U.S. News & World Report Recommends Best Diets for 2017

Diet trends change rapidly, with many promoting unrealistic eating habits or promising miracle results. Feast on what you want and still loose weight! Juice cleanse to detoxify your liver and boost your metabolism! Eat like a caveman! As many frustrated dieters can attest, deciphering the truth behind diet claims is challenging; adhering to a new diet plan is difficult; and most passing trends fail to deliver lasting results. Some diets can even be dangerous.

To help consumers navigate the “diet craze” confusion and adopt healthy eating patterns, U.S. News & World Report released its 2017 rankings of best diets. Determined by a panel of nutrition experts, the rankings evaluate diets across seven categories: 1) how easy is it to follow, 2) ability to produce short-term weight loss, 3) ability to support long-term weight loss, 4) nutritional completeness, 5) safety, 6) prevention of chronic disease, and 7) management of chronic disease. Read on to learn about the top rankings for best overall diets, commercial diets, weight-loss diets, diabetes diets, and heart-healthy diets.

Best Overall Diets

1. Dietary Approach to Stop Hypertension (DASH) Diet: Developed by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, the DASH diet aims to prevent and lower high blood pressure and maintain a healthy body weight. The diet promotes consumption of plant foods, low-fat dairy, lean meats, nuts and seeds, and plant oils, while limiting consumption of sugars, red meat, and salt.

2. Mediterranean Diet: This is based off of the traditional diet found in countries bordering the Mediterranean Sea, as people there tend to live long and chronic disease-free. The Mediterranean diet promotes high intakes of fresh plant foods, olive oil, and seafood; moderate intakes of poultry and dairy; and limited intakes of sugary foods and red meat.

3. The Mediterranean-DASH Intervention for Neurodegenerative Delay (MIND) Diet: The MIND diet combines the DASH and Mediterranean diets with the goal of preventing cognitive decline associated with age. This diet emphasizes ten food groups that support brain health: 1) green leafy vegetables, 2) all other vegetables, 3) nuts, 4) berries, 5) beans, 6) whole grains, 7) fish, 8) poultry, 9) olive oil, and 10) wine. The MIND diet recommends avoiding red meat, butter and margarine, cheese, sweets, and fried or fast food.

Best Commercial Diets

1. Mayo Clinic Diet: Aiming to promote weight loss and adaption of positive lifestyle patterns, the Mayo Clinic Diet emphasizes fresh produce, whole grains, and healthy mealtime habits (i.e., no TV watching during meals, cutting out sugar, and limiting eating out).

2. Weight Watchers Diet: This diet program employs a point system to support healthy eating choices that can lead to weight loss. Nutrient-dense foods, like lean protein and fresh produce, are worth few points, while foods containing high levels of saturated fats and sugars are worth relatively higher point amounts.

3. Jenny Craig Diet: The Jenny Craig Diet supports weight loss and improved dietary practices by emphasizing restriction of calories, fat, and portions with a pre-packaged meal plan.

Best Weight-Loss Diets

1. Weight Watchers Diet

2. Jenny Craig Diet

3. Volumetrics Diet: The Volumetrics diet is based on the observation that people tend to eat the same weight of food each day, regardless of how many calories they consume. The diet promotes consumption of foods with low-energy density, such that one can reduce caloric intake and loose weight without actually eating less food.

Best Diabetes Diets

1. DASH Diet

2. Mediterranean Diet

3. Vegan Diet: A vegan diet eliminates all animal-source foods (i.e., meat, fish, poultry, dairy, and eggs) with the goal of supporting health, preventing chronic disease, and promoting environmental sustainability. Fresh produce, whole grains, nuts and seeds are the staples of this diet.

Best Heart-Healthy Diets

1. DASH Diet

2. Ornish Diet: The Ornish Diet is designed to be adaptable to one’s lifestyle constraints and personal health goals (i.e., preventing or reversing chronic disease, losing weight, etc.). It encourages consumption of fish, plants, and whole grains and categorizes food into five groups from most to least healthful to improve dietary choices.

3. Therapeutic Lifestyle Changes (TLC) Diet: Developed by the National Institutes of Health’s Cholesterol Education Program, the TLC diet is specifically geared towards lowering bad LDL cholesterol levels to decrease heart disease risk. The diet sharply limits intakes of saturated fat and cholesterol, while emphasizing intakes of high-fiber plant foods.

Before you make changes to your diet, it is always a good idea to consult your doctor or dietician, particularly if you are at risk for developing or have been diagnosed with a chronic disease. In addition to practical advice, these experts may also be able to provide or connect you with a support structure that will encourage your success with a new diet. To gain inspiration for healthy foods to add to your diet check out our post of super foods or visit the Moxy Kitchen recipe page!

Dr Kara

My journey to find a balanced way of living led me to a Ph.D. in Nutrition at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and a Master’s in Public Health at the University of California-Berkeley. My studies and experiences afford me a deep understanding of diet and lifestyle factors that contribute to optimal health. I contribute to projects in the U.S. and abroad that improve the health of individuals and families through nutritious foods. I believe the foods we eat impact our lives in so many ways, ranging from nourishing our body’s cells and tissues, to supporting emotional, physical, and social wellbeing. I am thrilled to be a part of the Moxy Kitchen team and support the development of flavorful, easy-to-use food products that add a nutrient-dense punch to daily meals.