Fit for Life facts for kids
Fit for Life is a series of books about diet and lifestyle. It was created by American writers Harvey and Marilyn Diamond. The Fit for Life books describe a popular eating plan. This plan suggests eating only fruit in the morning. It also focuses on eating mostly "live" foods, like raw fruits and vegetables. If you eat meat, the plan says not to mix it with starchy foods like bread or pasta.
Many people liked the diet because it encouraged eating lots of raw fruits and vegetables. However, some parts of the diet have been questioned by food experts and nutritionists. Groups like the American Dietetic Association have called it a "fad diet." This means it was very popular for a while but might not have strong scientific support.
Contents
Understanding the Fit for Life Diet
The Fit for Life diet is based on ideas from earlier health theories. Harvey Diamond believed that if you eat certain foods together, they can cause problems in your stomach. He thought this could destroy important enzymes and nutrients. Enzymes are like tiny helpers in your body that break down food.
Diamond divided foods into two main groups:
- "Dead foods" were those that were highly processed or refined. He believed these foods "clogged" the body.
- "Living foods" were raw fruits and vegetables. He thought these foods helped to "cleanse" the body.
Here are the main rules of the original Fit for Life plan:
- Fruits: It's best to eat fruits fresh and raw. You should try to eat them by themselves, not mixed with other foods.
- Food Combining: You should never eat foods high in carbohydrates (like bread or potatoes) and foods high in protein (like meat or beans) in the same meal.
- Water: Drinking water during meals was not recommended. The idea was that water would dilute your stomach's digestive juices.
- Dairy: Dairy products like milk and cheese were thought to have little value. They were also believed to cause allergies, so they should be eaten rarely, if at all.
How the Diet Changed Over Time
In the early 2000s, the Fit for Life system added new ideas. These included special tests to help personalize the diet for each person. The Diamonds claimed these tests could create a diet plan that would work for one person for their whole life.
This newer version of the diet talked less about "live" and "dead" foods. Instead, it focused on "enzyme deficient foods." The Diamonds suggested that enzymes for digesting protein might interfere with enzymes for digesting carbohydrates. This was their reason for the food combining rules. They also started selling special enzyme supplements, which they strongly recommended in the newer books.
How Fit for Life Became Popular
The Fit for Life diet became very well-known in the mid-1980s. This happened when the first Fit for Life book was published. It became a New York Times best-seller, selling millions of copies. Harvey Diamond also appeared on many TV talk shows to share his ideas.
In a later book, Fit for Life II (1989), the Diamonds warned people about eating artificial food additives. They specifically mentioned things like hydrogenated vegetable oil. At that time, the food industry was promoting this oil as a healthy choice. Famous life coach Tony Robbins also promoted some Fit for Life ideas in his book Unlimited Power. He suggested that these principles could help increase energy levels.
Main Book Series
- Fit for Life (1985) - by Harvey and Marilyn Diamond ISBN: 0-446-30015-2
- Living Health (1987) - by Harvey and Marilyn Diamond ISBN: 0-446-51281-8
- Fit for Life II (1989) - by Harvey and Marilyn Diamond ISBN: 0-446-35875-4
- Fit for Life: A New Beginning (2001) - by Harvey Diamond ISBN: 1-57566-718-5
- Fit for Life Not Fat For Life (2003) - by Harvey Diamond ISBN: 978-0-7573-0113-1
- Living Without Pain (2007) - by Harvey Diamond ISBN: 0-9769961-0-3
