Rice Diet Center Closes, Paleo, Low, And ‘Slow Carb’ Dominate Landscape

News this week the once-influential Rice Diet Center at Duke University has closed seems almost well past an appropriate time, given the characteristics of the diet and the ways in which the fitness landscape has changed.

Even before Jane Fonda was working out with mall hair on VHS tapes and joggers in the 70s jogged in short shorts, the Rice Diet was what all the beautiful people did to shed weight in a cutting edge fashion.

Of course, at the time, the Rice Diet’s limited white rice and fruit menu was the cutting edge of nutritional fashion, a far cry from what is common and regarded as best weight loss practice today.

Few dieters will be keen on touching rice in 2013, given its high sugar content and number of carbs per small serving. And those who do will likely stick to small servings of brown rice, not white, if not abstaining altogether.

In addition, the fruit aspect presents another problem for those taking a more restricted approach to sugar, a once considered “safe” diet option now monitored as a more risky proposition for those trying to drop a few pounds.

Amy Jamieson-Petonic is a registered dietitian and spokeswoman for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. She believes diet fads felled the Rice Diet Center and adds:

“The thing about nutrition is you blink your eyes and things change. People are looking for the freshest, the hottest, the latest, the greatest. The Rice Diet is nutritionally sound… Because it’s not the latest and the greatest, I’m wondering if it kind of fell out of popularity.”

Would you try something called the “Rice Diet” in 2013, or would you be more inclined to go Paleo?