William Banting

William Banting was an English undertaker whose 1863 pamphlet, Letter on Corpulence, popularized a low-carbohydrate diet that became known as “Banting.”

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Letter on Corpulence: A pamphlet published in 1863 in which William Banting described his diet and weight loss. This is the publication that made Banting’s dietary regimen widely known.
Carbohydrate restriction: A dietary approach that limits foods rich in carbohydrates. Restricting sugar and starch was central to the regimen Banting described.
Banting (dieting): A historical term for dieting, especially weight loss through restricting sugar and starchy foods. Banting’s surname entered everyday use as a verb for following a reducing diet.
Calorie restriction: A dietary strategy that reduces energy intake below usual or estimated needs. It frames weight loss through total energy reduction, unlike Banting’s emphasis on avoiding particular foods.
Harvey–Banting correspondence: The correspondence between physician William Harvey and William Banting about diet and corpulence. Harvey prescribed the dietary changes Banting later described in his pamphlet.
Dietary fat: Fat consumed in food, providing energy and serving structural and signaling roles in the body. Banting’s menu included foods rich in fat rather than treating fat as the main dietary target.
William Banting’s letter: A widely circulated open letter in which William Banting recounted his experience with dietary weight loss. Its public appeal helped spread Banting’s name beyond the original pamphlet.
Low-fat diet: A dietary pattern that limits fat intake, often to reduce total energy consumption. It reverses the emphasis of Banting’s meat- and fat-rich menu.
William Harvey (physician): An English physician who advised William Banting on dietary treatment for corpulence. His advice helped shape the regimen Banting publicized.
Dietary protein: Protein obtained from food, supplying amino acids needed for bodily structure and function. Meat and other protein-rich foods featured prominently in Banting’s menu.