14 Craziest Health Crazes of the ’60s and ’70s We Can’t Forget

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While the concepts of health and wellness can trace their histories back to ancient time, it was only in the 60s and 70s (a period of significant social and cultural change), that the health and wellness industry began to take center stage in an increasingly globalized society. During these times, people started straying away from traditional treatment methods and looking for new ways to improve their health. And so, many bizarre and unusual health crazes swept the country. 

Crazy diets, fitness regimes, and health fads of the time showed people’s interest in natural remedies, self-improvement, and counterculture values. So, let’s look at 14 of the craziest health crazes from those years that are hard to forget. If you also find health trends from the 1960s or 1970s crazy, join the club.

1. Jazzercise

Jazzercise is one of the famous health crazes from the 1970s. It combines jazz dance, pilates, ballet, and kickboxing. Judi Sheppard Missett founded it, and it was entertaining enough that you would be likely to stick with it even if you hate exercise.  

Jazzercise made group fitness classes famous and paved the way for all the fun aerobic dance programs that are commonplace in gyms and dance studios today. The exciting part is that jazzercise has been around for decades, but its moves keep updating based on recent research on exercises. 

2. Macrobiotic Diet

The macrobiotic diet gained a celebrity following in the 1970s because it believed in preventing sickness through better food choices. This diet includes whole grains, vegetables, and legumes and limits animal products and processed foods. Rooted in Eastern philosophy, it balances yin and yang foods to achieve physical and mental harmony. 

The diet also values mealtime rituals and mindful eating. For instance, if you follow a macrobiotic diet, you should have regular meals, chew your food calmly, stay active, and listen to your body.

Supporters of a macrobiotic diet believe it can help improve energy levels and overall health, preventing diseases such as cancer. However, nutritional experts don’t recommend this diet because its restrictive nature can lead to deficiencies of essential nutrients. 

3. The Grapefruit Diet

The grapefruit diet, which started in the 1930s and was called “The Hollywood Diet, ” grew in popularity in the 1970s. The diet claimed that grapefruit enzymes aided in fat burning. It was later rebranded with the catchy slogan “10-day, 10-pounds-off diet.” Research on this diet revealed that while grapefruit is a powerhouse of nutrition, it is not as effective for weight loss. 

Also, take note: if you are on certain medications, eating grapefruit can cause some serious complications because it interferes with the metabolism of these drugs in your body. So, think about it before jumping on that diet bandwagon. 

4. HCG Diet

HCG diet is a classic example of people’s obsession with weight loss through quick fixes. This trend started in the 1970s as a controversial way to shed pounds. It again gained popularity in 2009 but wasn’t supported by health professionals.  

It involves eating only about 500 calories a day while taking injections of the hormone human chorionic gonadotropin (HCG) produced during pregnancy. When combined with extreme calorie restriction, the hormone is supposed to reduce hunger and promote fat loss.

However, doctors consider this diet unsafe. Research shows no solid proof that HCG is effective for weight loss, and the severe calorie limit can cause nutritional deficiencies and health issues. 

5. Transcendental Meditation

Transcendental Meditation (TM) emerged in the 1970s as a health trend focusing on improving mental well-being through simple meditation techniques. This practice involved silently repeating a mantra for 15-20 minutes twice daily. It gained popularity among those seeking stress relief and self-awareness, including many celebrities of the era. 

This health trend motivated people to add meditation to their daily lives for better mental and emotional health, which made it one of the influential (and less harmful) health crazes of the time.

6. Primal Therapy

Primal Therapy, developed by Arthur Janov, supports the idea that unresolved childhood traumas could show as adult problems. The therapy involved patients expressing their emotions physically, often through screaming, to access the “primal” pain of their past.

 This cathartic release was believed to promote healing by having people suffering emotional trauma imagine the perpetrator in the room with them and incoherently scream at them for a cathartic release. It was popular in the 1970s but declined due to insufficient scientific evidence to support the practice. 

7. The Sleeping Beauty Diet

The “Sleeping Beauty Diet” became well-known in the 1970s (and is, again, on the rise) as a controversial weight loss method rumored to have been used by Elvis Presley to squeeze into his iconic jumpsuits. This diet worked on the idea that the more you sleep, the less you eat. And, of course, if you don’t eat, you can lose weight.

People would often turn to sedatives or sleeping pills so that they could nap for extended periods of time and curb their appetite. This approach faced a lot of criticism because of the health risks linked to sedative use and the severe neglect of proper nutrition.

9. Raw Foodism

The raw food movement gained momentum in the ’70s, promoting eating uncooked and unprocessed foods. Fans of this diet believe cooking food above a specific temperature can eliminate essential nutrients and enzymes needed for good digestion and overall health. 

At the heart of the raw food philosophy is the belief that eating uncooked fruits, veggies, nuts, seeds, and sprouted grains can boost energy, improve digestion, and improve overall well-being. However, research suggests eating raw foods for extended periods can have negative consequences because cooking kills harmful bacteria from certain foods and increases nutrients and antioxidants. 

9. The Drinking Man’s Diet

The drinking man’s diet became a craze in the 1960s after Robert Cameron launched a book by the same name. This diet, marketed exclusively to men, suggested that people enjoy cocktails and other alcoholic drinks while sticking to a low-carb, high-protein meal.

You could lose weight by avoiding carbs without giving up on your favorite drinks. But, of course, this diet faced criticism for the health risks tied to drinking too much and for promoting weight loss methods that weren’t precisely proven and practical. 

10. Air Shorts

Air shorts were large inflatable shorts that resembled an oversized nappy. The idea behind them was pretty straightforward, if a bit unusual: wearing them would help sweat off excess body fat while providing a massage through trapped air pockets. 

But to begin with, they were pretty uncomfortable to wear, making one sweat throughout the day, and were ineffective regarding weight loss. While sweating is believed to aid in weight loss, it is temporary, and once you drink water after working up a sweat, the body returns to its actual weight. 

11. Metrecal

Metrecal was a popular weight control product of the 1960s. It came as a powder containing the nutrients of proteins, carbohydrates, fat, minerals, and vitamins and was to be mixed with water.

Later on, Metrecal “milkshakes,” biscuits, and even soups with additional vitamins and protein hit the market. People just grew tired of it with time, and its popularity diminished. Finally, it was pulled from the market following several deaths linked to consuming liquid protein.

12. Cookie Diet

Dr. Sanford Siegal created the Cookie Diet in 1975 to help people lose weight by managing their appetites and sticking to a low-calorie diet. The diet involved eating special cookies for breakfast, lunch, and snacks. The sales claim was that it could help you lose 5-7.8 kg in one month. 

While the diet was easy to follow and helped people lose weight initially, it was super restrictive and relied on processed foods. It provided low calories for the proper functioning of your body and offered no advice on how to stick to it long-term.

13. Diet Pills

Diet pills became popular in the 1970s and continued being popular in the later decade because they appeared to be an easy, quick treatment for weight management issues. However, many of the pills contain harmful ingredients like fen-phen or ephedra, which are associated with serious health risks. Thankfully, the FDA removed diet pills containing these ingredients from the market. 

Diet pills nowadays are generally safer, but always talk to your healthcare provider before you take any supplement. 

14. Massager Belts

In the 1960s, massager belts were quite popular among weight-watchers. They involved wrapping a belt around one’s abdomen or thigh and then letting it massage or vibrate the fat away. Meanwhile, you could participate in sedentary activities like watching TV, reading, or even taking a quick nap, so the advertising went.

They were pretty popular until people realized they were not practical for the time and money spent on them. Due to this, its popularity faded away.

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