The UK’s Most Googled Diets Revealed By Search Data

Over the past few years, the number of people using weight loss treatments, such as Mounjaro and Wegovy, has increased dramatically. Even so, diets are still a popular choice for people looking to lose weight.

Following a healthy eating plan could be a good way to lose weight and improve your overall wellbeing. However, a lot of faddy diets can be quite restrictive, and many require you to eat lots of one type of food or to avoid another. For example, you may need to dramatically increase the amount of protein you consume or cut out carbohydrates completely.

Unless a doctor or medical professional has advised you to follow a specific diet, it’s generally a good idea to avoid any type of extreme eating plan. Instead, focus on consuming lots of fruit, vegetables, lean meats, seeds, nuts and whole grains. Eating well may help you get healthy whether you’re using weight loss medication or trying to lose weight through diet and exercise alone.

However, understanding different types of diets could be a good way to get to know how different nutrients and food groups affect the body. To find out how widespread these diets are, The Independent Pharmacy has analysed Google search data to uncover which diets are the most popular.

The Most Googled Diets In The UK

1. Carnivore Diet - 222,000 Monthly Searches

Our research has shown that the most searched for diet in the UK is currently the carnivore diet, with 222,000 searches every month.

This type of diet places a strong focus on meat, fish, eggs and other animal products. Some carnivore diets allow you to eat dairy products, such as milk, butter and cheese, although others ask you to stick purely to meat, fish and eggs.

The idea behind the carnivore diet is that, by removing processed carbohydrates, like bread and pasta, from your diet and eating foods that are high in protein, your body will burn stored fat to make energy. However, due to the lack of fruit and vegetables, it could also cause a serious deficiency of important nutrients such as vitamins C, E and K.

What’s more, if you eat a lot of red meat, or meat that’s high in fat, it could increase your risk of heart disease, stroke and other serious health issues

2. Keto Diet - 207,000 Monthly Searches

The next most popular diet according to UK Google searches is the keto diet. The concept behind this diet is that it forces your body into a state of ketosis. This is where you burn stored fat, rather than carbohydrates, for energy.

This type of diet also severely limits carbohydrates. In fact, followers are told to eat no more than 20g to 50g of carbohydrates per day. To give you an idea of just how little this is, a single banana contains an average of 27g of carbohydrates.

Instead, followers of the keto diet are told to eat foods that are high in fat and protein, such as meat, fish, nuts, lean meats and eggs. Leafy greens such as kale and Swiss chard are allowed, though most other fruits and vegetables aren’t permitted as they contain too much carbohydrate.

Like all restrictive diets, the keto diet could lead to a lack of vitamins and minerals. Its high fat content could also raise your chances of developing heart disease and has been associated with a build-up of ‘bad’ cholesterol. Additionally, a keto diet could increase the risk of kidney stones, constipation and ‘keto flu’ - flu-like symptoms that occur while the body adjusts to the changes in your eating habits.

3. Intermittent Fasting - 144,000 Monthly Searches

Unlike most diets, which focus on what you eat, intermittent fasting is more concerned about when you eat. For example, you could follow the 16:8 ratio, which means fasting for 16 hours per day and eating all of your food within the remaining eight.

As well as potentially reducing the number of calories you eat, intermittent fasting may cause something called metabolic switching. This is where your body begins to burn fat because it’s run out of its supply of sugar.

Intermittent fasting is a lot less restrictive than other diets. While you’re fasting, you can still have water, tea and other zero-calorie drinks. During your ‘eating hours’, you can consume any meals and snacks that are healthy and nutritious.

Research has shown that intermittent fasting may be slightly more effective than a traditional calorie-restricted diet when it comes to losing weight. It may also help to lower blood sugar levels and reduce your risk of developing type II diabetes.

As long as you follow a nutritious, balanced diet during your eating hours, intermittent fasting could be a healthy way to reduce your calorie intake and lose weight. Your doctor can offer you advice on approaches to intermittent fasting and support you on your weight loss journey.

4. Mediterranean Diet - 96,000 Monthly Searches

In fourth place, with an average of 96,000 UK searches each month, is the Mediterranean diet. Full of fruit, vegetables, whole grains, fish and healthy fats such as olive oil, this style of eating could provide a range of health benefits and improve overall wellbeing.

