Some people hear about a new way of eating and start the next morning. Others wait years, watch their friends, and only then decide to give it a try. Men and women weighing up low carb or keto often recognize themselves in one of these groups.
Dr. Ken Berry, a family physician from Tennessee, talked about exactly this in a recent episode of Dr. Philip Ovadia's Stay Off My Operating Table podcast. You can watch the full conversation in our Base Camp video library or on YouTube.
Dr. Berry's "buckets" of people
Partway through the interview, Dr. Ovadia asks why so many doctors are slow to come around to low-carb eating. Dr. Berry answers with a simple idea: "You can break up all of humanity into basically six buckets when any new discovery comes out."
Here is something worth being upfront about. He says six buckets, but in the conversation, he only names five. We are not going to guess at a sixth. Here are the five, in his words, where we can, with the rough percentages he gave.
- Mavericks (about 10%). These people see something new and, as he puts it, "immediately start to act on that new information."
- Early adopters (about 15%). They watch the mavericks, look into the research for themselves, and then they are "off to the races."
- Early majority (about 25%). They come along once the first two groups have gone ahead. In the podcast, he imagines a cautious doctor in this group saying, "If you wanna try keto, eh, it's probably safe and fine."
- Late majority. Dr. Berry names this group but does not describe it or give a number. We can only assume that this group eventually gets to the right answer, but it can take a very long time.
- Laggards (about 10%). In his telling, these are the people who are slowest to change, and may never change at all.
He was talking mostly about doctors. But the same pattern fits the rest of us, and it is a useful way to think about how low carb and keto eating has spread over the past several years.
Where this idea comes from
If those group names sound familiar, there is a reason. They closely echo a well-known model from sociologist Everett Rogers, laid out in his book Diffusion of Innovations. That connection is our observation, not something Dr. Berry says in the interview.
Rogers sorted people into five groups: innovators, early adopters, early majority, late majority and laggards. In his model, the late majority are a cautious, skeptical group who tend to wait until most people around them have already made a change. Since Dr. Berry does not describe the late majority himself, that is the description we will lean on here, with credit to Rogers.
Low carb's long walk from the fringe to the kitchen table
For a long time, eating low carb was something only the mavericks did. Then, around 2018, public interest took off. In Google's 2018 Year in Search for the United States, "keto diet" was the number one trending diet search, and five of the top ten trending food searches started with the word "keto" (pancakes, cheesecake, cookies, chili and brownies). In Australia, "keto recipes" topped the list of recipe searches that same year.
You could call that the early adopter rush. What happened next is quieter and more interesting. According to the International Food Information Council's 2024 Food and Health Survey of 3,000 American adults, 54% said they had followed a specific eating pattern in the past year, up from 38% in 2019. Of those surveyed, 7% said they followed a low-carb diet, and 4% said they followed a ketogenic or high-fat diet. High protein eating was the most common pattern at 20%.
Those numbers are American, not Canadian, so take them as a general picture. Still, the story is easy to see. Low-carb is no longer a fringe idea. It sits right beside "eat more protein" and "cut back on sugar" in everyday conversation. To borrow Dr. Berry's terms, it looks to us like low carb has moved well past the mavericks and is working its way into the majority.
Where might you sit?
None of these groups is better than another. Every group has its strengths, and moving at your own pace is not a flaw.
- You might be a maverick or early adopter if you have already read the books, watched the videos and tried it. Your challenge is usually not starting. It is staying steady, keeping it simple, and not burning out on every new rule you hear about.
- You might be in the early majority if you have been curious for a while. Maybe a friend or a neighbour has changed the way they eat, and you have noticed. You want it to make sense before you jump in. That is a perfectly good reason to take your time.
- You might be in the late majority if you have heard about keto for years and stayed skeptical. Perhaps you have seen diets come and go since the 1980s. You would rather wait until it feels normal. That caution has probably served you well in plenty of other parts of life.
- You might be a laggard, and happy to say so, if you are fond of your toast and porridge and do not see why anything needs to change. That is fine too. Nobody has to adopt anything.
