Vogue Printed This Crazy Wine Diet in the 70s

Getting your summer body is tough, getting your summer body ready and giving up your glass of wine is tougher. Apparently, there was a solution in the '70s - eggs, dry Chablis, and coffee. 🤦🏻‍♀️

The 1970s were a time of bold experimentation, from fashion to music, and even in the world of diet and nutrition. Amid the bell bottoms and disco balls, a peculiar diet fad emerged that captured the attention of those looking to shed pounds quickly: the Wine and Egg Diet. 

The Origins of the Wine and Egg Diet

The Wine and Egg Diet first gained notoriety in 1977 when it was published in Helen Gurley Brown's book Sex and the Single Girl. Gurley Brown, who was the editor-in-chief of Cosmopolitan magazine at the time, was known for her provocative ideas and unorthodox advice, especially regarding women’s independence, self-image, and sexuality. 

What Did the Diet Entail?

The Wine and Egg Diet was as simple as it was strange. The original version prescribed the following daily regimen which Gurley suggested you try on a weekend because it makes you “fuzzy”.

• Breakfast: One hard-boiled egg, black coffee, and one glass of white wine.
• Lunch: Two hard-boiled eggs, black coffee, and two glasses of white wine.
• Dinner: A steak (about 5 ounces), black coffee, and the remainder of the bottle of wine.

This diet was meant to be followed for three days, promising 5.5lbs of rapid weight loss. It was a low-calorie, high-protein plan with a liberal dose of alcohol, capitalizing on the appetite-suppressing effects of both wine and caffeine.

The Legacy of the Wine and Egg Diet

While the diet has largely faded into obscurity, it occasionally resurfaces in discussions about bizarre weight loss techniques that I guess worked even if that means you’re working a full-time job in a complete haze. Check out what happened when a writer from Vice heroically attempted this diet. 

Today’s Wine Diet 

Today, if you’re looking to lower your intake of sugar and still indulge in wine, look for zero-sugar/sugar-free wines that are fermented dry. While I can absolutely promise you that it won’t help you lose 5.5lbs in three days, you can indulge knowing that you won’t wake up with a pounding headache the next day.