Most Popular Diets in 2022

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Written by Amanda Johnson, Keto Expert and medically reviewed by Abby Courtenay

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As people spend more and more of our lives online, it’s getting easier to collect data that reveals our mundane daily activities as well as our secret interests, desires, and anxieties. It is not absurd to say,

Show me your browsing history and I will tell you who you are.

With this in mind, we’ve taken a peek into internet searches and social media activity all around the globe to see how people are thinking about eating and dieting in 2022. 

Have a look at the data, statistics, and trends we’ve discovered, including:

  • The most popular diets of 2022 by internet searches
  • The most popular diets of 2022 on social media
  • The most popular diets of 2022 by country

We also break down the numbers from surveys, reports, and more traditional ways of gathering information.


Most popular diets of 2022 by internet searches

Here is the data and statistics for the most popular diets in 2022, as measured by how many searches people make per month, both worldwide and in the United States.
 

Most Popular Diets of 2022 By Internet Searches - Data

Search term Global searches/month (2022) US searches/month (2022)

Intermittent fasting

1.2 M 528 K
Weight watchers 1.1 M 572 K
Keto diet 1.1 M 523 K
Mediterranean diet 586 K 396 K
Weight loss 379 K 149 K
Paleo diet 207 K 121 K
DASH diet 190 K 125 K
Low carb diet 135 K 62 K
Atkins diet 108 K 67 K
Plant based diet 107 K 64 K
Gluten free diet 86 K 41 K
Healthy diet 70 K 14 K
Flexitarian 58 K 17 K
Vegan diet 56 K 9.2 K
Clean eating 43 K 17 K
Vegetarian diet 20 K 9.3 K
Dairy free diet 7.1 K 3.3 K
Calorie counting 6.5 K 900

Study by PlanKetogenic 
Data collected using Ahrefs software
Data collected 2022, April 27 - May 4

 

What are the key takeaways?

1. Intermittent fasting, weight watchers, and keto are the 3 most popular diets in 2022, as determined by monthly searches, both in the United States and around the world.

 

This may be surprising when compared to data from the International Food Information Council’s 2021 Food & Health Survey1, which showed that the 3 diets followed by most Americans were calorie counting (10%), clean eating (9%), and intermittent fasting (8%), followed by low-carb (6%) and ketogenic or high-fat (5%).
 
Of course, most of us are painfully aware that searching for information about a diet is not the same as actually following it! 

However, the number of internet searches reveal valuable insights into people’s curiosity about these ways of eating.

And this curiosity may naturally translate into action. 

It’s easy to imagine, for example, somebody buying food products labeled as “keto” even if they don’t strictly follow the dietary guidelines. 

Or looking up “low-carb recipes” to cook at home without keeping their daily carbohydrate limit low enough to stay in ketosis.

(Learn more about the ketogenic marketplace and industry later in this article.)

 

2. “Keto diet” is more than twice as popular than “weight loss” itself in terms of search volume. 

 

And it’s not the only one! Intermittent fasting, Weight Watchers (now known as WW), and the Mediterranean eating style also rank higher than weight loss. 

This may serve as a reminder that losing weight is not always the main goal when starting dieting (although it is the most popular reason people give1).

 

3. Trend alert: many people are decreasing their meat intake, without eliminating it all together.

 

Plant-based and flexitarian plans are more popular in the United States than vegan and vegetarian ones, in terms of monthly searches in 2022:

  • Plant-based diet: 64 K
  • Flexitarian: 17 K
  • Vegetarian diet: 9.3 K
  • Vegan diet: 9.2 K

This seems to be a continuation of trends reported1 in 2021 showing that, compared to the previous year,

  • 1 in 4 people reported eating more protein from plant sources 
  • More than 20% of people reported eating more seafood, poultry, eggs
  • 19% of people reported eating more plant-based meat alternatives

 

Most popular diets of 2022 on social media

 

 

 

 

Here we can see that when it comes to social media, veganism shoots to the top of the charts, earning the number 1 spot for Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube, and coming in 2nd behind keto on Reddit.

Weight loss and gluten-free are also much higher in the ranks when it comes to social media, as compared to monthly searches. This may be on the one hand because people are proud of sharing or showing off their weight loss accomplishments on social media, and on the other, gluten-free people can find a supportive community with others who face similar challenges.

Keto is the biggest diet community on Reddit in 2022. Since Reddit is a place where people search for information, ask for advice, and share their experiences, this makes sense. Following a ketogenic plan can be difficult at first, especially overcoming the adaptation period and entering ketosis. So, it isn’t surprising that people reach out with questions for those who’ve already gone through the process. 


