“I hold that a strongly marked personality can influence descendants for generations.”– Beatrix Potter Influence is a strange phenomenon. It can be used for good, or it can make people down shots of vinegar. Either way, we can all agree that it’s a powerful tool, especially in the realm of health and weight. It’s easy to see that power in …

There are a lot of foods that are as gorgeous as they are delicious, and grapefruit is a great example. It’s juicy with a robust, tart, citrusy taste, and a slice of the ruby red variety makes for a stunning addition to anyone’s breakfast plate.  But unfortunately for the grapefruit, it joined the ranks with cabbage, apples, and celery when …

Chewing our food is something we do every day, but seldomly think about (unless we accidentally bite our tongue). And while it’s good to thoroughly chew when we eat, one man in the early 1900s deemed it important enough to create an entire diet out of it. Horace Fletcher, otherwise known as “The Great Masticator” was a self-taught nutritionist and …

“Do you bant?”  These days, this phrase has lost virtually all meaning, but back in Victorian England, it was the same as asking: “Did you lose weight?” or “Are you on a diet?”  The term was coined because of a man named William Banting, whose weight-loss experience had such a positive impact on his life that he wanted everyone to …

Throughout history, people have tried some pretty odd things to fit societal expectations of beauty. Lord Byron was one such person. A prominent figure of Europe’s Romantic literary movement, Lord Byron was one of the most influential people during Britain’s early 1800s. He was also reportedly obsessed with staying thin. He tried all sorts of weight-loss methods like wearing layers …