What would you think if someone suggested you drink a concoction of lemon juice, cayenne pepper and maple syrup? I don't know about you, but I wouldn't chug-a-lug that foul mix if somebody paid me. But Beyonce used the lemonade diet, and she's not the first -- the lemonade diet (aka Master Cleanse) has been around since 1941.

Just like clothes go in and out of style, so do crazy diets. "Glamour" shows us seven decades of wacky diet trends:

• 1930's-1940's. Not only is this the era where the Master Cleanse first appeared, ad campaigns also touted smoking as a way to keep off unwanted pounds.
• 1950's. The 1950's paved the way for a kinder, gentler form of weight loss. What was it? Prayer. That's right. Pray yourself thin. "Pray Your Weight Away" was published in 1957 and was the first of many prayer-based weight loss theories.
  
• 1960's. We have the 60's to thank for the horrible cabbage soup diet. A more helpful trend that was born in the 60's is the weight loss support group. (Overeaters Anonymous and Weight Watchers were both formed in the decade.)
• 1970's. The quest for weight loss in a pill started in earnest in the 70's. Dexatrim and the unfortunately named Ayds appetite suppressants were all the rage.
• 1980's. After the unsuccessful quick fixes of the 70's, self-discipline came back into vogue in the 80's. Plans such as the super-restrictive Scarsdale Diet were the diets of the decade. Low-fat was a term that was sneaking into everyone's vocabulary.
  
• 1990's. Low-carb plans like the Atkin's diet were all the rage in the 90's.
• 2000's. We're still not immune to silly diet trends. How about the Morning Banana Diet or the Cookie Diet (which has actually been around in one form or another for quite a long time)?

What's the craziest diet plan you've ever tried?

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When a food item becomes a health trend, it starts popping up everywhere -- from energy drinks to sodas to diet pills, sometimes even in shampoo. Acai is one of the more recent nutrition trends ... but is it worth all of the fuss?

According to Dr. Mehmet Oz, acai berries are rich in antioxidants and are a very nutritious food. However, Dr. Oz states that acai is as good as any other healthful food, not any better. One reporter and her husband decided to try out the acai diet -- he took capsules and she used a powdered drink mix. Not only was it expensive, the drink was gritty, and neither saw any weight loss results. And the cleansing drink that came with the acai diet was completely gag-inducing.

The lesson here is to not go overboard. When nutrition news hits the media, the marketing folks clamor on board and try to sell as many products as possible based on very limited science. Acai is a great food to incorporate into your diet but if you're expecting it to help you magically drop excess pounds, cure disease and unclog your kitchen sink, you're going to be sorely disappointed.

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While the area I live in may have made my exposure to this fruit a little slower than it was for most people, it's still a relatively new addition to the regular fruits and veggies on grocery store shelves. In a short span of time the bizarre-looking pomegranate has moved from exotic to mainstream.

The world of nutrition has its trends just like anything else, and pomegranates certainly had their day (or couple of years) in the sun. Pomegranates have been linked to health benefits for erectile dysfunction, cancer risk reduction, lung health, and other issues. And they certainly are good for you... not to mention tasty. (Though pomegranate juice can negatively interact with certain medications (such as some blood pressure meds), so check with your doctor.)

But when a food item becomes trendy, there is a bit of a halo effect; anything that has that item listed on the package automatically seems healthier and better for you. Health by association, if you will.

Every season brings with it new trends and styles, and changing up your wardrobe is a great way to welcome in the new season. However, one thing I find myself telling people again and again is that no matter how hot a trend is, if it doesn't work for you, don't spend your money on it.

And so, I'm here to walk you through some of this season's trends but also tell you how women of different shapes and sizes might want to incorporate those into their wardrobes.

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If you think you have to be skinny and perfect to pull off the latest fashion trends, you are so wrong. All you need to pull off are these few tricks for dressing thin. If you like them, thank E! for calling them to my attention so I can share them with you.

• Get tops that fit. Don't squeeze yourself into anything.
  
  

• Avoid light colors. They show every bump and bulge.
  
  

• Choose black. It really is slimming.
  
  

• Dress one size bigger.
  
  

• Go with long cardigans to create vertical, taller, skinnier lines.
  
  

• Try little jackets too. Cinch around the waist.
  
  

• Ditch the chunky jewelry. It adds volume to your body.
  
  

• Nix the short skirts unless you have very thin legs.
  
  

• Invest in pencil skirts to elongate the body.
  
  

• Add high heels to gain length.

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With more people vowing to get healthier everyday, it's no wonder that new diet trends are popping up every day. NineMSN recently came up with a list of the trendiest diet trends of 2008:

• The Bead Diet. Each bead in your bracelet represents 100 calories, and you wear beads depending on how many calories you want to consume in a day. When you eat a hundred calories, you move a bead. Delta Goodrem and Kate Beckinsale are fans of this approach.
  
• Bench Pressing. This classic exercise is an oldie but a goodie.
  
• Pomegranate. The superfood is so super, it continues to gain popularity.
  
• Skinny Water. This low-cal (?!) water supposedly contains nutrients that will help you burn fat. Jennifer Aniston is known for chugging it.
  