Most Popular Diets of 2022 on Social Media - Data

Hashtag Facebook 
(people posting)
Instagram
(posts)
YouTube
(videos)
Reddit
(members of related thread)
#vegan 1.9 M 122.2 M 260 K 915 K
#weightloss 1 M 82.2 M 579 K 243 K*
#glutenfree 707 K 39.1 M 53 K 78.9 K
#plantbased 614 K 38.7 M 48 K 8.6 K
#vegetarian 588 K 33.5 M 97 K 337 K
#keto 494 K 25.1 M 172 K 3 M
#lowcarb 401 K 27.9 M 71 K 62.6 K
#cleaneating 313 K 48.9 M 26 K 7.7 K
#dairyfree 189 K 12.8 M 11 K 34.5 K
#healthydiet 128 K 3.8 M 23 K 23.9 K*
#intermittentfasting 105 K 4.9 M 26 K 827 K
#paleo 86 K 15.4 M 14 K 165 K
#weightwatchers 48 K 10.1 M 11K 79.7 K
#mediterraneandiet 26 K 592 K 2 K 24.2 K
#flexitarian 11 K 455 K 494 2.7 K
#atkins 9.8 K 1.1 M 1.3 K 3.2 K
#dashdiet 2.2 K 22 K 327 1.8 K

Study by PlanKetogenic
Data collected 2022, April 27-28
*(asterisk) indicates that Reddit thread is related but not identical to hashtag
Related threads as indicated are r/WeightLossAdvice and  r/healthyeating
All other threads used are identical to hashtags in table (i.e., #keto and /r/keto)
Bold text indicates diets in the top 3 most popular on 1 more social media platforms

 

Is keto still popular in 2022?

As we have seen in the data above,

  • People search for “keto diet” 1.1 million times per month worldwide
  • In the US, people perform the same query 523,000 times per month
  • Keto has the biggest diet-based community on Reddit
  • It is in the top 3 most popular diets in terms of monthly search volume and YouTube videos


How big is the keto diet market?

All signs point to a growing keto marketplace in 2022 and beyond. This may be widely driven by the increase of ketogenic foods and supplements: 

Products with ketogenic claims are up 132% in 2022 compared to last year2

This seems to be a continuation of the trend as reported in 2021, which saw a 72% increase of products with “keto” in the name, as compared to the previous year before3

Looking ahead,

  • Projections by The Insight Partners4 estimate a 5.3% CAGR (compound annual growth rate) for the keto market, reaching 15.64 billion USD by 2027. 
  • Meanwhile, projections by Tecnavio5 estimate a CAGR of over 6.14% until 2025.

Projections may vary due to the inexact science of predicting the future(!)

 

Survey data: Hearing from keto dieters

Let’s hear it from the horse’s mouth! Here is some direct data from a survey6 of more than 300 people with experience following keto.

How do people decide to do keto?

  • >70% based on their own research 
  • <5% recommended by a registered dietitian

Why do people decide to do keto?

  • 84% Weight loss
  • 66% Improve overall health
  • Others: having greater energy, preventing or managing a chronic disease, and decreasing body fat

Do people exercise more during keto?

  • 65% No
  • 27% Yes

Where do people find guidance on how to do a ketogenic plan?

  • 85% Websites
  • 55% Cookbooks

Keto diet results data and statistics

  • 94% of keto followers reported experiencing “positive” or “very positive” changes in their health after changing their eating habits
  • 70% of those who tried keto said that the eating plan was “very” or “extremely” effective in helping them achieve their goals (weight loss, blood sugar control, increased energy levels)
  • 5% said they saw no change

What percentage of people recommend keto?

  • 80% of keto dieters say they are likely to recommend it

How strictly do people follow the ketogenic dietary guidelines?

  • 54% say they rarely or never cheat
  • 41% say they sometimes cheat
  • 5% say they often cheat

 

Global dieting trends in 2022

Where in the world is the keto most popular? 


 

Here we can see that while the US is the king of keto in terms of sheer numbers, the UK is also showing quite a lot of interest, especially when you consider that the population of the US is almost 5 times that of the UK (329.5 million vs. 67.22 million people). 

In fact, you could argue that keto is more popular in the UK than in the US, when you compare monthly searches to population. 

329.5 M people in the US, divided by 523 K monthly searches, equals 1 search for every 630 people.
67.22 M people in the UK, divided by 156 K monthly searches for keto, equals 1 search for every 430 people.

Here are the numbers for the pie chart above:

Keto Diet Searches 2022 Worldwide - Data

Country Monthly searches

% of monthly global searches

United States 523 K 48%
United Kingdom 156 K 14%
Canada 56 K 5%
Australia 54 K 5%
Philippines 23 K 2%
Sweden 18 K 1%
South Africa 13 K 1%
New Zealand 12 K 1%
Malaysia 12 K 1%
Ireland 11 K 1%

Study by PlanKetogenic
Search term “keto diet”
Data collected using Ahrefs software
Data collected 2022, April 27 - May 4


Finally, let’s take a look at where dietary plans are most popular in 2022. 