The Mediterranean diet is high in vitamins and minerals and low in saturated fats and processed foods. This could help to lower your risk of heart disease and support healthy blood pressure and blood sugar levels. It may also lower your risk of certain types of cancer and slow the decline of brain function as you age.

Unlike other diets that encourage you to eat unhealthy quantities of certain foods, this diet provides a wide range of nutrients and gives you plenty of healthy fats, vitamins, minerals and fibre. In general, the Mediterranean diet is considered to be one of the best options for anyone looking to improve their health and lose weight.

5. FODMAP Diet - 68,000 Monthly Searches

Ranking as the fifth most popular diet in the UK, according to search volume, is the FODMAP diet. The FODMAP diet is different from the others on our list as it isn’t designed for weight loss. Instead, it’s used by people with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) or small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO) to try and identify which foods are triggering their symptoms.

FODMAP stands for ‘fermentable oligosaccharides, disaccharides, monosaccharides and polyols’. These are short-chain carbohydrates that the small intestine may struggle to absorb. Some people believe that eating these carbohydrates could result in a range of symptoms including:

• cramping
• diarrhoea
• constipation
• stomach bloating
• gas and farting

A FODMAP diet involves cutting out foods that are high in these carbohydrates and eating low-FODMAP alternatives instead. However, it’s not always clear which foods are high in FODMAPs and which aren’t. So, you’ll need to do a little research if you want to follow this style of eating.

For example, cauliflower, garlic, onion, green peas and mushrooms are high in FODMAPs, while green beans, carrots, cucumber and courgettes are low in short-chain carbohydrates. Milk, yoghurt and breakfast cereals are off the menu, while eggs, oats, dark chocolate and hard cheese are all ok to consume.

At the start of your diet, you’ll need to try to cut out all foods high in FODMAPs. You can then gradually begin to reintroduce them one by one while watching out for any symptoms of IBS or SIBO.

The FODMAP diet could be a good approach for people looking for food triggers, but it’s not designed to be used long-term, so may not provide all of the nutrients you need.

6. Low-Carb Diet - 60,000 Monthly Searches

Every month, there are an average of 60,000 UK searches for information about the low-carb diet. Like a lot of other diets that are designed to help you lose weight, the low-carb diet heavily restricts your consumption of carbohydrates.

By cutting out foods like pasta, bread and white rice, and prioritising healthy fats and foods rich in protein, you may be able to reduce your appetite, improve your insulin resistance and boost your cardiovascular health. Following a low-carb diet could also help you to lose weight and improve your cholesterol and blood pressure.

Though the low-carb diet is similar to the keto diet, it’s less restrictive. You can still eat some ‘healthy’ carbs like whole grains, sweet potatoes, oats, chickpeas and lentils. This means it may be easier to get all the nutrients you need to stay healthy.

7. Gluten-Free Diet - 21,000 Monthly Searches

In seventh place is the gluten-free diet, with an average of 21,000 monthly searches. It’s designed for people who are experiencing unpleasant symptoms of gluten intolerance or celiac disease (a chronic digestive disease triggered by gluten) such as:

• abdominal pain
• bloating
• diarrhoea
• constipation
• fatigue
• brain fog
• joint
• muscle pain
• skin rashes

The gluten-free diet avoids all food and drinks that contain gluten such as bread, beer, pasta, biscuits, cakes and anything else that contains wheat, spelt, rye and barley. These days, it’s fairly easy to find gluten-free alternatives to everyday ingredients. This makes a lot easier to follow a gluten-free diet without changing your eating habits.

8. Paleo Diet - 20,000 Monthly Searches

In eighth place, we find the paleo diet, with an average of 20,000 monthly searches. Also known as the ‘caveman diet,’ this approach is based on eating like our ancestors did during the Palaeolithic era. This means prioritising meat, fish, fruit, vegetables and healthy fats, while avoiding grains, dairy products, processed foods and cooking oils.

Following the paleo diet could be a good way to lower your intake of processed foods and unhealthy sugars. However, the diet does lack fibre, calcium and vitamin D, making it difficult for you to get all the nutrients you need.

