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Food faddists (also known as pseudoscientific diet advocates) are people who promote fad diets or pseudoscientific dieting ideas. The following people are recognized as notable food faddists, either currently or historically.
Quackery, often synonymous with health fraud, is the promotion of fraudulent or ignorant medical practices. A quack is a "fraudulent or ignorant pretender to medical skill" or "a person who pretends, professionally or publicly, to have skill, knowledge, qualification or credentials they do not possess; a charlatan or snake oil salesman". The term quack is a clipped form of the archaic term quacksalver, from Dutch: kwakzalver a "hawker of salve". In the Middle Ages the term quack meant "shouting". The quacksalvers sold their wares at markets by shouting to gain attention.
Bastyr University is a private alternative medicine university with campuses in Kenmore, Washington, and San Diego, California. Programs include naturopathy, acupuncture, Traditional Asian medicine, nutrition, herbal medicine, ayurvedic medicine, psychology, and midwifery.
Stephen Joel Barrett is an American retired psychiatrist, author, co-founder of the National Council Against Health Fraud (NCAHF), and the webmaster of Quackwatch. He runs a number of websites dealing with quackery and health fraud. He focuses on consumer protection, medical ethics, and scientific skepticism.
Quackwatch is a United States-based website, self-described as a "network of people" founded by Stephen Barrett, which aims to "combat health-related frauds, myths, fads, fallacies, and misconduct" and to focus on "quackery-related information that is difficult or impossible to get elsewhere". Since 1996 it has operated the alternative medicine watchdog website quackwatch.org, which advises the public on unproven or ineffective alternative medical remedies. The site contains articles and other information criticizing many forms of alternative medicine.
Herbert McGolfin Shelton was an American naturopath, alternative medicine advocate, author, pacifist, vegan, and a supporter of rawism and fasting. Shelton was nominated by the American Vegetarian Party to run as its candidate for President of the United States in 1956. He saw himself as the champion of original natural hygiene ideas from the 1830s. His ideas have been described as quackery by critics.
Earl Lawrence Mindell is a Canadian-American writer and nutritionist who is a strong advocate of nutrition as preventive healthcare and homeopathy.
Elliot D. Abravanel is an American physician and diet counselor, who developed the Body Type system for weight loss and overall wellness. Based on his experience with the "Skinny School" program in the 1970s and 1980s, the Body Type program is described in the book Dr. Abravanel's Body Type Diet and Lifetime Nutrition Plan, first published in 1983.
Benjamin Gayelord Hauser, popularly known as Gayelord Hauser, was an American nutritionist and self-help writer, who promoted the 'natural way of eating' during the mid-20th century. He promoted foods rich in vitamin B and discouraged consumption of sugar and white flour. He rose to fame as a self-help author, popular on the lecture and social circuits, and was nutritional advisor to many celebrities.
Judy Mazel was an American weight loss advocate the author of "The Beverly Hills Diet", which became a 1981 best seller and a nationwide diet craze. Judy Mazel was a devout practicing Jew and was raised in a conservative Ashkenazi Jewish home.
The Beverly Hills Diet is a fad diet developed by author Judy Mazel (1943–2007) in her 1981 bestseller, The Beverly Hills Diet.
John A. McDougall is an American physician and author. He has written a number of diet books advocating the consumption of a low-fat vegan diet based on starchy foods and vegetables.
Fit for Life is a diet and lifestyle book series stemming from the principles of orthopathy. It is promoted mainly by the American writers Harvey and Marilyn Diamond. The Fit for Life book series describes a fad diet which specifies eating only fruit in the morning, eating predominantly "live" and "high-water-content" food, and, if animal protein is eaten, avoiding combining it with complex carbohydrates.
Orthopathy or natural hygiene (NH) is a set of alternative medical beliefs and practices originating from the Nature Cure movement. Proponents claim that fasting, dieting, and other lifestyle measures are all that is necessary to prevent and treat disease.
Lendon Howard Smith was an American Ob/Gyn, pediatrician, author, and television personality. He was notable for his advice on parenting and advocating children's health and eating issues. He was known to fans as "The Children's Doctor" for his expertise on the issues and an outspoken proponent of the use of vitamins for children.
Carlton Fredericks, born Harold Frederick Caplan, was a radio commentator and writer on health and nutrition.
Edwin Frederick Bowers, best known as Edwin F. Bowers was an American alternative medicine proponent. Styling himself as a medical doctor, he is known for pioneering reflexology during the early decades of the twentieth century.
Maureen Kennedy Salaman was an American author, proponent of alternative medicine, and candidate of the American Independent Party for Vice President of the United States in the 1984 election.
Dan Dale Alexander was an American nutrition influencer, famous for his eccentric beliefs about cod liver oil curing arthritis. He became known as the "Codfather".
Anthony J. Sattilaro (1931–1989) was an American physician and vegetarianism activist best known for promoting macrobiotics as a cancer cure. His views were criticized by medical experts as quackery.
The Immune Power Diet is a pseudoscientific elimination diet promoted by physician Stuart M. Berger (1953–1993). The diet was based on the false idea that many people have hidden food allergies and that by eliminating certain foods and taking dietary supplements the body's immune system would be strengthened.
