Banting Diet

[Silly_Billy]

Hey everyone! Generally, I try not t pay any attention to fad diets cos I know how bad they end up being for you. I've never even considered going on any but recently, the Banting Diet has caught my attention. I just wanted to find out what everyone thinks of it? Any experts out there?

[Zest Healthy BMI]

Hi Silly_Billy,

I've had a look on the internet, and have found these links that are about the Banting diet:

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/No-ca...

health-e.org.za/2014/07/10/...

news24.com/Live/Health/Here...

I certainly would personally steer well clear of a diet like the Banting diet, as it advocates restricting macronutrients.

I think the NHS 12 week plan is an excellent structure as it is a balanced diet which promotes healthy lifestyle choices that are sustainable for the long-term. If you are interested in seeing that plan, you can access it via the icon in the top of the screen, labelled 'Weight Loss NHS' - and I would also recommend having a read of our 'Welcome Newbie' pack, which Moreless has collated.

Hope you enjoy being part of this forum.

Lowcal

[Hidden in reply to Zest]

Yum - raw brain

[ddac84 in reply to Zest]

Well just wanted to clarify what you said about macronutrients...

Macronutrients are carbohydrate, protein and fat, so yes banting restricts carbs, but most diets restrict fat. So I assume you would steer clear of them also?

[Zest Healthy BMI in reply to ddac84]

Hi ddac84 ,

I eat a moderate amount of fat - probably along the lines of the Mediterranean diet - I like olive oil, some butter, fats in nuts, seeds, oily fish. I try to reduce my intake of butter, as I like it probably a bit too much, but I try to balance my macronutrients - so I guess I don't like restricting consumption of any of them.

I'm not sure if that answers your query, but I wanted to reply.

Zest

[ddac84 in reply to Zest]

Just wanted to explain that macronutrients are cut by any diet out there.

I think everyone should try banting once, it shows just how hideously fattening carbs are. I would never recommend cutting carbs out completely forever, but I think cutting them right down is good. It is crazy how amazing you feel on Banting.

[Zest Healthy BMI in reply to ddac84]

Hi again,

Thanks for your reply - I did try a version of Atkins diet many years back, and personally I didn't feel well on it.

I don't find carbs 'fattening' - I steer clear of refined and processed carbs, and stick with complex carbs (personally) - and I balance my meals to include some fats, some carbs and some protein, that's just what I like to do myself, and I feel well on that combination.

I would like to wish you well with your diet. There are some people in the forum who enjoy eating low-carb meals - and of course, everyone is different in what works best for them.

Hope you're enjoying the forum.

Zest

[LessToLose 4lbs Restart April 2024]

Gosh, it sounds awful - I am just imagining how constipated it must make you and how dreadfully dull the meals must be - as for the bad breath - no thanks!

[ddac84 in reply to LessToLose]

The meals are AMAZING, and absolutely no constipation. Bad breath?! Not sure why you assume that. But I haven't noticed anything. Don't knock it till you've tried it.

[TheHud]

Its a bit odd because it is really just a high protein/fat diet, like atkins. It's not a low carb diet its a NO carb diet. The majority of sensible eating plans recommend low simple carb intake with significant complex carbs such as veg. No one should ever entirely cut out any food group (unless major allergies). Even my feeble 600-700cal a day include something from every group over 24 hours, including healthy oils you find in fish, especially salmon and tuna and animal fats in lean steak, pork and chicken. Just in balanced amounts. Don't forget the wonders of the cheap and versatile soya protein and Quorn too.

I would never attempt a high fat/protein based diet again after the damage it did to me.

[ddac84 in reply to TheHud]

you can eat veg on Banting.

[Penel]

The Banting diet is one of the first diets recorded and it's interesting to note that it appears to have worked very well for Mr Banting, although doctors at the time published warnings about how members of the public should not be meddling in medical matters!

It does seem to be the basis for today's ketogenic diet and it can be very successful for some people.

It has been used as a non-medical treatment of epilepsy and obesity for many years.

This is one comprehensive research paper from The European Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

nature.com/ejcn/journal/v67...

Thankfully most people do not need to undertake such an extreme diet, but I think the emphasis on the quality and type of food is an important consideration for everyone.

[Venusflytrap]

Ah William Banting, the guy who invented dieting. Bit old fashioned - wasn't he around in Regency days, so around 1800? Just like Dr Atkins' diet, this is another of those protein, high fat and low carb diets. They don't work for me as I have issues with portion control. If eating this way doesn't make you cut kcals then you might not lose much weight overall. I spent a whole year on Atkins once and only lost 4/6lbs. I stuck to it completely because I like eating like that and I was never hungry. The down sides are bad breath (and no mints!) and it can lead to constipation. You might also start being deficient in the plant sourced vitamins and minerals. It is quite an expensive way of eating too. And so boring. After a year I was starting to have health problems which all vanished when I went back to normal eating. So I wouldn't recommend it. As a lifetime change, healthy eating via a mixed diet seems the safest and most likely to succeed long term. Much more fun too as it includes some treats.

[Purple_faced_woman]

I find the Banting "Real Meal Revolution" stuff a bit rabid, but the principles of the Low Carb High Fat diet do seem to work really well for me. I am type 2 diabetic on Metformin twice a day, and on this diet I have cut out pretty much all carbs except vegetables (with the emphasis on green leafy, not root veg) and have upped my fats - cooking with butter, cream and cheese and using fatty cuts of meat, chicken cooked with the skin on, etc. The idea is not to fill up on huge amounts of protein, but to keep protein portions about the same as before, replacing the carb energy with fat energy. Within days my twitchy tendency to pick at things I shouldn't eat in the evenings vanished. I was full, and felt absolutely no need or interest in food outside of mealtimes, and my desire for big meals has dropped off considerably. Following the diet doctor recommendation of only eating when I'm hungry (rather than having a meal because it is "meal-time"), I now only have 1 main meal a day and a light snack.

Since starting this LCHF diet about a month ago, I have lost another half a stone despite having to stop running and walking due to having a dreadful chesty cough for 2 weeks of this time. I am finding my life much easier without the picking, without feeling hungry, without needing to count calories, without the sudden drops in blood sugar. I appreciate this is not the ideal diet for everyone, but it certainly is working for me.

I have got the "Real Meal Revolution" cookbook, which has an excellent carb free bread (mostly made from linseed and egg white, which comes out as a proper loaf which you can store in the freezer, slice, and toast) which is a lot like a nice seedy bread. I have also picked up a copy of "Low Carb Living for Families", which I find is a bit more practical and less extreme in its views.

[ddac84]

I know this is an old thread. I have done Banting before and have just started it again.

It can be hard but there are plenty of great recipes online or in the book The Real Meal Revolution. I am sure cutting out carbs completely for the rest of your life is not healthy, but this diet helps you to understand just how fattening carbs are. I would recommend doing Banting for 3 or 4 months. Then slowly introduce minimal carbs. Like have pasta once a week or potato. Just try never to fall back into eating carbs with every meal.

The Ducan diet is a good LCHF diet also, but a little more lenient.

[99with2in2]

I'm 60 yo, and over the last 44 yrs have tried pretty much every diet out there. I was introduced to Banting in 2018 and converted to it 1st August. Since then I've gone from 13st 10 to 10st 11, from a body shape of 42/41/40 to 38/31/36, from a BP of 148/82 to 121/78 and am feeling better than I have for years. Recommend Tim Noakes "Lore of Nutrition" (last 1/3rd - the first 2/3rds deals with the court case taken against him by Nutritionalists which he won) which goes into the why's and wherefore's - hard work read but worth it.