• Marathons. They've been around for a while, but expect everyone and their dog to sign up for one.
  
• The Lunch Box Diet. Armed with a big lunch box, dieters fill it with healthy goodies and much out of it all day.
  
• Workout Shoes. Shoes specially designed to tone your legs are hip this year, even if they look a bit funny
  

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2007 was a crazy year, and with the health of our world and its people starting to take a top priority throughout, it's no surprise that this was a year of much controversy. MSN Health recently did an article on the top trends of 2007.

What was hot this year:

• Sleep medication. Too many people suffer from insomnia, so the search for a cure was on.
  
• Tricking your kids into eating their veggies. Hey--whatever works!
  
• Going Green. And thank goodness for that -- we need to make major changes to save our earth.
  
• Medical Tourism. Travelling abroad for medical procedures is on the rise, both to avoid the high and the long waits in our home countries.
  
• Kids' Mental Health. The prevalence of autism, bipolar disorder and ADHD in kids has raised more than a few eyebrows.

What was not:

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Of course there will always be a market for convenient packaging and processed foods, but thankfully it seems that food trends are moving more towards natural foods that people prepare themselves in more natural ways. Cooking Light has put together a list of 5 of the healthier food trends we're seeing:

• Flexitarianism
• Locally grown foods
• Functional foods
• Organic foods
  
• Slow foods

If you want more information on any of those (I, for one, had to read what they meant by "functional foods") then see the complete article on CNN.com. Which ones are you already on board with? Are you bucking the trends or happy to be part of them?


Via Slashfood

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It's funny in that what goes around comes around. Decades ago, many of us went to the local farmer's market or produce stand to buy many of our groceries. Then, the large supermarkets came and processed foods became the order of the day. Some say it's because Americans became so busy.

Gone are the nutritious dinners and slow-cooked meals eaten around the family dinner table. Well, although that thought may have seemed appropriate just recently, there is a movement to bring minimally processed foods back to the table and organic food products are growing ever more popular. Even Wal-Mart and Target carry those items now.

Is the country on the way back to 'simpler times' even as the amount of time we have still narrows every day? Priority changes must take place for this to happen, of course, but it's already happening. If you're not willing to sacrifice taste and nutrition, you don't really have to. Plan ahead and save time and you'll be among the growing population who want those simpler times.

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We've all fallen for a fad diet at some point in our quests for health and fitness, and maybe even tried a crash diet or two before a big event (you can read about all of our personal dieting foibles in the Meet the Bloggers feature) but obviously fads and instant fixes aren't the way to go for healthy, long lasting results. But are all the different crazy diets out there completely bad? Most of them are just different spins on the same basic principle of eating fewer calories than you burn, with crazy creative ways to go about it, so it seems there may be some good to be found!

Women's Health is helping us out by breaking down 4 common "fad" diets and separating the good from the bad. In a sense, you can build your own personalized plan by taking just the best parts of all the different trends and leaving the unhealthy 'fad' stuff behind. Here's a little of what they found:

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Are you a trendsetter or a trend-follower? Or maybe you're the type that goes opposite of the trend, just on principle. Either way, it's good to know what the trends are, or might be. Forbes.com has compiled a list, in their handy "in pictures" format (well I think it's fun, anyway) with expert's opinions on what the biggest health and fitness trends will be in 2007.

Most of them are things I might have guessed, like organic products continuing to be popular and restaurants offering more low-fat items on their menus. But some others were interesting, like a growing number of employers offering health coaches as a benefit to employees. Really? I've never heard of that kind of benefit before, but I know I need it!

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Battling childhood obesity is the number one trend in health and fitness according to a new survey by the American College of Sports Medicine. The American College of Sports Medicine surveyed over 4,000 fitness professionals from around the world to put together this list of the hottest fitness trends for the upcoming year.

Other trends making the top ten are mind/body exercises like yoga, core training, and special fitness programs for older adults. Another top trend should be functional fitness, which is using strength training to improve activities you already do daily, like a physical task you always complete at your job. The top ten list is available at Medical News Today, and the full top twenty list is available at the ACSM's Heath and Fitness Journal, although unfortunately a registration is required to view it.

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Call me a sucker, but I have the hardest time sifting through bins at bargain and discount outlets looking for a good deal. I like nice clean rows of clothing labeled and marked according to size and arranged by color. Additionally, I tend to lean toward items with attractive packaging and a catchy name.

In the past, I was also one of the biggest impulse buyers found on the planet but after a while I decided I need to start placing a little more time into researching before buying and saving a little money in the process. Besides, packaging isn't everything so I suppose it's the name of this clothing line that grabbed me -- Sameunderneath. What's the same underneath? The person or the clothes?

The line was created by Ryan Christensen, who aims to put street organic on the bodies of anybody longing for edgy, hip threads made of bamboo and cotton. Through t-shirts, pants and other clothing items, the designer hopes to emphasize social consciousness and environmental sustainability ... all of which I can most certainly dig! Check out the website for locations, the online shop or to learn more about what street organic is all about.

via treehugger

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