Blog | Food | What is the Banting Diet | Organic Food | Australian Organic Directory
Australian Organic Directory
Australian Organic Directory
Home -Australian Organic Directory
Home -Australian Organic Directory
Home | Australian Organic Directory
Browse Australian Organic DirectoryBrowse Australian Organic Directory
Home | Australian Organic Directory
Australian Organic Directory
Australia's most comprehensive organic and natural directory
View our Blog

Blog / Food

14 Sep 2015

What is the Banting Diet?

Professor Tim Noakes brought attention to the way this diet transformed his health and the health of thousands of South Africans.

The Banting diet is a high fat, moderate protein, low carbohydrate diet. It is similar to the Paleo diet, the Atkins diet and other hunter-gatherer diets in that they encourage eating real, unprocessed foods that are low in carbohydrates. The difference is that the Banting diet emphasises the importance of fat and warns against high protein intake.

The diet is named after the late William Banting, a London undertaker who was morbidly obese and struggled to lose weight until he was prescribed a high fat and low carbohydrate diet in 1861. He then wrote a booklet called “Letter on Corpulence, Addressed to the Public” which detailed the diet that he followed. This booklet became a best seller for many years and the Banting diet was used widely.

In the 1970’s the media attack on fat caused an increase in “low-fat” and “fat-free” products. This attack was based on the assumption that fewer calories create weight-loss. The problem is that this assumption is false and ignores the fact that fat is essential for maintaining every cell in the body.

Removing fat from our diet led to more people eating carbohydrate- based foods which did nothing to stop the occurrence of obesity and diabetes. The reason for this is that carbohydrates are converted to sugar in the blood stream and triggers the release of the hormone insulin which stores excess carbohydrates and sugar as fat. Excess protein in the diet will also convert to glucose, raise insulin levels and also result in fat gain.
On the other hand, fat does not cause the release of insulin and keeps our blood sugar levels stable.

Tim Noakes often speaks about the Banting diet allowing the body to reach the optimal fat-burning state of ketosis. When the body starts to use fat for energy, instead of glucose, then the body is in a state of ketosis.  This process produces ketone bodies which are a clean source of energy that is particularly beneficial for the brain and kidneys.  When you reach ketosis you lose weight effortlessly, maintain even blood sugar levels and do not suffer energy slumps in the day.

For more information on which foods to eat and which foods to avoid on the Banting diet read this informative article at Body and Soul.