new diet trends and follow the diet of the day, many older dieting techniques can help you lose weight. The Mediterranean eating habits remain a favorite among health care professionals, but there is the Jerusalem Diet and the Hawaiian Diet. Fasting was practiced for health as well as religious reasons. All these lifestyle changes are as valid today as they were when initially practiced. Let’s explore them and find one that may work for you.

With the Mediterranean Diet, everything is cooked in olive oil, even desserts. The emphasis is on fresh food with very little red meat. Greens are the largest part of the diet. The simplicity is what makes it a success. Nothing is ever cooked in heavy creams or marinated, and little spices are used. Top it all off with whole grains, seeds, and other natural condiments for a diet low in saturated fat and high in heart healthy ingredients.

The Jerusalem Diet takes a one day at a time approach. Each week you begin with a target weight that is one pound less. Weigh yourself each morning, and if at your goal it is a “normal” day, which means you can eat what you like and not exercise. If you haven’t yet reached your weight it is a “fat” day, meaning that you can only eat fruits, nuts, vegetables and seeds. Only drink water on fat days and exercise for one hour. While this may seem an odd approach, it helps focus on your current weight instead of your end goal. This may be helpful for quick weight loss, and the author encourages people to combine this with other plans.

Unlike newer trends in eating, The Hawaiian Diet takes a high-fiber, high-carb approach. The goal is to eat less than 10% of your day’s calories from fat. The information is somewhat basic and buying the kit can be expensive. Each food is assigned a number based on fat content. You want to consume as much of the higher number foods as possible. You eat 2500 calories a day, so it is important to add a lot of activity to avoid gaining weight. There are also some special foods that Hawaiians eat such as Poi that you may want to try. Don’t worry if you can’t find them; the book suggests substitutes.

Fasting is a very popular way to lose weight. These can be dangerous, so it is important to learn about proper procedure for fasting before you begin. Many people choose to do this for just a few days, though others may go past 30 days. Some choose a juice fast, where you do not put anything into your body but juice. Exercise is many times impossible with this diet as you have too little energy. If hunger is a real problem, you may want to try using a natural appetite suppressant like hoodia towards the end of your fast. There are specific ways to start and end a fast, so make sure you are thoroughly informed.