Diet that forbids dairy, sugar is the most popular trend in the U.S., says takeout service

HEALTH

Diet that forbids dairy, sugar is the most popular trend in the U.S., says takeout service

Relaxnews Published Friday, May 12, 2017 1:32PM EDT

Food often eaten on a paleo diet. Although there is nothing wrong with consuming more fruits, vegetables and nuts, cutting out whole grains could be one of the factors linking the paleo diet to a higher count of TMAO in the blood, a new study suggests. (IGphotography / Istock.com)

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The most popular regime in take-out dining in the U.S. is the Paleo Diet, a restrictive lifestyle that supposedly mimics the diets of our ancestors when they were hunter-gatherers.

That's according to a new survey by take-out service Grubhub, which analyzed the volume of its take-out orders to extract conclusions on American diet habits.

Compared to 2015, online and mobile orders of Paleo foods increased 370 per cent in 2016 across the U.S., says Grubhub, outpacing the raw diet, juice cleanse, veganism and gluten-free diets which round out the top five eating plans.

For the uninitiated, the Paleolithic diet -- also known as the Caveman or Stone Age Diet -- replicates the kinds of foods that would only have been available to Paleolithic humans. That means fruits, vegetables, meats, fish, nuts and seeds are allowed, but dairy, legumes, cereals and sugars are not.

For the survey, analysts looked at a combination of dietary tags and specific eating plans in order data from Jan. 1 to Dec. 31, 2016.

The results were also broken down by city to reveal some interesting trends.

For example, Seattle emerged the most health-conscious, most finicky city in the U.S., with more residents placing special dietary orders for their takeout meal than any other city: Seattleites order 309 per cent more foods related to eating plans and diets compared to the rest of the country.

The most popular eating plan in that city? Gluten-free foods.

Elsewhere, you're more likely to find vegans in cities like Los Angeles, Las Vegas, and Chicago, while New Yorkers, Bostonians and residents in San Francisco are more likely to order low-fat meals.

The Paleo diet is particularly popular in Texas, with Dallas, Houston and Austin, where locals favor the caveman's diet.

Here are the most popular eating plans across the U.S.:

Paleo: 370 per cent increase in orders in 2016 vs. the year prior

Raw: 92 per cent increase in orders in 2016 vs. the year prior

Juice cleanse: 89 per cent increase in orders in 2016 vs. the year prior

Vegan: 58 per cent increase in orders in 2016 vs. the year prior

Gluten-free: 35 per cent increase in orders in 2016 vs. the year prior

Low-fat: 21 per cent increase in orders in 2016 vs. the year prior

Mediterranean: 7 per cent increase in orders in 2016 vs. the year prior

Keto: 5 per cent increase in orders in 2016 vs. the year prior