Banting

/ˈbæn.tɪŋ/ noun

Definition

A weight-loss diet that emphasizes eating meat, fat, and protein while avoiding carbohydrates, named after William Banting who popularized it in the 1860s.

Etymology

Named after William Banting (1797-1878), an English undertaker who wrote a pamphlet about his successful low-carb diet that became wildly popular in Victorian England.

Kelly Says

Banting's 'Letter on Corpulence' (1863) was basically the first viral diet book — it became so famous that 'banting' became a household word for dieting across Europe, over 150 years before low-carb diets became trendy again.

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