Religion & Philosophy
Judaic Dietary Laws
- Kashrut - clear rules with no explanation for them has fostered debate for at least 2000 years.Islamic Dietary Laws
- Inspired by the Jewish laws, but significantly different, and with some explanation.Buddhist Dietary Customs
- an offshoot of Hinduism and Jainism.Hindu Dietary Customs
- 4000 years old and a subcontinent in size - uniformity is too much to expect.Jain Dietary Customs
- ancient and influential.Christian Dietary Customs
- Not particularly strict.Vegan
- Rejection on ethical grounds of all animal derived foods and all animal derived products whatever.
Health & Longevity
Low Fat Diet
An industry sponsored fraud that contributes significantly to the obesity, diebetic and heart disease epidemics.Celiac & Gluten Free
Celiac - (gluten intolerance) is a serious disorder that requires a totally gluten free diet. "Gluten Free" is also a fad diet promoted for non-celiacs because it is high profit potential.Diabetes
A serious condition where the body does not automatically control its blood sugar level, so that control has to be applied "by hand". Diet is a major part of the control strategy.Vegetarian
The traditional diet of a large part of the world's population, and increasingly popular in the U.S., for a variety of reasons. More extreme forms of vegetarians includ Fruitarians and Vegans.Mediterranean
A modern adaption of the traditional diet of the European coast of the Mediterranean, including Southern Italy, Greece and the islands.Paleolithic
Based on the natural diet of our hunter-gatherer ancestors, but modernized to be more practical for those of us who don't spend the day wandering around with a sharp stick.Heart-Healthy Diet
This name is most associated with the American Heart Association and its recommendations.Macrobiotic
With strict rules and prohibitions and an Oriental mystique the macrobiotic lifestyle has attracted a significant following of adherents and true believers. Claims that a macrobiotic diet can cure cancer and AIDS are somewhat controversial.Raw Foods
One of the most extreme and idealistic diets - and totally wrong.