9. 5:2 Diet - 17,000 Monthly Searches

The 5:2 diet is in ninth place with an average of 17,000 searches each month. This diet is a type of intermittent fasting. It requires you to eat as normal for five days per week and drastically reduce your calorie intake for the other two days.

For example, you could eat a healthy, balanced diet on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, and restrict yourself to one 500-600 calorie meal on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Suddenly reducing the number of calories you eat could encourage your body to burn stored fat instead of carbohydrates.

Following the 5:2 diet could help you to lose weight and some studies have shown it could also lower your risk of heart disease. As it’s less restrictive than many other diets, you may find the 5:2 diet is easier to stick to long term.

However, it’s important to remember that not everyone can fast safely. This is especially true if you have diabetes. If you’re considering the 5:2 diet and have a pre-existing health condition, it’s a good idea to speak to a doctor before you start.

10. Atkins Diet - 13,000 Monthly Searches

Finally, in tenth position, is the Atkins diet, recording an average of 13,000 UK searches each month. Developed in the 1960s by cardiologist Robert Atkins, this diet focuses on reducing your intake of carbohydrates – particularly refined carbohydrates like white flour, white rice and sugar – and increasing your consumption of protein and fat.

At the start of the diet, you’ll dramatically reduce the amount of carbohydrates you consume. You’ll then gradually reintroduce small amounts of carbohydrates back into your diet.

The Atkins diet may be effective for controlling blood sugar and promoting weight loss. It could also improve high blood pressure, reduce your risk of developing diabetes and lower the amount of ‘bad’ cholesterol in your system. However, more research is needed into the long-term effects of the diet.

Although some people are required to follow restrictive diets for health reasons, in general, it’s always best to eat a balanced, nutritious diet that’s high in whole grains, fruit and vegetables and low in saturated fat and processed foods. Getting plenty of exercise may also help you maintain a healthy weight and improve your overall wellbeing.

Weight loss treatments may be used alongside improved diet and increased exercise to help you lose weight and enhance your general health. An effective way to reduce your appetite and avoid overeating, these treatments are becoming more and more popular across the country.

Currently, weight loss injections, like Mounjaro and Wegovy, are prescription-only. This means you’ll need to complete a quick, discreet consultation before you can access the medication. To learn more about weight loss medications and the guidance and support we offer, get in touch with a member of our team today.

Methodology

We at The Independent Pharmacy wanted to uncover the most googled diets in the UK. To do this, we examined Google search data, using UK-specific searches, totalling the number of searches for each diet and ranking each approach in accordance with the results.

Data correct as of February 2025.

Additional sources:

https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/can-intermittent-fasting-help-with-weight-loss#:~:text=%22Recent%20research%20has%20found%20that,Chan%20School%20of%20Public%20Health.

https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/weight-loss/in-depth/atkins-diet/art-20048485

https://celiac.org/gluten-free-living/what-is-gluten/sources-of-gluten/

https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/12-healthy-high-carb-foods

https://www.diabetes.org.uk/about-diabetes/type-2-diabetes/remission/intermittent-fasting-for-remission

https://www.pennmedicine.org/for-patients-and-visitors/patient-information/conditions-treated-a-to-z/high-cholesterol#:~:text=Too%20much%20bad%20cholesterol%20in,last%20being%20the%20most%20precise.

https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/wellness-and-prevention/intermittent-fasting-what-is-it-and-how-does-it-work

https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/should-you-try-the-keto-diet

https://www.webmd.com/diet/carnivore-diet

https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/carnivore-diet#:~:text=Due%20to%20the%20removal%20of,%2C%20however%2C%20is%20less%20clear.

https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/treatments/22466-low-fodmap-diet

https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/wellness-and-prevention/fodmap-diet-what-you-need-to-know

https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/articles/16037-mediterranean-diet

https://www.bhf.org.uk/informationsupport/heart-matters-magazine/nutrition/ask-the-expert/fast-diet#:~:text=The%205%3A2%20diet%20is,on%20the%20remaining%20two%20days.

https://health.ucdavis.edu/blog/good-food/paleo-diet-what-it-is-and-why-its-not-for-everyone/2022/04