William Banting and the birth of modern low-carb dieting

In the landscape of diet history, few figures stand out as prominently—or as unexpectedly—as William Banting, a 19th-century English undertaker whose personal struggle with weight led to one of the world’s first widely publicized low-carbohydrate diets. 

Long before fad diets, calorie-counting apps, or nutritional science as we know it, Banting’s approach sparked public fascination and laid the foundation for many modern weight-loss philosophies. 

 A man searching for relief 

William Banting was not a doctor, a scientist, or a scholar. 

He was a businessman best known for crafting coffins for Britain’s upper class, including the Duke of Wellington.

 Yet by his mid-60s, Banting found himself suffering from obesity-related ailments: joint pain, mobility issues, fatigue, and hearing loss attributed partly to fat deposits. After trying numerous treatments without success, he turned to Dr. William Harvey, an aurist familiar with emerging research on the body’s metabolism. Harvey believed that the key to Banting’s condition was diet—specifically, the excessive consumption of carbohydrates. 

At a time when bread, potatoes, beer, and sugary foods were daily staples, this advice was revolutionary. 

 The Banting diet is born

 Following Harvey’s guidance, Banting adopted a diet that sharply restricted starches and sugars while emphasizing foods that were, until then, rarely associated with weight loss: meat, poultry, and fish, vegetables (except potatoes), moderate amounts of fruit,  dry wines or spirits instead of beer. 

 He avoided bread,  potatoes, milk, sugar, pastries, beer,   rich sauces and puddings.

To Banting’s astonishment, the results were dramatic. He lost weight consistently, regained mobility, improved his hearing, and reported feeling younger and healthier than he had in decades. 

 “Letter on Corpulence”  - a dietary bestseller 

In 1863, Banting published Letter on Corpulence, Addressed to the Public—a short, plain-language pamphlet detailing his experience and regimen. 

It became an instant sensation, circulating throughout Europe and the United States.

Bantingism, as it came to be called, became the first commercially promoted low-carb lifestyle and, arguably, the first modern “diet craze". 

Unlike many diet plans before and after, Banting’s message was free of mystical promises or proprietary products. He offered his pamphlet at cost price and insisted he had no financial motive. His genuine desire to help others gave his writing an honesty that resonated with ordinary people. 

 A controversial success 

Banting’s ideas sparked fierce debate. Many physicians dismissed his approach as simplistic or unscientific. Others saw merit in Harvey’s carbohydrate-reduction theory, which aligned with early research on metabolism and diabetes. 

 Despite skepticism, Bantingism spread widely. The term even entered the English language as a verb: to bant meant to diet by limiting starch and sugar. 

 While later nutritional science would refine and sometimes challenge aspects of Banting’s recommendations, the core principle—that reducing certain carbohydrates can promote weight loss—remains central to many modern diets, from Atkins to keto. 

Banting’s legacy 

William Banting never claimed to have invented a universal solution. He simply shared what had transformed his life. Yet in doing so, he became a pioneer: one of the first public advocates of low-carb eating,  a catalyst for popular interest in structured weight-loss diets, a precursor to the commercial diet industry.

His work marked a turning point in how society thinks about food, weight, and metabolic health. 

Even today, more than 150 years later, Banting’s approach remains strikingly modern.

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