6 Bizzare Fad Diets From Around The World

THE SLEEPING BEAUTY DIET

This fairy tale sounding diet works on the bizarre logic that we can't eat while we sleep. The diet became famous after the singer Elvis Presley tried it. All one needed to do was to find a doctor who could sedate the participant for hours (or even days!) so they can't eat fattening food.

THE CIGARETTE DIET

The nicotin present in cigarettes is said to be an appetite suppressant. In the first half of the 20th century, advertisers were linking smoking to slimness to increase their sales. The pre-Columbian indigenous Americans and old world Europeans women became the target audience for such advertising.

THE GRAPEFRUIT DIET

In 1930s a new diet came into being which advocated consumption of fattening food along with a grapefruit. Grapefruit's magical fat burning quality was supposed to cut down the fat contributed by the food consumed that day. It was claimed that the participants could lose up to 10 lbs. by following this 12 day Grapefruit Diet.

THE TAPEWORM DIET

In this list of bizarre diets, this one takes the cake. This diet requires the dieter to swallow a capsule filled with tapeworm or its eggs. These eggs hatch in the intestines and absorb the nutrients before the body does so.

THE LEMONADE DIET or THE MASTER CLEANSE DIET

This diet has been followed by the big guns like Beyonce, Demi Moore, etc. It's a 10 day cleanse plan to remove toxins from the body and eliminate junk food and alcohol cravings. The consumption of solid food is not allowed during these 10 days. Dieters are supposed to consume 6 to 10 glasses of lemonade (made from lemons, maple syrup, and cayenne pepper) a day, with a glass of salt water in the morning and a laxative at night.

THE COTTON BALL DIET

This strange diet came from the modeling industry. It involved dipping five cotton balls in orange juice before swallowing them to curb hunger. As the dieter was barely consuming anything substantial, he/she was bound to lose weight. However, it was less benefiting and more life-threatening. Gulping a cotton ball came with a risk of getting choked or obstructing the intestinal tract. This unappetizing meal deprives the dieter's body of all essential nutrients.