Produce Shortages Due To Fad Diets Edit
Japan 'Morning Banana Diet'

The Japanese are very into health, so much so that when they realize there’s a superfood, they go on buying binges. This year, the banana was hyped as a miracle fruit, and as a result, super markets were entirely sold out of the starchy yellow produce in September.

While many people in the West are avoiding bananas because of their high sugar content and attribution to weight gain, the Japanese have gone wild for the “Morning Banana Diet” which lets you eat unlimited quantities of bananas. The cook-free diet is described in a book by Mr. and Mrs. Hamachi which has sold over 400,000 copies just in Japan.

As a result, banana sales went up 70% in some supermarkets, prices rose by 12%, and the amount of bananas being imported rose by 25%.

The Morning Banana Diet is more than a fad, because apparently it works, the average person losing 16.5 lbs (no mention of the length of time the diet was followed.)

Some other Japanese fad diets have included the Fermented soy, cocoa in 2007; Cabbage, banana vinegar in 2006; Dried skimmed milk in 2005; Soy milk in 2004; Nigari (magnesium chloride)in 2003, the Carrot juice diet in 2002, and the black vinegar diet in 2000.

Check out some innovations for banana lovers below.