What was the fad diet in the 1980s?: Exploring the Decade of Cabbage Soup and Food Combining

December 27, 2025 •

3 min read

According to a 2021 study, approximately 49.1% of adults in the United States attempted to lose weight within the prior 12 months. However, the approach to weight loss in the 1980s was wildly different, relying heavily on quick-fix schemes rather than sustainable habits. So, what was the fad diet in the 1980s that captivated the nation's attention?

Quick Summary

The 1980s were defined by several high-profile fad diets, including the restrictive Cabbage Soup Diet, the low-calorie Scarsdale Diet, and the food-combining Beverly Hills Diet. These plans promised rapid weight loss but lacked balanced nutrition and were largely unsustainable, ultimately proving ineffective for long-term health.

Key Points

Cabbage Soup Diet: A week-long plan requiring dieters to eat primarily a low-calorie cabbage soup with specific, restricted food additions each day.
Scarsdale Medical Diet: A very low-calorie, high-protein, and low-carbohydrate diet lasting 14 days, created by a cardiologist for rapid weight loss.
Beverly Hills Diet: Promoted a food-combining philosophy where fruits were eaten alone to supposedly improve digestion, but was heavily criticized by health experts.
Unrealistic Promises: All three diets lured followers with promises of rapid and significant weight loss, which was largely unsustainable and often temporary.
Nutritional Deficiencies: Due to their restrictive nature, these diets often led to nutrient deficiencies, fatigue, and other adverse health effects.
Low-Fat Craze: The 1980s also saw the demonization of fats, leading to the proliferation of processed low-fat foods that were often high in sugar and calories.
Yo-Yo Dieting: The restrictive and unsustainable nature of these plans contributed to a cycle of rapid weight loss followed by weight regain, also known as yo-yo dieting.

The Rise of the Quick-Fix Mentality

In the 1980s, diet culture became a powerful and pervasive force, fueled by a desire for a thin physique and aggressive marketing from the burgeoning 'diet food' industry. This was a decade that popularized aerobics videos and low-fat, high-sugar processed foods, all under the guise of health. The prevailing quick-fix mentality, however, was best embodied by several specific and highly restrictive diet plans.

The Cabbage Soup Diet

One of the most widely circulated and infamous fad diets of the 1980s was the Cabbage Soup Diet. This plan promised rapid weight loss—up to 10 pounds in a single week—by instructing followers to consume little more than a specific cabbage soup. Each of the seven days had a different, highly restrictive food list that could be consumed alongside the soup. Dieters could find full daily breakdowns in the referenced web documents.

The Scarsdale Diet

Another major 1980s fad was the Scarsdale Medical Diet, developed by cardiologist Dr. Herman Tarnower. This strict, high-protein, low-carbohydrate plan was designed to be followed for 14 days and promised a loss of up to 20 pounds. The daily caloric intake was severely restricted. The diet gained notoriety when Dr. Tarnower was murdered in 1980. It was known for its limited food choices and was not a sustainable approach to health.

The Beverly Hills Diet

Authored by Judy Mazel in 1981, The Beverly Hills Diet was a bestseller based on the principle of food combining. The diet claimed that eating certain food groups separately, particularly fruit on an empty stomach, would optimize digestion and fat burning. The regimen included a 10-day period of eating nothing but fruit, leading to potential health risks. The diet's popularity was fueled by celebrity endorsements, despite the lack of scientific evidence.

Why These Fad Diets Were Problematic

These diets were popular due to the allure of rapid results, aligning with the image-conscious culture of the 1980s. However, their restrictive nature had significant drawbacks.


Feature	Cabbage Soup Diet	Scarsdale Diet	Beverly Hills Diet
Core Principle	Extremely low-calorie, soup-based.	High-protein, low-carb, and low-calorie for 14 days.	Food combining; eating fruits separately.
Promise	Up to 10 pounds in one week.	Up to 20 pounds in two weeks.	Rapid weight loss through optimized digestion.
Nutritional Flaws	Low in protein and healthy fats; potential deficiencies.	Nutritionally unbalanced, deficient in certain vitamins and minerals.	Lacked essential nutrients, particularly during the all-fruit phase.
Sustainability	Not sustainable for long-term management; weight often regained.	Meant for short-term use only; high risk of yo-yo dieting.	Unsustainable and socially isolating.
Health Risks	Digestive issues, fatigue, dizziness.	Nausea, weakness, bad breath, deficiencies.	Diarrhea, electrolyte imbalances, and dehydration.

The Lasting Impact on Diet Culture

The popularity of these 1980s fad diets cemented the idea of the short-term 'crash diet.' While modern diets share some principles, they often incorporate more nuance and scientific backing. However, the legacy of the 1980s persists in the ongoing cycle of quick-fix promises and the commercialization of diet foods. Ultimately, the 1980s were a cautionary tale about prioritizing rapid, unsustainable results over balanced, long-term health.

Conclusion

The 1980s were a boom time for gimmicky, highly restrictive diets that promised unrealistic results. The Cabbage Soup, Scarsdale, and Beverly Hills diets, while distinct, all followed the same problematic quick-fix formula. They were nutritionally unsound, hard to sustain, and often resulted in weight rebound. Today's understanding emphasizes balanced, whole foods and sustainable lifestyle changes. The enduring lesson is that the best path to health is a marathon, not a sprint, and quick fixes rarely deliver. For more information on the long-term dangers of fad dieting, consider consulting resources from the Oklahoma State University Extension: The Health Risks of Fad Diets.

Frequently Asked Questions

The Cabbage Soup Diet was a very low-calorie plan from the 1980s that involved eating a specific cabbage soup, often with minimal other foods, for seven days to achieve rapid, short-term weight loss.

The Scarsdale Diet was created by cardiologist Dr. Herman Tarnower. It was a 14-day, high-protein, low-carbohydrate plan with a strict daily menu restricting calorie intake to approximately 1,000 calories.

The Beverly Hills Diet was based on the concept of food combining, which claimed that certain food groups, especially fruits, should be eaten separately from others to improve digestion and lead to weight loss.

These diets were considered unhealthy because they were highly restrictive, nutritionally unbalanced, and focused on rapid, temporary weight loss rather than sustainable, healthy habits. They could also cause side effects like dizziness and nutrient deficiencies.

No, the low-fat craze of the 1980s often led to the consumption of highly processed 'low-fat' foods, which frequently had added sugar to improve taste and were not necessarily lower in calories, ultimately contributing to other health problems.

Followers of the Beverly Hills Diet often experienced side effects such as diarrhea, dehydration, and a feeling of misery due to the restrictive and fruit-heavy phases. The weight lost was often quickly regained.

The extreme and unsustainable nature of 1980s fad diets did not teach long-term healthy eating habits. Once dieters returned to their normal eating patterns, they often regained the weight, leading to a yo-yo dieting cycle.