The Asa Banana Diet

The Morning Banana Diet caught on big in Japan last fall. I noticed it because the prices of bananas in my weekly catalogue shot up. This was annoying because bananas are the cheapest fruit available in Japan (about $2.50 for 2 pounds, when they are on sale) and I was suddenly outpriced because a nation of 100-pound ladies found a new fad to try to get slimmer.

One of my teachers just took up the diet, which is this: eat a banana (or a few) for breakfast and drink room temperature water. She says this combination is supposed to create an enzyme which helps with digestion. Digestion of what, I don't know.

I asked her what she will do when she reaches her weight goal since she isn't adding exercise to her routine. She shrugged her shoulders and said 'I don't know'. Which is why 'diets' don't work, and won't work for her. It took her years to get to the weight she's at now and she did it through her lifestyle. If she wants to achieve a different weight she'll need another lifestyle change.

Here's a quote from a Time article on the diet:
Professor Masahiko Okada of Niigata University School of Medicine questions the hype around the banana diet. The human body has three essential nutrients — carbohydrates, fat and protein —, he says, and "the golden rule is to balance these three nutrients and a daily calorie intake. Once you understand that, you don't have to be swayed by the fad diet any more, whether it is a konnyaku (alimentary yam paste) or a banana diet." But a nation prone to dieting fads often ignores such sober advice.

And one more, on demand:
Supplying the spike in demand will be lucrative, because banana prices in Japan have risen about 20% as a result of supply shortages that have coincided with the diet fad.