The Scarsdale Diet is a rapid weight loss regimen classified as a very low-calorie diet (VLCD) and one of the oldest low-carbohydrate diets still followed by some dieters. Created by Dr. Herman Tarnower, a cardiologist, it gained immense popularity in the late 1970s. This article delves into the diet's definition, origins, description, function, benefits, precautions, risks, and its general acceptance within the medical community.
Definition of the Scarsdale Diet
The Scarsdale Diet is a rapid weight loss regimen, a VLCD. It is also one of the oldest low-carbohydrate diets still followed by some dieters. The diet promises weight loss in only 2-weeks. The Scarsdale diet slashes your calorie intake to only 1,000 per day using a strict list of approved foods. Its focus on quick weight loss and extreme restrictions make it difficult to follow long term, as well as dangerous.
Origins of the Scarsdale Diet
The Scarsdale diet began as a two-page typewritten office handout drawn up in the 1950s by Dr. Herman Tarnower, a cardiologist who had built a medical center in Scarsdale, New York. Tarnower wrote the short reducing guide for patients who needed to lose weight for the sake of their hearts; he was not a professional nutritionist or dietitian. His primary motive in writing down his diet plan was impatience. Tarnower gave an interview shortly before his death to the journal Behavioral Medicine, in which he stated, ‘‘If you don’t have a routine written out that you can give to patients with common disorders, it will destroy you. You try to go over all the instructions with each patient, but no physician has that much patience.’’
Tarnower’s patients often copied the diet for their friends, who in turn sent photocopies to other friends. At some point in the mid-1970s, following the early success of the Atkins diet, one of Tarnower’s friends, Oscar Dystel, suggested that he expand his office handout into a full-length book. Tarnower hired a writer, Samm Sinclair Baker, who had published other books in the field of nutrition, and the first edition of The Complete Scarsdale Medical Diet was printed in 1978. It became an immediate bestseller, going through 21 printings in its first ten months in hardcover format. Tarnower’s book became the choice of four book clubs; it sold the second-highest number of copies (over 642,000) of hardcover books published in 1979, outdone only by a humorous book by Erma Bombeck. According to Time magazine, Tarnower’s diet book grossed more than $11 million by the spring of 1980. Sinclair Baker’s most important contribution to the book was to suggest four new programs that represented variations on the basic diet: the Scarsdale Diet for Epicurean Tastes, the Scarsdale International Diet, the Scarsdale Vegetarian Diet, and the Scarsdale Money-Saver Diet.
Tarnower’s book received an initial surge in sales when it was featured in such prestigious fashion magazines as Vogue, which ran an article on ‘‘the Scarsdale-diet rage’’ in 1979. It received an even bigger boost when Dr. Tarnower was shot and killed in March 1980 by Jean Harris, a long-term lover who was then the headmistress of a prestigious private school for girls in Virginia. The made-for-media aspects of the murder and the trial that followed guaranteed that the diet book would receive its share of attention from the press and the public.
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Description of the Scarsdale Diet
The Scarsdale diet can be summarized as a very low-calorie low-carbohydrate diet with a slightly different ratio of carbohydrates, proteins, and fats. An adult woman who follows the diet exactly will consume between 650 and 1000 calories per day. The nutrient ratio, which is unusual for a low-carbohydrate diet, is 43% protein, 22.5% fat, and 34.5% carbohydrate.
Basic Scarsdale Diet
The basic Scarsdale diet is to be followed for either seven to 14 days, alternating with two weeks off. The dieter is instructed to drink at least 4 glasses of water, tea, or diet soda every day in order to flush waste products from the body. The dieter may add the following seasonings to her foods: herbs, salt, pepper, lemon, vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, soy sauce, mustard, or ketchup.
An important feature of the basic Scarsdale diet is its rigidity. Although calories are not counted, the dieter is restricted to the three meal plans for each day; snacking is not allowed. When the diet was still in its office-handout stage, some of Dr. Tarnower’s patients asked him whether they might substitute other fruits in season for the grapefruit that forms the centerpiece of the basic plan (18 servings in the course of the two-week regimen, 14 for breakfast and 4 for dessert at lunch or dinner), or substitute raw radishes and cauliflower for carrots and celery sticks. Tarnower invariably told his patients that they had to stick to the plan exactly as written. It was not until the basic diet was expanded into the book-length edition of 1978 that Tarnower seems to have realized that the meal plans could incorporate a greater variety of foods without requiring alterations in the nutrient balance or calorie count.
