At any given time, there are dozens of different fad diets circulating online. Many of these diets are ineffective at best and harmful to a person’s health at worst. That’s why most medical professionals will advise people against starting one of these fad diets and instead advise them to make simple and sustainable changes to their diet and exercise routine.

To help people realize the impact that many of these health fads can have on their health, a holiday known as International No Diet Day was created. This is a holiday that’s observed on the 6th of May every year and is designed to raise awareness about how unhealthy fad dieting can be to your health.

But that’s not the only purpose of this holiday. It is also used to celebrate the diversity and beauty of all body types, and it’s a day that’s been widely used to raise awareness about the various eating disorders that exist and can develop from fad dieting. These eating disorders include bulimia and anorexia.

The History of International No Diet Day

This day was first created in 1992 by Mary Evans Young to help people appreciate their own bodies. Having suffered from anorexia herself, Mary started the organization Diet Breakers and then organized the first International No Diet Day to bring attention to both the organization and the cause. Now the holiday tackles the tough issues of body and diet awareness by focusing on several different agendas.

These agendas include:

• Celebrating the diversity of different body sizes.
• Having everyone take a one-day break from dieting.
• Educating people on how to diet effectively and responsibly.
• Raising awareness of body size and weight discrimination.
• Emphasizing how ineffective commercial diets are.
• Ending weight discrimination.
• Giving a person a day free from having to worry about their weight or dieting.
• Questioning whether there is actually a “right body size” for people.

The Worst Fad Diets in History

Below is a list of some of the worst fad diets we’ve found. No one should ever practice the following fad diets because they can be dangerous to your health. The following diets are listed for informational purposes only.

• The Blood Type Diet
• The Alkaline Diet
• The Cabbage Soup Diet
• The Grapefruit Diet

Customs, Traditions, and Celebrations

People often celebrate this non-official holiday by taking the day off from dieting and taking the time to appreciate their own bodies and the natural bodies of other people. It’s a day to accept yourself and others for who they are and not how much they weigh or what size clothing they wear. It’s also a day to give yourself a mental break from having to worry about your weight or dieting.

Those who participate in the observance of this holiday can also spread the core message of it by telling others about the need for responsible and healthy dieting using the hashtag #InternationalNoDietDay on their social media accounts. Responsible dieting does away with the unhealthy fad diets that can damage a person’s health on both a short-term and long-term basis.