Healthnews By Nadzeya Sankovich
Curious about which countries are most obsessed with dieting? Spoiler alert: United States makes the list, but not at the top.
Research conducted by Healthnews has revealed that Czechia, Poland, Greece, Kuwait, and Slovakia are the countries most interested in diets. The ketogenic diet is the most popular among all these countries, although dietary trends and emerging diets differ significantly.
To answer this question, we turned to Google Trends. This tool effectively assesses public interest by monitoring the frequency and patterns of specific search terms on Google over time. It helps identify a search term’s global traction at any given moment.
Our analysis focused on search data related to the Diet (nutrition) topic, incorporating queries made in native languages to generate our rankings. Google Trends offers scores for countries, indicating the local engagement with diet-related searches.
Although Google Trends does not provide statistics on actual diet adherence, search frequency can indicate people’s intentions to follow a diet. It’s important to remember that diets are adopted not just for weight loss but for other reasons as well. People may follow specific dietary plans to manage health conditions, enhance physical performance, or align with ethical and environmental values.
This analysis is based on Google Trends data from April 22, 2023, to April 23, 2024.
Country
ScoreMost popular dietEmerging trends
| #1 Czechia | 100 | Ketogenic | Carnivore (+650%) |
| #2 Poland | 99 | Ketogenic | Carnivore (+850%) |
| #3 Greece | 87 | Ketogenic | Macrobiotic (+1,100%) Longevity nutrition (+4,900%) |
| #4 Kuwait | 73 | Ketogenic | Caloric deficit (+160%) |
| #5 Slovakia | 70 | Ketogenic Low-carbohydrate |
Low-FODMAP (+100%) Fasting (+60%) |
| #6 Australia | 65 | Ketogenic Carnivore Mediterranean |
CSIRO (+250%) Rice method (+3,050%) Cortisol detox (+700%) Eddie Abbew (+700%) |
| #7 United States | 64 | Ketogenic Mediterranean |
Bland (Breakout) Clear liquid (+200%) |
| #8 Lebanon | 62 | Ketogenic Fasting |
Carnivore (Breakout) Nut (Breakout) |
| #9 Italy | 62 | Ketogenic Mediterranean |
No-carbohydrate (+80%) Intermittent fasting (+60%) |
| #10 Iran | 62 | Ketogenic Fasting |
Canadian (+130%) |
| #11 Jordan | 59 | Ketogenic Fasting |
Dates and milk (+120%) Nupo (Breakout) |
| #12 Hungary | 56 | Ketogenic Mediterranean |
Flexitarian (+500%) Nutritarian (Breakout) |
| #13 United Kingdom | 53 | Ketogenic Low FODMAP |
1:1 by Cambridge Weight Plan (+190%) Eddie Abbew (Breakout) Blood sugar (+4,800%) |
| #14 New Zealand | 53 | Ketogenic Carnivore Mediterranean |
Whole30 (+3,550%) MIND (+3,400%) Rice method (Breakout) Cookie (+500%) |
| #15 Georgia | 52 | Ketogenic | Gout (+1,150%) Hypoallergenic (Breakout) |
The 15 countries demonstrating the highest interest in diets consistently show a strong preference for the ketogenic diet. Renowned for its low-carbohydrate, high-fat approach, this diet is primarily adopted for weight loss and improving metabolic health.
However, some experts warn it should be approached with caution due to potential long-term health impacts such as nutrient deficiencies, liver and kidney problems, and the risk of heart disease.
Dietary preferences also vary in specific regions. The carnivore diet, which involves exclusively consuming animal products, enjoys particular popularity in Australia, Czechia, and Poland and is emerging as a trend in New Zealand and Lebanon. This reflects a growing global interest in protein-centric nutritional strategies.
The Mediterranean diet, celebrated for its optimal balance of fresh produce and healthy fats, continues to be favored in Italy, Australia, Hungary, the United States, New Zealand, and Lebanon.
A notable 4,800% surge in interest in the blood sugar diet in the UK highlights a global focus on managing diabetes and enhancing metabolic health.
The flexitarian diet, which promotes a plant-based yet flexible eating regimen, is gaining popularity in Hungary, signaling a shift towards more sustainable eating habits. Specialized diets like the gout diet in Georgia and the low FODMAP diet in the UK address specific health issues.