Sample Menus from the Basic Diet
Here are sample menus from the basic Scarsdale Diet:
Day 1
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- Breakfast: coffee or tea with sugar substitute plus 1/2 grapefruit (the breakfast menu is the same for all 7 or 14 days of the diet)
- Lunch: any amount of lean beef, chicken, or fish plus tomato salad plus coffee or tea
- Dinner: broiled fish plus tomato and lettuce salad plus 1/2 grapefruit
Day 3
- Breakfast: coffee or tea with sugar substitute plus 1/2 grapefruit
- Lunch: tuna salad plus 1/2 grapefruit
- Dinner: 2 lean pork chops plus mixed green salad plus coffee
Day 5
- Breakfast: coffee or tea with sugar substitute plus 1/2 grapefruit
- Lunch: all the dry cheese you want plus raw or cooked spinach plus 1 slice of dry toast
- Dinner: broiled fish plus green salad plus 1 slice dry toast
Variations on the Basic Diet
As was noted earlier, Dr. Tarnower’s co-author was instrumental in expanding the basic diet into four additional options that offered the dieter a bit more variety. For purposes of comparison, here are the Day 5 menus from three of these 1978 additions:
Day 5, Gourmet Diet for Epicurean Tastes
- Breakfast: coffee or tea with sugar substitute plus 1/2 grapefruit or 1/2 cup diced fresh pineapple, 1/2 fresh mango, 1/2 papaya, 1/2 canteloupe, or ‘‘a generous slice of honeydew, casaba, or other available melon.’’
- Lunch: eggs and chicken livers, farm style; plus tomatoes, lettuce, celery, olives, or endives; plus 1 slice of protein toast; plus coffee, tea, or demitasse
- Dinner: consomme madrilene; plus baked chicken breasts; plus spinach delight; plus a fresh peach with raspberries; plus coffee or tea
Day 5, International Diet
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- Breakfast: coffee or tea with sugar substitute plus 1/2 grapefruit or 1/2 cup diced fresh pineapple, 1/2 fresh mango, 1/2 papaya, 1/2 canteloupe, or ‘‘a generous slice of honeydew, casaba, or other available melon.’’
- Lunch: pickled eggplant and cheese sticks; plus salad greens, ‘‘all you want,’’ with vinegar and lemon dressing; plus a fresh peach with raspberry sauce; plus coffee, tea, or espresso
- Dinner: baked stuffed mushrooms; plus veal Napolitaine; plus 1/4 cup boiled white rice; plus zucchni stew; plus coffee, tea, or espresso
Day 5, Money-Saver Diet
- Breakfast: 1/2 grapefruit or canteloupe, plus coffee or tea with artificial sweetener
- Lunch: 2 eggs, any style, but prepared without fat; zucchni; 1 slice dry protein bread, no spread;
- Dinner: broiled, boiled, roasted, or barbecued chicken, ‘‘all you want,’’ with skin and visible fat removed before cooking; plus ‘‘plenty of spinach’’ plus coffee or tea
Keep Slim Program
After the 14-day initial diet, you’re allowed to introduce a few banned foods, such as bread (up to 2 slices per day), baked goods (as a rare treat), and one alcoholic beverage per day. While you’re still expected to follow the list of approved foods, you’re allowed to increase your portion sizes and calories to allow more flexibility. Tarnower suggested following the Keep Slim program until you notice your weight increasing. If you regain weight, you’re instructed to do the 14-day initial diet again.
Function of the Scarsdale Diet
The basic purpose of the Scarsdale diet is rapid weight loss. It is not intended as a lifetime regimen of sensible weight control; one of its distinctive features, in fact, is that the dieter is supposed to alternate one or two weeks on the diet with two weeks off.
Benefits of the Scarsdale Diet
The only benefit of the Scarsdale diet appears to be rapid initial weight loss. Most persons who have tried it and reported on their experiences found it unpleasant because of its lack of flexibility and the boring meal plans prescribed in the basic diet. The diet offers a clearly defined meal plan that minimizes the need for calorie counting and food tracking.
Additional Possible Benefits
- Simplicity: The Scarsdale diet plan stands out for its simplicity.
- Accessibility: Most foods in this diet are available in local grocery stores, so you won’t have to endlessly search for rare ingredients.
- Short-Term Plan: Since it is a 2-week plan, many people stick to it.
- Inexpensive: What makes the Scarsdale diet such a hit is that it is inexpensive. You can get all your items from the local grocery store. In addition, the portion sizes are small.
Precautions of the Scarsdale Diet
The Scarsdale diet has been criticized by nutritionists for a number of health-related deficiencies:
- Nothing is said in the 1978 edition of the diet about the importance of physical exercise in a weight-reduction regimen. Many nutritionists point out that the 700-1000 calories allowed each day are inadequate for a healthy woman who is even moderately active, let alone one who participates in sports or other forms of physical exercise.
- The exclusion of milk from the Scarsdale diet means that the dieter’s calcium intake will be too low. This low level of calcium intake poses risks for women who are postmenopausal or over 50.