Most Popular Diets of 2022 By Country - Data

Search term Global searches/month Top 5 countries
(% of global searches)
Intermittent fasting 1.2 M US (44%)
India (10%)
UK (7%)
Canada (4%)
Philippines (3%)
Weight watchers 1.1 M US (52%)
UK (12%)
France (7%)
Canada (4%)
Germany (4%)
Keto diet 1.1 M US (48%)
UK (14%)
Canada (5%)
Australia (5%)
Philippines (2%)
Keto 500 K US (32%)
Germany (10%)
UK (5%)
France (5%)
Canada (4%)
Mediterranean diet 586 K US (67%)
UK (7%)
Canada (6%)
Australia (5%)
India (1%)
Weight loss 379 K US (39%)
India (24%)
UK (9%)
Canada (3%)
Australia (2%)
Paleo diet 207 K US (58%)
UK (10%)
Canada (6%)
India (5%)
Australia (4%)
DASH diet 190 K US (65%)
India (8%)
Canada (5%)
UK (3%)
Philippines (2%)
Low carb diet 135 K US (45%)
UK (11%)
Philippines (5%)
Australia (5%)
Canada (5%)
Atkins diet 108 K US (62%)
UK (10%)
Canada (4%)
Australia (3%)
India (3%)
Plant based diet 107 K US (59%)
UK (10%)
Canada (4%)
Australia (4%)
South Africa (2%)
Gluten free diet 86 K US (47%)
India (18%)
UK (11%)
Canada (3%)
Australia (3%)
Healthy diet 70 K India (24%)
US (20%)
UK (12%)
Philippines (7%)
Australia (3%)
Flexitarian 58 K US (29%)
UK (20%)
Poland (8%)
Australia (7%)
Canada (3%)
Vegan diet 56 K US (44%)
India (16%)
UK (10%)
Canada (3%)
Australia (3%)
Clean eating 43 K US (39%)
Germany (14%)
Sweden (11%)
UK (5%)
Canada (3%)
Vegetarian diet 20 K US (46%)
UK (9%)
India (6%)
Canada (4%)
Philippines (3%)
Dairy free diet 7.1 K US (46%)
UK (21%)
Australia (6%)
Canada (4%)
Ireland (2%)
Calorie counting 6.5 K UK (52%)
US (13%)
Egypt (12%)
Australia (5%)
Ireland (1%)

Study by Planketogenic
Data collected using Ahrefs software
Data collected 2022, April 27 - May 4


Here we can see that the United States has the highest number of search results for all except for “healthy diet” (1st place India) and “calorie counting” (1st place UK). 

Of course, there are many factors at play when comparing numbers of searches across countries, including the population of the country, the percentage of the population with regular internet access, whether English is a main language in the country, etc. 

For example, the language issue may help explain why Germany comes in 2nd for searches of “keto” but is not even in the top 5 for “keto diet,” which would be Keto-Diät in German.

Still, it’s interesting to see the US, UK, and India emerge as the top players in the search for information across so many different dietary styles.

As with any study, when you answer one question, many more appear. Certainly, there is no lack of fertile areas of inquiry to explore on the topic of dieting in 2022. 


References

1. International Food Information Council (IFIC)’s 2021 Food & Health Survey
https://foodinsight.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/IFIC-2021-Food-and-Health-Survey.May-2021-1.pdf 
Note: Results were weighted by age, gender, race/ethnicity, education, and region to reflect the American population ages 18 to 80.

2. NielsenIQ Label Insight e-commerce consumer search data, year-over-year searches
https://nielseniq.com/global/en/insights/commentary/2022/ask-the-dietitian-2022-top-diets/

3. Instacart survey of 2,050 U.S. adults conducted online by The Harris Poll in 2021
https://www.instacart.com/company/pressreleases/instacart-releases-first-new-year-new-cart-2021-grocery-trends-report-forecasting-the-food-trends-grocery-shopping-habits-for-the-year-ahead/

4. Ketogenic Diet Market Forecast to 2027 - COVID-19 Impact and Global Analysis by Product Type (Supplements, Beverages, Snacks, Dairy, and Others); and Distribution Channel (Hypermarket & Supermarket, Specialty Stores, Convenience Stores, and Others); and Geography
https://www.theinsightpartners.com/reports/ketogenic-diet-market

5. Ketogenic Diet Market by Product and Geography - Forecast and Analysis 2021-2025

https://www.technavio.com/report/ketogenic-diet-market-industry-analysis

Survey by U.S. News and America’s Test Kitchen, from 2020
https://health.usnews.com/wellness/articles/we-surveyed-people-on-the-keto-diet-heres-what-they-say