Pros and Cons of The Popular Banting 2.0 Diet
Pros and Cons of The Popular Banting 2.0 Diet
William Banting was originally prescribed the Banting diet in 1862 by Dr. William Harvey as a weight-loss diet.
The Banting way of eating follows a low-carb diet, emphasizing meats, vegetables, and fruits and avoiding sugar and starch.
Experts all over the world explain it like this: “the banting diet is a very low carbohydrate diet that’s broken down into phases”
Recently, Tim Noakes, a South African scientist, and professor popularized and revitalized the Banting way of life, after trying the Banting diet himself and writing the book “Real Meal Revolution, Banting 2.0”
The original Banting diet consisted of 4 daily meals, which mainly consisted of protein and restricted carbs.
(30 grams) of dry bread in every meal and (60–90 grams) of fruit as a snack.
It is restricted to bread, beans, butter, milk, sugar, beer, and potatoes.
Tim Noakes Banting 2.0 approach is a bit different.
It divides the process into 4 phases:
- Observation
- Restoration
- Transformation
- Preservation
It also offers multiple food lists and structured meal plans to choose from.
It still restricts carbs to some extent, with less than 5–10% of your daily calories coming from carbs, 65–90% from fat, and 10–35% from protein.
Still, both versions of the Banting diet promise:
- Extreme weight loss
- Higher energy levels
- Improved sleep quality
- Reduced feelings of hunger
- Increased feelings of overall well-being
Phase 1: observation – understanding what the food you eat actually does to you.
Continue with your existing diet, for one week, but keep a detailed food journal to help you identify your body’s responses to the foods you eat.
Phase 2: restoration – helping you to replenish nutrients and gut flora by eating a medium carb, sugar, and gluten-free diet, thereby adjusting to the Banting way.
Instead of counting calories or controlling your portion sizes, you follow the food list.
Foods on the green and orange lists are allowed and foods from the light red and red lists are to be avoided.
You will follow this plan for the next 2-12 weeks.
Phase 3: transformation – this is the fat-burning stage, using a sugar-free, gluten-free, and low-carb diet, with the aim being to achieve ketosis. Foods on the orange list are now excluded and you are required to stick to only the foods on the green list.
You will follow this phase for long as it takes you to reach your goal weight.
Phase 4: preservation – in this phase you stick with the sugar and gluten-free diet but allow for variable carb levels depending on the individual.
The preservation phase lasts indefinitely and starts as soon as you reach your goal weight.
It is more flexible, allowing the re-introduction of foods from the orange list.
By now you will have a better understanding of which foods work for you and help you to maintain your weight.
This allows you to personalize your plan and sustain your weight loss goals.
Green food list includes:
- Vegetables including leafy greens, cruciferous veg, onions and leeks, mushrooms
- Fruits including lemons and limes, tomatoes and olives
- Meat, fish, poultry, eggs and cheese
- Fermented foods namely kefir, kimchi and sauerkraut
- Fats such as avocado, butter, and cream
- Condiments including vinegar and soy sauce
- Herbal teas and plain water
Orange food list includes:
Includes foods that are nutritionally good for you, but which should be eaten in moderation, at least until you reach your weight loss goal.
- Nuts
- Dairy including milk, yogurt and sour cream
- Fruits including apples, banana, berries and oranges
- Vegetables including beetroot, squash, sweetcorn, carrots and potatoes
- Legumes and pulses
- Kombucha
- Caffeinated tea and coffee
Light red food list includes:
Starchy, processed, and sugary foods are restricted and should hardly ever be eaten.
These include:
- Smoothies and juices
- Treats and chocolate
- Dried fruits, honey
- Gluten-free grains such as oats, rice and buckwheat
- Flours and rice flours
Red food list includes:
These foods are to be totally avoided.
- Fast foods, junk foods and foods with added sugar including some condiments
- Sweets such as confectionery and non-dark chocolates, jam and syrup
- Gluten-containing foods such as barley, couscous, orzo, rye, semolina, spelt and wheat
- Grain-based breakfast cereals and crackers
- Dairy containing products such as coffee creamers, cheese spreads, condensed milk and ice cream
- Fats such as corn oil, margarine and sunflower oil
- Processed meats and sausages
- Energy drinks, soft drinks, most fruit juices and milkshakes
The pros of the banting diet
Customized
Different bodies react to foods and in particular carbohydrates in different ways.
The phases and foods outlined in the banting approach are meant to help you determine what amount of carbs and which foods work best for your weight loss and maintenance.
No counting
By and large, the banting plan does not rely on specific carb or calorie counts.
However, some food tracking might be helpful, to analyze that ideal level of carbs and how the body responds to different foods.
More importantly, are the types of food that are consumed.
Weight loss
The banting plan promotes fat burning, weight loss and therefore improvements in body mass index (BMI) may be achieved.
Improved energy
Fat burning conserves muscle energy, and as a result, can enhance exercise performance and endurance.
Reduced risk of heart disease
Due to lower levels of triglycerides and cholesterol circulating in the bloodstream, which may also be beneficial to maintaining blood pressure.
Improved appetite control
Reduced levels of triglycerides can have a positive effect on the hormone leptin, which allows you to control your hunger urges.
Improved sleep
This may be an indirect benefit from weight loss or maybe because LCHF diets appear to promote adenosine, a brain hormone that helps regulate sleep.
The cons of the banting diet
Restrictive
Dieticians warn against diets like these, which cut out so many foods groups.
Even in the preservation and maintenance phase, many foods including all whole grains are still off-limits, making it difficult to live within such a specific set of guidelines.
Safety concerns regarding long-term use
There is no formal evidence on the safety of the Banting diet when conducted long-term.
There is still not a lot of scientific research specifically supporting the banting approach.
Adopting the Banting diet over an extended period of time, may potentially put lean body mass at risk and may increase calcium loss, which impacts bone health.
Further Reading: The Pros and Cons of 4 Popular Diets
Sources:
pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov – low-carb diets nutritional and physiological
pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov – evidence that supports the prescription of low-carb high-fat diets
pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov – effects of a low carb diet on energy expenditure during weight loss
maintenance
verywellfit.com – banting diet pros cons and what you can eat