- The dieter does not learn how to choose foods wisely during the two weeks off the diet or in real-world situations like restaurants or meals shared with family or friends.
- Most of the weight lost is in the form of water and is quickly regained when the dieter resumes normal eating.
- The Scarsdale diet demands more than the usual amount of will power from the dieter because of its rigidity and low-calorie structure.
Because of these deficiencies and drawbacks, anyone considering the Scarsdale diet in order to lose weight rapidly should consult their physician and a professional dietitian
Other Points to Consider
- Strict Food List: Follow a predetermined list of foods that includes lean proteins (such as turkey, fish, and egg whites), specific vegetables, fruits, and limited complex carbohydrates.
- Limited Variety: Avoid substitutions not specified by the plan.
- Structured Meal Times: Eat at set intervals throughout the day.
- Portion Precision: Measure portions carefully to maintain the low-calorie nature of the diet.
- Ample Water: Drink plenty of water throughout the day.
- Commitment to Guidelines: Follow the plan diligently without extra snacking or deviations from the recommended food choices.
- Regular Check-Ins: Track weight loss and overall well-being throughout the diet.
- Professional Guidance: It is advisable to consult with a dietician or nutritionist before starting the diet, especially for those with pre-existing health conditions.
Risks of the Scarsdale Diet
The Scarsdale diet does not allow enough calories for women with active life styles or for adolescents who are still growing. It is completely inappropriate for children. It carries the same risks for the dieter associated with other VLCDs, namely fatigue, constipation or diarrhea, irritability, and an increased risk of gallstone formation. The Scarsdale diet has also been reported to trigger episodes of porphyria, an inherited metabolic disorder, in patients with a genetic susceptibility to the disease. Porphyria, which is characterized by the excretion of excessive numbers of porphyrins (molecules used in the formation of the red pigment that gives blood its color) can be brought on by fasting or by long-term use of a VLCD.
The low-carbohydrate profile of the Scarsdale diet also poses the risk of potential kidney or liver damage resulting from ketosis. Ketosis is a metabolic process that occurs when the carbohydrates that serve the body as its basic fuel drop below a certain level. The body must then burn protein and fats to maintain its energy level. When fats are broken down, fatty acids are released into the bloodstream. There they are converted to ketone bodies, which are mild acids excreted in the urine. Excretion of the ketone bodies, however, places an additional burden on the kidneys. If ketosis continues for long periods of time without medical supervision, the kidneys may eventually fail. The health risks associated with ketosis are one reason why the Scarsdale diet should never be used for more than 14 days at a time. In addition, pregnant women, alcoholics, and persons already diagnosed with kidney or liver disease should not use the Scarsdale or any other low-carbohydrate diet for weight control.
Additional Risks and Downsides
- Highly restrictive: To follow the diet correctly, you must eliminate many foods, including several nutritious options.
- Unsustainable: This diet leaves little room for flexibility and other important aspects of eating, such as cultural traditions and celebrations. If your meals become less enjoyable and even overwhelming, the diet will be difficult to follow long term.
- Encourages yo-yo dieting: You’re meant to follow the Scarsdale diet for 14 days, then the Keep Slim maintenance program. However, you’re supposed to return to the Scarsdale diet if you begin to regain weight.
- Vilifies calories: The Scarsdale diet emphasizes calorie intake over nutrition.
- Prioritizes weight loss over health: Rather than improving overall health, the Scarsdale diet focuses on extreme food restriction and near-starvation techniques to trigger rapid weight loss.
Research and General Acceptance of the Scarsdale Diet
The Scarsdale diet has not been the subject of extensive medical research, possibly because of its association with a notorious legal case. There is only one article in the medical literature that reported on the diet’s usefulness as a means to rapid initial weight reduction for people who were then placed on less restrictive weight-loss regimens. The article, however, was published in 1982 and its findings would require reevaluation a quarter-century later. Dr. Tarnower himself never tested the diet in a clinical trial or published any outcome studies of his patients. Although the cover of the 1978 edition of The Complete Scarsdale Medical Diet promises a weight loss of ‘‘up to 20 pounds in 14 days’’ the only evidence provided to support this claim is anecdotal quotations from some of the doctor’s patients.
Although the Scarsdale diet was popular when it was first published in book form, it is considered a fad diet. Much of the early popularity of the Scarsdale diet may have been due to snob appeal. One measure of the Scarsdale diet’s loss of popularity is that the upscale fashion magazines that touted it in the late 1970s described it less than a decade later as one of the ‘‘diets that don’t work.’’
In general, researchers in the United States and Canada maintain that VLCDs are not superior in any way to conventional low-calorie diets (LCDs).
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