1950s Diets: The Strange Knife, Fork, and Spoon Diet

Forget counting carbs or cutting out fat. This 1950s diet took a much simpler approach to eating less: put away the silverware! 

“Cut down on your silverware, and you’ll cut down on your weight,” promised Woman’s Day magazine in 1952. The idea was simple—without a knife, fork, or spoon, certain foods became a lot harder to eat. Here’s a look at this wonderfully strange bit of vintage diet advice.

Breakfast

Eat a fairly substantial breakfast, but set your place without a knife, so you can’t spread butter or jam on your toast.

Lunch

Have only soup or a sandwich, easily eaten without a fork, and you won’t be able to indulge in macaroni, sausages, or chocolate cake.

Dinner

Dine on an apple, grapes, or crackers and cheese for dessert, and take your tea or coffee without cream and sugar; no spoon needed.

We’ll stick to using our silverware, thank you very much! What other strange diet advice from the past have you heard?