Get Beach-Ready by Rethinking America’s Diet Map

For many households, travel plans often go hand in hand with diet goals, whether it’s gearing up for beach season or simply wanting to feel better on the go. Getting into shape before a trip is a common motivator.

For anyone looking to start dieting, the options may feel overwhelming, which is hardly surprising, considering how diet culture has permeated our lives. The U.S. weight loss market has become one of America’s fastest-growing industries. A recent Custom Market Insights report predicts that it will generate over $300 billion by 2030. 

Therefore, finding one’s way through this maze can be daunting, as the advice of online fitness influencers often conflicts with traditional mainstream nutritional thinking. A would-be dieter in today’s hectic online commercial onslaught might find it challenging to know where to start. 

The Upside-Down Food Pyramid

Furthermore, numerous talking heads with large subscriber bases have qualms with the US Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) 1992 MyPyramid, better known as the Food Pyramid. 

There has long been some concern that the dietary guide most of us grew up with was flawed, leading to generations of unhealthy kids. 

A video by the think tank YouTube channel, Freethink, titled “Did The Food Pyramid Make Us Fat?” has over five million views. Its premise focuses on how the Food Pyramid should have been reversed, causing decades of poor dietary choices across several generations. Placing carbohydrates at the bottom, with the highest weekly intake, while pushing fats to the top, was a significant mistake. 

Fat’s Bad Publicity Campaign

“The message it sent was simple and clear — carbohydrates: good; fat: bad,” says the video’s narrator about the USDA’s creation. When considering the health advantages of good fats, one might agree. Incidentally, the Food Pyramid was replaced in 2011 by a more balanced-looking MyPlate.

Daniel Yetman of wellness platform Healthline lists these in a post advising on signs your body needs more healthy fats. In addition to supporting cell growth, dietary fat helps us absorb vitamins, aids in wound healing, and plays a role in hormone production. Moreover, one gram of fat “provides you with about nine calories of energy,” says Yetman. For comparison, the same amount of carbs or protein yields less than half of that. 

The Rise of Dieting Fads

Americans have a long history of dieting trends, with the concept of dieting having its earliest recorded inception in the United Kingdom. William Banting was the world’s first pioneer of a low-carbohydrate diet, following a long career as an undertaker. His booklet, “Letter on Corpulence, Addressed to the Public,” outlined the efficacy of a low-carb diet. 

Britain’s Diabetes platform labels Banting among its “Pioneers of Diabetes” for his work. It still today recommends the Banting Diet as “being safe and effective for weight loss,” as well as benefiting individuals with diabetes. 

A Dieting Pilgrimage

Perhaps a good solution for those seeking a healthier eating lifestyle could be to embark on a road trip to the healthiest states in the United States. A 2025 post from product lifecycle company TraceOne charted the states with the healthiest diets. 

To begin, the platform’s “Diet-Related Health Conditions By State” map indicates where obesity and diabetes are most prevalent (spoiler alert: it’s not good news for West Virginia). It then proceeds to a scatter plot graph illustrating regional fruit and vegetable consumption across all 50 states. 

The South, namely Louisiana, Texas, Arkansas, and Mississippi, demonstrates the lowest consumption of fresh produce. Meanwhile, New Hampshire, Vermont, and Maine hold top spots. 

Competing for Calorie Command

Dieting trends vary across America’s map, with numerous fads competing for recognition, and data on which states prefer which diet emerged in 2023. AZ Big Media’s exploration of this topic occurred two years ago, and it likely appears somewhat similar today. 

In 2023, the vegan diet was the country’s leading diet fad, followed by its inverse trend, the ketogenic (keto) diet. The next three diets on the popularity chart were the WeightWatchers, vegetarian, and intermittent fasting diets. 

The map looked different when using this metric, and veganism held the most sway among more traditionally Democratic states. At the same time, keto made more gains in the country’s interior, Southern states, and Alaska.

What Happened to the South Beach Diet?

Some diet trends may evoke a pang of nostalgia in some nutrition enthusiasts. For instance, most people of a certain age will remember the doomed Atkins diet (the less-cool-sounding precursor to the carnivore diet) or the South Beach diet. While the former was never more than a fleeting phenomenon, the latter soon gained many followers. 

The South Beach diet, named after its namesake in Miami Beach, Florida, gained popularity in the early 2000s, with proponents including President Bill Clinton. While its popularity may have waned since its inception, this diet still retains some health benefits, not least reducing bad calories.

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South Beach diet recipes are designed to curb cravings for unhealthy ingredients, focusing on good carbs (such as fruits) and eliminating the bad (like sugar and syrups). 

If you visit South Beach, Florida, you can understand the appeal of such a diet: the place is a Mecca for health enthusiasts who love beach life. 

A Healthy South Beach Restaurant Scene

Although there may not be any South Beach diet-based restaurants, many restaurants share similar principles. Planta on South Beach is one example, serving a low-carb, plant-based Japanese fusion menu. Dishes like unagi eggplant nigiri or General D’s cauliflower greet those looking for meals packed with low-fat, healthy carbs. 

Other examples include Pura Vida Miami, which offers a range of health-conscious choices tailored to customers’ needs. For reference, the dining out platform OpenTable lists the 81 healthiest restaurants in the South Beach area. 

Pick This, Not This

For added convenience, local food guide The Palm offers a dining out guide for South Beach diet followers on how to order at restaurants. “Craving Mexican?” asks the guide, referring to a photo of grilled chicken fajita lettuce wraps. “Pick this,” it advises, before comparing it to an unwholesome-looking fried-cheese burrito. “Not this.” 

Knowing what diet you wish to start might just require a road trip to see how others are doing it. A journey of self-discovery was never a bad thing, especially if you can’t decide. The good news is that finding information on dieting has never been easier. The bad news: making a decision has never been harder.