The point is not to label yourself. It is important to notice what you need before a change feels right. Mavericks need focus. The early majority wants proof and a plan. The late majority wants to see that it has worked for people like them. Wherever you sit, the next step looks a little different.
A note from my own climb
From 2018 to 2026, I lost 50 pounds and got all my energy back. That is my story, and I share it because it is part of why I do this work. It is not a promise of what will happen to you. Everyone's body, history and life are different, and that is exactly why coaching starts with listening. I can't climb the mountain for you, but I can help design a plan that gives you a better chance at reaching your goals.
Before you change the way you eat
This post is for general education and coaching, not medical advice. I am an HCA Registered Health Coach, not a doctor, and I do not diagnose or treat any condition. Please talk to your doctor before changing your diet, especially if you take medication. Some medications may need to be reviewed by your doctor when your eating changes, so keep them in the loop.
Want some company on the way?
If you are curious but not sure where to start, our guide to starting keto with simple food swaps is a gentle first step. If you are wondering whether this is something you could keep up for the long haul, read Is the Ketogenic Diet Sustainable?. And if you would like structure and a coach in your corner for eight weeks, have a look at the Base Camp package.
Whatever group you are in, you do not have to figure it out alone. A free discovery call is a relaxed chat about where you are, what you want, and whether coaching is a good fit. Ascent offers online metabolic health coaching across Ontario and Canada.
Frequently asked questions
What are Dr. Ken Berry's groups of people?
On Dr. Philip Ovadia's podcast, Dr. Berry says people fall into "six buckets" when a new discovery comes out, and names five: mavericks, early adopters, early majority, late majority and laggards.
Is low carb or keto safe for me?
That depends on your health and any medications you take, so it is a question for your doctor. Please talk to your doctor before making changes. A coach can then help you build habits that fit your life.
How popular is low carb eating now?
In a 2024 survey of American adults by the International Food Information Council, 7% said they followed a low carb diet and 4% a keto or high fat diet in the past year.
Where do you offer your services?
I work with clients in Ontario and across Canada.
Sources
- Dr. Ken Berry on Stay Off My Operating Table with Dr. Philip Ovadia, episode 270, "Dr. Ken Berry Revolutionizes Diabetes Care, Challenge Traditional Associations" (I Fix Hearts by Dr. Ovadia, YouTube): https://youtu.be/lu5WCsjxO5M
- Same video in the Ascent Base Camp video library: https://www.ascentmetaboliccoaching.ca/videowatch/v/fskaa4rep3tcgb5eagbahh76smt52j
- Google Year in Search 2018, United States (Diet and Food lists): https://trends.withgoogle.com/year-in-search/2018/us/
- Google Australia blog, Year in Search 2018 ("Keto recipes" top recipe search): https://blog.google/intl/en-au/products/explore-get-answers/year-in-search-2018-heres-what-aussies/
- International Food Information Council, 2024 Food and Health Survey (PDF, page 18: 54% vs 38% in 2019; low carb 7%; ketogenic or high fat 4%; high protein 20%): https://ific.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/2024-IFIC-Food-Health-Survey.pdf
- IFIC 2024 survey overview and methodology (3,000 Americans aged 18 to 80): https://ific.org/research/2024-food-health-survey/
- Everett M. Rogers, Diffusion of Innovations, 5th edition (Simon and Schuster): https://www.simonandschuster.net/books/Diffusion-of-Innovations-5th-Edition/Everett-M-Rogers/9780743222099
- Diffusion of innovations: a guiding framework for public health, Scandinavian Journal of Public Health (adopter categories and percentages): https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/14034948211014104
- Ascent: How to Start Keto with Simple Food Swaps: https://www.ascentmetaboliccoaching.ca/blog/how-to-start-keto
- Ascent: Is the Ketogenic Diet Sustainable?: https://www.ascentmetaboliccoaching.ca/blog/is-keto-sustainable
- Ascent: Base Camp, an 8 Week Coaching Program: https://www.ascentmetaboliccoaching.ca/the-base-camp-package