The Banting diet – a high fat and moderate protein, low carbohydrate eating plan – has taken the world by storm. Many swear by the diet as an effective weight management tool, even if the promotion of fat seems counterintuitive. Yet banting also has its sceptics. Here are the ins and outs of banting:

Why the ‘Banting’ diet?

The diet is based on the findings of one William Banting, a British undertaker who lived in the late 1800s and was obese. The story goes that Banting found that eating a high fat, low carbohydrate diet helped him lose weight.

Banting popularised his alleged finding in a letter to the public, titled ‘Letter on Corpulence’. Banting’s ideas have since been popularised again recently by Tim Noakes, a South African professor of exercise and sports science.

How is Banting supposed to work?

The premise of banting is that avoiding carbs and eating enough fat causes your body to go into ‘ketosis’. This is the idea that when your body has no carbs available, it burns fat for energy – the metabolism breaks down fat instead of glucose, which is said to be a more efficient fuel.

On what basis is banting championed?

The banting diet is said to work on the premise that human beings are designed to eat specific foods. The argument goes that humans have been eating grains and cereals for a fraction of human history, and that low-carbohydrate food such as nuts and animal fat and protein is what we digest best.

According to Tim Noakes, the Banting diet is best for those who are insulin resistant (the professor is diabetic himself), but Noakes’ critics say that the Banting diet is unscientific and dangerous due to its high levels of saturated fat.

In short, the Banting diet is controversial. What is still the best and most widely-accepted route for weight management is finding a health eating plan that focuses on quality nutrition over calorie intake. Speak to Doctor Allie today about developing a healthy eating plan.