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The
Rant
August 1, 2005
I want to tell you a little bit about the history of the low-carb diet. Specifically, here's some information about the person who first popularized it, and when. This may be a surprise for some people.
When most of us think of the low carbohydrate diet one name comes to mind...Atkins. If you asked, I think most people would identify the late Dr. Robert Atkins as the father of the low carbohydrate diet. He published many books on the subject such as, The New Diet Revolution. Atkins first made a name for himself with his high fat/low carbohydrate diet back in the seventies. There was a period when it was really out of favour, when diets like Dr. Nathan Pritikin's whole grain, mostly vegetarian diet were all the rage. But within the last few years the Atkins diet has had a phenomenal resurgence. We're seeing Atkins products on the supermarket shelves, you go to Subway and they'll make you an “Atkins” wrap. Low carbohydrate/high fat/high protein is "in your face" wherever you go these days.
Well, contrary to what many people think, it was not Dr. Robert Atkins who first popularized the low carbohydrate diet. Not only that, but it didn't even happen in the twentieth century. It happened in the nineteenth century! The man who first made the low carbohydrate diet popular internationally was Englishman, William Banting. (No relation, by the way, to Frederick Banting the Canadian who discovered insulin.) As a matter of fact, in Sweden, they still refer to being on a low carbohydrate diet as being “on the bant" or "banting."
William Banting was a carpenter and undertaker in 19th. Century England. As a matter of fact, you might say he was an undertaker to the rich and famous. (For example, Banting made the Duke of Wellington's coffin.)
As a businessman, Banting had a relatively comfortable life but he was not happy. He was five feet, five inches tall and weighed over two hundred pounds. His weight problem, which started in his thirties, caused him all kinds of grief. He was full of aches and pains; he had no energy and generally felt lousy. So, he sought advice and tried all sorts of remedies.
One friend, a physician, told him he should exercise vigorously each day and for a while he did. He had a large rowboat and every morning he would row this boat for a couple of hours. Unfortunately, all of the exercise gave him an incredible appetite and he began eating even more than before...and, of course, gained more weight.
He also tried various spas that promised to help him lose the weight, he drank various potions that were promoted as fat burning drinks, and he even had himself admitted to hospital about twenty different times for weight reduction.
Finally, in 1862, he just gave up and said, "I can't beat this, so I might as well live the best way I can, as big as I am." However, shortly after resigning himself to living the rest of his life as an overweight man, he had occasion to visit an ear and throat doctor named William Harvey. Banting found himself going deaf and sought treatment from Harvey.
Harvey had just returned from France where he heard a lecture by a Dr. Claude Bernard who proposed a theory that the liver secreted a sugar-like substance derived from ingredients in the blood that passed through it.
This gave Harvey the idea to try a little experiment on Banting. He had a notion that the deafness Banting was experiencing was a direct result of his weight problem. So, he put Banting on a diet that eliminated bread, butter, milk, sugar, beer, and potatoes, all foods containing starch and sugars...and that create fat.
Banting loved the diet and within a year he lost 46 pounds and 12 1/4 inches off his waist.
In fact, he was so impressed by the diet he published a famous pamphlet about it that went around the world, called Letter on Corpulence. Ever since, the Banting name has been associated with the low carbohydrate diet in many parts of Europe.
Unfortunately, Dr. Harvey was forced to disassociate himself from the diet because the medical profession attacked him when he couldn't explain, scientifically, why the diet was effective. They argued, therefore, that it wasn't based on science and were highly skeptical. This rebuke threatened to shut down Harvey's medical practice, so he disassociated himself from it, while William Banting continued to champion the diet that he claimed saved his life.
One final note, please don’t assume that because I have written this account, I am endorsing the low carbohydrate diet. I am not. A few of my friends have tried it and swear by it, so it does work well for some. My experience with the diet was not entirely positive. I lost 10 pounds but was not able to lose beyond that. I also felt unwell after a time and developed a craving for carbs, anything from popcorn to polenta. My palate craves diversity and the mostly protein regimen just did not cut it. Sorry, Mr. Banting.
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