If you have not yet heard of the Banting Diet, it is one of the last diets to condone a low-carb and high-fat lifestyle.
The hardest part of any diet is to know what you can and cannot eat. That is why people had put together the Banting FoodsDiet List. This list classifies all foods that you can eat and those you should avoid.
Those who initiate this type of diet, if you do not have knowledge of nutrition and dietetics (and some even have them), you will need to understand the metabolic processes and the physiology, since they’re the foundation of this type of diet.
You’ll later have to know what food should be of prime importance when buying, cooking and eating.
These types of diets are sometimes ketogenic (that is, restricting carbohydrate intake enough to cause ketosis).
For example, the induction phase of the Atkins diet. Some sources, however, take into account less restrictive variants in carbohydrates.
In addition to obesity, several people often use low-carbohydrate diets as a treatment for other conditions, especially diabetes and epilepsy, and also for chronic fatigue syndrome and polycystic ovary syndrome.
So, what is the Banting diet?
Banting is the name of one of the latest dietary regimes focused on a low carbohydrate and high-fat foods as a way to maintain healthy blood sugar and insulin levels, and in doing so, lose weight and regain health and energy.
The diet was named after William Banting, who in 1863 popularized a similar dietary regime and was very successful in transforming himself from an obese, unhealthy man into a lean, energetic one!
The Banting diet focuses on cutting out all refined carbohydrates, sugars, and processed foods and instead focuses on natural (and organic or free-range where possible) ingredients.
You are allowed to eat meat, vegetables, fats, nuts and dairy products, but you should limit the amount of sweetened fruit and vegetables with starch.
Anything that is processed or has preservatives, sugar, and simple carbohydrates is entirely off the menu.
People following this diet are recommended to eat a maximum of 25 g – 50 g of net carbs per day.
Net carbs are the total carbohydrates minus fiber and sugar alcohols in the diet – the reason why people deduces them from the measure of total carbohydrates is that fiber and sugar alcohols have no impact on the levels of sugar in the blood.
Blood sugar levels, in turn, increase the level of insulin in the blood, which is the leading cause for the body to store unhealthy fat.
To make it easier for people to start this diet most of the foods used for it get placed in three lists: The Green List; The Orange List and The Red List.
The Green List
Green List foods are the ones that you can eat freely and every day. The meals in this list contain between 0 g – 5 g of net carbohydrates per 100 g.
- All fresh, unprocessed animal protein (including shellfish).
- Naturally cured meat and sausages.
- Eggs.
- Sweeteners (only erythritol, xylitol, and Stevia are allowed).
- No sugar in total fat and dairy cream-filled products (double cream yogurt, cheese).
- Coconut cream, milk, and water.
- Black coffee and tea.
- Animal fat and lard.
- Butter.
- Oils (such as olive, coconut, avocado).
- Nuts (except those from the Orange List).
- Seeds and seed butter.
- Vegetables (other than those of the Orange and Red List)
- All natural condiments and that are not sweetened.
The Orange List
These are foods that people should occasionally enjoy because the net carbohydrate content ranges from 6 g to 25 g per 100 g serving.
- These vegetables: Pumpkin, parsnips, peas, sweet potato.
- These nuts: cashew nuts, chestnuts.
- Dry wine and liqueurs without sugar (vodka, brandy).
- Black chocolate (70-90% only).
- All fruit (fresh and dry).
The Red List
The Red List is those foods or foodstuffs that people should avoid altogether.
That is because they either have a very high content of carbohydrates or sugar, or they include ingredients that are toxic to the body (such as preservatives, additives, artificial sweeteners or seed oils).
- Dried fruits (including prunes and raisins).
- Vegetables.
- Potatoes.
- Corn.
- All bakery products.
- All processed and sweetened dairy products.
- Rice milk and soy milk.
- Beer and cider.
- All soft drinks (including diet drinks).
- Energy drinks.
- All fruit juices.
- Crumbed and battered foods.
- Popcorn.
- All grains (rice and couscous).
- Pasta.
- Bread.
- Sugar and sauces and spreads processed (peanut butter).
- All sugar derivatives and sugar (maple syrup, honey, and fructose).
- All processed meat products, including vegetarian soy products.
Diet summary
In short, Banting is on a low-carbohydrate diet that barely reaches 1,200 calories per day.
No mistakes
It is not a hyper-proteic diet; it is moderate in protein, high in fat and low in carbohydrates.
It’s not a diet without hydrates, which would be stupid as little. Do not confuse the weight of food with the amount of protein or carbohydrate it contains.
For who is it indicated?
Athletes once they understand that the human body has several fuels and while our capacity to store sugars (glycogen) is limited to approximately 2000kcal in fatty acids we can accumulate up to 49,000kcal.
If the latter is your fuel, you will not need to recharge calories during a marathon.
- Diabetes of all types.
- Obesity.
- Polycystic ovary syndrome.
- Pregnancy, menopause.
- Autism, epilepsy.
- Allergies.
- Cancer.
- Digestive problems.
This type of diet can be suitable for anyone throughout their lives. There are different ways of applying it because of the three healthy macronutrients (carbohydrates, proteins, and lipids).
We can vary the carbs that are not essential and adapt their quantity to the different stages of our lives.
The person who wants to look a little better will see that what gets eliminated from the diet are sugars and oils high in omega 6. There is no calorie restriction because a calorie is never a calorie.
What are we going to get?
- Losing weight without hunger, control cravings that are often due to lack of nutrients.
- Improving glucose level. Lower insulin level.
- Improving sports performance.
- Having more energy, feel more focused, sleep better.
We are not very friendly with food lists because sometimes what makes it convenient or not, food is the way of processing and cooking since they alter its properties, glycemic, nutritional and can convert a raw material of the highest quality in a reported mass of antinutrient substances.
Remember: This diet is moderate in protein if you are going to eat lean meats like rabbit, turkey or chicken breast it adds fats from the listed above.One trick to knowing how much lean protein is to measure it in the palm of your hand.
The size and thickness of the lean protein should be about the palm of your hand.
Criticisms of Banting-style diets
Previously, many criticized Banting-style, high-protein, low-carbohydrate diets had already for not providing enough brain energy.
After the experiment of Dr. Cahill, it was clear that the human body already has periods of deprivation of carbohydrates through an alternative system of energy supply to the brain.
Moreover, it was evident that the liver was capable of producing as many ketone bodies as the brain needed, even in the absence of total carbohydrates.
This research, therefore, was the key to the success of the Banting diet and its numerous progeny: carbohydrate deprivation leads to ketosis and this to a natural reduction of appetite.
While keeping the body in a state of ketosis, the patient does not feel hungry and consequently does not eat as much as before.