2008 | Silliest, simplest diet ever

Eat a banana in the morning. That's it. Oh, and have a glass of lukewarm water. Really, that's about it. Eat what you want at lunch and dinner. Don't exercise unless you feel like it. Go to bed by midnight. Questions? A social-network frenzy erupts over "Asa Banana Diet" in Japan, with all the mandatory books, magazine covers, and starlet weight-loss claims, climaxing in a stampede for the long, yellow fruit that clears out Japanese markets. Then comes an American push of an English-language version called The Morning Banana Diet. There's a mild bit of media interest, but it flops.