Benefits Of The Banting Diet

The Banting diet consists of a low-carbohydrate and high-fat intake. William Banting was the founder of the Banting diet in 1861 which was used for weight loss; however, this trend died out by 1959. In 1974, Robert Atkins reintroduced the Banting diet and then in 2010, the Banting diet was reintroduced by Tim Noakes who is a professor in the Division of Exercise Science and Sports Medicine at the University of Cape Town. Common effects of the Banting diet include a decrease in weight and cravings for carbohydrates and an increase in one’s energy levels. One’s sleeping patterns, mood and various ailments improve and one’s feeling of hunger reduces drastically. Food that one cannot eat includes all sugar, bread, pasta, potatoes, rice, porridge,

My allergic rhinitis, bronchitis, headaches, gastric reflux (indigestion) and irritable bowel syndrome all disappeared. The Banting diet is ‘something miraculous’. By reducing one’s calorie consumption by 1/3 on a low-carb-high-fat diet is easy compared to a low-fat-high-carb diet (‘prudent diet’). I have affected many South Africans as a result of my stance and I believe the Banting diet is the solution to control one’s weight.

My perspective about the Banting diet has been formed from when I received an email containing an advert that said ‘lose 6Kg in 6 weeks without hunger’ as I knew that the 3 scientists who promoted this advert were good. Other factors influencing my perspective include: I am a medical doctor; I have read 2000-3000 scientific papers and articles from scientific journals and around 70 books about Banting; I used to follow the ‘prudent diet’ - which was drawn up by a vegan who had no ‘Nutritional Sciences’ training and I am diabetic and carbohydrate

I weighed 163kg and was diagnosed with type-2 diabetes. I saw dieticians in order to lose weight but no diet worked. I researched different diets and came across Tim Noakes. Based on Noakes’ diet, I cut out carbohydrates and sugar. 7 months later I lost 84.6Kg! When I went to my GP she tested my blood sugar levels and pressure and I was told that I could throw away my diabetes medication. The Banting diet works because ‘unlike so many diets, it isn’t a punishment’ where one starves. The Banting diet has not limited my life but rather it has improved it and I feel that Tim Noakes saved my life. I have never heard of any failures but only success stories of the Banting diet. My weight loss has been a ‘phenomenal