New year, new diets.
As we head into the festive period where most of us have the tendency to overindulge, many people will be looking into the best diets to try out in January 2021.
We have looked into the most popular diets of 2020, as well as predicting which diets are going to be big in 2021…
The most popular diets of 2020
| Rank | Diet | Annual Searches |
| 1 | Keto diet | 3,134,000 |
| 2 | Intermittent fasting | 1,593,500 |
| 3 | Veganism | 897,500 |
| 4 | Vegetarianism | 514,900 |
| 5 | SlimFast | 470,500 |
| 6 | Mediterranean diet | 424,700 |
| 7 | FODMAP diet | 390,500 |
| 8 | Cambridge Diet | 371,400 |
| 9 | 5:2 diet | 308,500 |
| 10 | Low carb diet | 304,400 |
- Keto Diet
The Ketogenic (Keto) Diet is the most popular diet of the year, with there being over 3 million (3,134,000) searches for the diet in the UK every year. On the Keto diet, you’ll need to focus on eating lots of protein and good fats, as well as a small amount of good carbohydrates.
The Keto diet involves an individual eating less than 35g of carbohydrates per day, replacing the carbohydrates with fats and placing the body into the state of ketosis. This is a metabolic state where cutting down on carbohydrates creates ketones in the liver, so that your body breaks down fat and uses this for energy, instead of carbs.
- Intermittent Fasting
Intermittent fasting was revealed as the second most popular diet of 2020, receiving over 1,593,500 searches a year. Intermittent fasting is an eating pattern where you cycle between periods of eating and fasting; the diet is thought to improve insulin resistance, which can stabilise blood sugar levels.
- Veganism
Veganism is a diet where the person does not consume any animal products, including fish, eggs and dairy products.
Searches for the vegan diet were recorded at 897,500 in the past year, with our recent survey revealing that 2.7% of Brits follow a vegan diet – that’s equivalent to around 1.8 million people!
Diets gaining popularity as we move into 2021
To see which diets have been gaining popularity as 2020 draws to a close, and to predict which diets are going to be big in 2021, we’ve taken a look at the last three months of search terms to see which diets are rising in popularity.
| Rank | Diet | Annual Searches | Three-Month Change |
| 1 | Okinawa diet | 11,420 | 46.00% |
| 2 | Veganism | 897,500 | 39.18% |
| 3 | Soft food diet | 11,440 | 30.43% |
| 4 | Nutrisystem diet | 2000 | 23.81% |
| 5 | Subway diet | 2170 | 21.43% |
| 6 | Ornish diet | 2,790 | 14.71% |
| 7 | Pollotarian | 7,860 | 14.29% |
| 8 | Pescetarianism | 63,200 | 9.86% |
| 9 | Mucusless Diet | 1,380 | 8.33% |
| 10 | Vegetarianism | 514,900 | 0.00% |
Veganism featured in the top three diets that are set to be the most popular in 2021, with a search increase of 39.18%.
Also featuring in the top three diets gaining popularity as we head into the new year was the Okinawa diet, a diet which refers to the eating patterns of the people living on the Japanese island of Okinawa, and which searches for have increased by 46%. Their unique diet, which is low in calories and fat while high in carbs and which emphasizes vegetables and soy products, is credited for giving them some of the longest lifespans on the planet.
The soft food diet followed in third place, with an increase of 30.43% in searches in the past three months.
Diets losing popularity as we move into 2021
| Rank | Diet | Annual Searches | Three-Month Change |
| 1 | Kangatarian | 11490 | -97.17% |
| 2 | Morning banana diet | 3,670 | -91.49% |
| 3 | Werewolf diet | 1190 | -80.95% |
| 4 | Semi vegetarianism | 3,340 | -73.53% |
| 5 | MIND diet | 17,880 | -71.69% |
| 6 | Master Cleanse | 23,000 | -67.29% |
| 7 | Lemon detox diet | 1970 | 170 |
| 8 | Atkins diet | 257500 | 33,100 |
| 9 | Pritikin Diet | 8,880 | 2,900 |
| 10 | DASH diet | 99,400 | 18,100 |
Amongst the diets that are decreasing in popularity included the Kangatarian diet (-97.17% decrease in searches), the Morning banana diet (-91.49%), and the Werewolf diet (-80.95%).
