The Hundred Year Diet: America's Voracious Appetite for Losing Weight (Hardcover) Review

First of all, I will tell everyone that this is NOT a diet book: NO menus, NO fitness routines, NO chants for self-improvement. This is in fact a History book. The History of the last 100 years of America's quest for fitness and the holy grail of diets.

That being said I will admit that this is the last book I expected to be un-put-downable. Honestly, Susan Yager writes very matter of fact, but the topic is so touchy on both a psychological and emotional basis that quite often it reads like a thriller. Yager narrows down her topic by limiting it to the 20th century and the U.S. but clearly had she explored this from an international perspective she would still be writing.

We all know from our own personal experience with our bodies and an often contentious relationship with what we eat how we feel at any given time of the day. What was shocking for me, was my awareness of this expanding past myself and immediate family/friends to our Nation as a whole. I also found myself mortified by our rather passive search and acceptance of experimental Diet and fitness programs. From Kellogg & Graham to Atkins & South Beach as well as the eternally pervasive veganism, despite our very serious urge to be thin and healthy, we are willing to put ourselves in some very frightening regimens. Often ingesting substances that are toxic or create a toxic situation within our bodies.

What I found remarkable was the 100 year debate/struggle between actual science and the psuedo-science theory between actual practicing physicians! Quite often my jaw was on the floor while reading this. I highlighted passages so that I would remember them exactly when sharing data with others. On the surface Yager's subject might not seem all that interesting, but in actuality it is never boring and an eye-opener. I guess the most startling conclusion we can come away with is that for all our energy and desire to be fit, thin and if we're lucky, Healthy. We, as a nation take a very passive route by eagerly accepting ANY trend and fad to achieve our goals.

Don't get me wrong, Yager also covers the diet/fitness procedures that work (eat less, pay attention & take an active, knowledgeable interest in what you eat and exercise.) and even covers an OCD obsession with carbs and calorie counting. Yager also provides and interesting detail on our genetic and physiological make-up to define our sometimes collective mind-frame. But overall, we all want a miracle and will often blindly accept the supposed quick-cure method. (enemas and lemon/pepper/syrup juice, anyone?)

The Hundred Year Diet was an excellent read for me, and it actually made me want to take responsibility for my own diet with a more questioning and educated approach.

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Product Description:
A lively cultural history of the American weight loss industry that explores the origins of our obsession with dieting
As a nation battling an obesity epidemic, we spend more than $35 billion annually on diets and diet regimens. Our weight is making us sick, unhappy, and bigger than ever, and we are willing to hand over our hard-earned money to fix the problem. But most people don't know that the diet industry started cashing in long before the advent of the Whopper.
The Hundred Year Diet is the story of America's preoccupation with diet, deprivation, and weight loss. From the groundbreaking measurement of the calorie to World War I voluntary rationing to the Atkins craze, Susan Yager traces our relationship with food, weight, culture, science, and religion. She reveals that long before America became a Fast Food Nation or even a Weight Loss Nation, it was an Ascetic Nation, valuing convenience over culinary delight.
Learn how one of the best-fed countries in the world developed some of the worst nutritional habits, and why the respect for food evident in other nations is lacking in America. Filled with food history, cultural trivia, and unforgettable personalities, The Hundred Year Diet sheds new light on an overlooked piece of our weight loss puzzle: its origins.

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