Most Searched Diets in US: Interest in Carnivore Diet Surges

Many individuals try different dietary regimens throughout their lives to improve their health and quality of life — though some are objectively far healthier than others. Dietary trends are also constantly changing, with new ones emerging while others fade into the background.

In light of these ever-evolving trends, Healthnews sought to determine the most popular diets throughout the United States in the last 12 months, making an interesting discovery in the process: the most searched dietary trend in the majority of U.S. states is the carnivore diet.

Methodology

To compile this report, Healthnews compared and analyzed Google Trends data on 18 different diets:

1. Keto diet
2. Intermittent fasting
3. Anti-inflammatory diet
4. Carnivore diet
5. Low-fodmap diet
6. Gluten-free diet
7. Dairy-free diet
8. Paleo diet
9. Mediterranean diet
10. Raw diet
11. Vegan diet
12. Pescatarian diet
13. DASH diet
14. Low-carb diet
15. Atkins diet
16. HCG diet
17. Dukan diet
18. Vegetarian diet

After analyzing Google Trends results on October 22, 2024 for each of these terms over the past year, Healthnews found that the top four diet searches throughout the country were the carnivore diet, intermittent fasting, the Mediterranean diet, and the keto diet.

Healthnews then compared these four search terms with one another and found that the carnivore diet was the top search term in most states throughout the past 12 months.

However, the results were consistently close between these four terms throughout the country, demonstrating just how popular each of these dietary trends is in the U.S.

Honorable mention goes to the vegan diet, paleo diet, and DASH diet, which were searched for far less than the four top terms but were the next most popular diet searches on the list.

Carnivore diet

The trendy diet, which has recently become quite popular thanks to social media, is based on solely or mostly consuming animal products. While many influencers and social media personalities claim it has done wonders for their health—from weight loss to the supposed healing of chronic diseases — experts have repeatedly warned that this way of eating comes with a host of risks and dangers.

As the carnivore diet relies on mostly consuming meat and other animal products, it is a diet that is naturally quite high in saturated fats, which can harm heart health over time. High consumption of red meat, in particular, has been associated with an increased risk of many diseases, including colorectal cancer, type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and stroke.

This diet has also been criticized for excluding other important food groups and nutrients, most notably fruits and vegetables. The lack of fiber is extremely harmful to digestion, while the lack of certain vitamins can also be detrimental to many aspects of health.

In addition to health effects, the carnivore diet is also harmful to the environment, as meat is one of the largest contributors to greenhouse gas emissions.

Overall, plenty of research suggests that relying solely on meat for sustenance just isn’t a great idea for your health or the planet. And yet, the diet is clearly popular in the U.S., suggesting that more public education is needed about its health risks and downsides.

Intermittent fasting

Following the carnivore diet, intermittent fasting was the next most popular diet search term in the U.S. It was the most searched dietary regimen in 12 states and the District of Columbia: Hawaii, California, New York, Connecticut, Washington, Virginia, Pennsylvania, Georgia, New Jersey, Illinois, Massachusetts, Maryland, and the District of Columbia.

Intermittent fasting is a dietary approach that involves fasting for several hours of the day. There are several different types of intermittent fasting, including eating only during a time-restricted period, eating only one meal per day, fasting every other day, and eating normally for five days while restricting calories for the remaining two.

Intermittent fasting has become trendy in recent years as a method for weight loss and to improve insulin sensitivity, which can reduce the risk of developing diseases such as diabetes and cancer, reduce inflammation, improve cognition, and help use glucose for energy.

Some research has found that intermittent fasting is an effective way to aid weight loss and control blood sugar, but studies have also shown that it can be harmful to cardiovascular health.

At this point, more research is needed on the effects of the dietary program and whether it’s a good choice for an individual depending on their specific needs.

Mediterranean diet

The third most searched diet in the U.S. in the past 12 months was the Mediterranean diet, ranking as the top search term in Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine, Delaware, Wisconsin, and Rhode Island.

The Mediterranean diet is a way of eating that focuses on plant-based foods and healthy fats. It includes consuming lots of fruits and vegetables, whole grains, nuts, seeds, fish and seafood, olive oil, and a moderate amount of meat.

Unlike the previous two diets, which are known or suspected to have at least some negative health effects, the Mediterranean diet is widely considered one of the healthiest ways to eat.

Research has shown that consuming a Mediterranean diet can reduce the risk of heart disease, cancer, diabetes, metabolic syndrome, and depression. It can also reduce PTSD symptoms, improve cognition and slow signs of Alzheimer’s, and generally prolong a person’s life.

Overall, the diet emphasizes consuming few ultra-processed foods and focusing on fresh, whole, mostly plant-based foods — a way of eating that is sure to benefit any individual’s health and wellbeing.

Keto diet

While the keto diet wasn’t the top search term in any U.S. state, it followed closely behind the other three dietary regimens in nearly the entire country, demonstrating its popularity. The ketogenic diet is a low-carb, high-fat diet that has been quite trendy in the U.S. in recent years. In 2022, roughly 7% of the country’s population followed the diet, which is often praised for its weight loss benefits.

The idea behind the keto diet is that depriving the body of carbohydrates puts it into a state of ketosis, forcing it to burn fat for energy and resulting in weight loss.

But for the diet to truly be healthy, researchers say a keto diet must include enough fiber sources such as seeds, nuts, coconut, avocado, spinach, broccoli, cauliflower, and berries.

In general, research on the diet is mixed. Some studies point to benefits for the immune system, the gut microbiome, cardiovascular health, cancer risk, and blood sugar, while others suggest that it could actually harm heart health and accelerate organ aging.

More research is needed on the keto diet’s impact on long-term health, but most existing research concurs that it can result in weight loss in the short term.

Vegan diet

Though far less popular than the four preceding diets, the vegan diet was still a relatively common search term across the U.S.

Consuming a vegan diet involves only eating plant-based foods and refraining from consuming any animal products at all. It has become increasingly popular in recent years for its health, moral, and environmental benefits.

While eating a vegan diet requires intentional effort to ensure you’re getting all the necessary nutrients, it can be an extremely healthy option.

Research has shown that, when done properly, eating vegan can improve your immune system, heart health, blood sugar, kidney function, and overall longevity.

Its main downside is the potential for nutrient deficiencies, which can be avoided by ensuring you’re consuming enough plant-based sources of protein, iron, and other essential nutrients that often come from animal sources.

A vegan diet is also good for the planet, as it reduces greenhouse gas emissions.

Paleo diet

The paleo diet is an eating plan that is meant to mimic the foods eaten by our early ancestors during the Paleolithic era. It was the next most commonly googled diet after veganism.

Similar to the Mediterranean diet, the paleo diet involves eating whole foods including fruits and vegetables, nuts, seeds, eggs, seafood, and unprocessed meat, though it does not include grains, dairy products, refined sugar, or legumes.

The diet presents a number of health benefits including a decreased risk of obesity, diabetes, and heart disease. Some research, however, has found that it may be harmful to heart health due to being high in saturated fats.

DASH diet

Following the above mentioned diets, the DASH (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) eating plan was the most searched for among the total list of diets. It’s an eating regimen aimed at lowering cholesterol and blood pressure.

Following a DASH diet involves consuming fruits and vegetables, whole grains, low-fat dairy products, fish and seafood, legumes, nuts, and vegetable oils. It also involves limited saturated fats such as fatty meats, tropical oils, and refined sugar.

The diet, which was developed more than 20 years ago, is widely considered a healthy way to eat. Studies have shown that the eating plan helps reduce blood pressure and LDL (bad) cholesterol, which are two risk major factors for heart disease.