The Banting Food Charts serve as the definitive practical tool for implementing “The Circle’s Quiet Diet Meal Plan,” guiding members away from foods that promote Insulin Resistance (IR) and toward those that encourage high-octane fat burning.
This system draws inspiration from William Banting’s original low-carbohydrate principles from 1864, which involved strictly abstaining from sugars and starches to reverse obesity. The modern Banting framework, often referred to as Banting 2.0, provides necessary structure and practical support to transform eating habits and sustain a healthy life.
These charts are essential for the Restoration phase of your journey, which is dedicated to repairing the metabolic damage caused by poor lifestyle habits and preparing your body for fat burning. The chart is designed to cut through decades of confusing nutritional advice and replace it with simplicity and science. By defining exactly what to eat and what to avoid, the charts eliminate the decision fatigue that often sabotages early attempts at dietary change, ensuring that the food choices you make consistently support low insulin levels and metabolic healing.
The Banting system utilizes a clear Colour Code that categorizes foods based on scientific reasoning, health effects, and practical guidance, helping you become empowered, not overpowered, by what you eat. This categorization goes beyond mere carbohydrate counting, acknowledging that some Green-listed foods may contain higher carbohydrates than those in the Orange or Red lists, yet possess sound dietary and nutritional justification for their inclusion.
This holistic perspective ensures the diet supports the three pillars of a brain-healthy diet: Nourish, Protect, and Energize the brain by minimizing inflammation and oxidative stress.
The Green List (Eat with Freedom)
The Green List is the foundation of your plan, comprising foods you can Eat with Freedom until satisfied.
These items are inherently nourishing, low in carbohydrate, and minimize the insulin response, making them the metabolic cornerstone of every meal. They are the essential building blocks for successfully achieving and maintaining the metabolic state of nutritional ketosis, which provides the stable, clean energy required for mental clarity and overall well-being.
The Orange List (Exercise Self-Control)
The Orange List contains foods that require you to Exercise Self-Control.
These foods are permissible but should be consumed with caution and restraint, depending on your individual metabolic status, health goals, and which Quiet Diet plan you are following. During the Transformation phase, where the goal is rapid weight loss or flipping into deep fat-burning mode, stricter limits must be imposed on these items to ensure maximum insulin suppression and optimal therapeutic benefit. Monitoring your carbohydrate intake and personal tolerance for these items is critical for long-term success.
The Red List (Never Ever)
Finally, the Red List represents foods that are strictly categorized as Never Ever to be consumed during the healing phases (Restoration and Transformation).
These foods are highly inflammatory, contain damaging ingredients, or stimulate massive insulin spikes, which actively sabotage the goal of reversing IR. The Red List includes all flours and all breads made from grains containing gluten (such as rye, wheat, and barley), as well as all forms of sugar and golden syrup. Strict adherence to eliminating these toxic elements is non-negotiable for achieving metabolic calm and ensuring the integrity of your Quiet Diet Meal Plan.