Health Care

Dan Carlin

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 are short term diets in which people are to lose a lot of weight, and are popular because of their claims of great weight loss. Fad diets generally include some super food, like the cookie in the cookie diet, with miraculous weight loss properties. These diets rely on slick pitches that make it seem silly not to buy and try the diet.

Sanford Siegel created the cookie diet in 1975 while he was doing research for a nutrition book. To maintain the cookie diet people would eat six cookies a day, plus a regular dinner. People on the diet ate only 800 calories a day. The cookie diet exploded to 24 clinics around the world. In the middle 1980s over 200 doctors were prescribing Dr. Siegel's cookie diet in their own practices. The clever doctor came out with soups and shakes that also contained the amino acids needed to control hunger.

Later Hollywood grabbed the cookie diet. The diet benefited from the media efforts of all the stars who tried it to lose weight. Like the original cookie diet this Hollywood version replaced breakfast and lunch with cookies, then allowed a reasonable 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. If you want to lose weight, or maintain a healthy eating lifestyle, simply lower the amount of calories you eat from everyday foods and add some exercise. Forget miracle foods even if a star tells you to try them.

Please visit my website to find out more about the cookie and weight loss - you can also download your 3 FREE fat busting reports!