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For the seventh year in a row, the Mediterranean style of eating earned the title of best overall diet, according to the 2024 rankings announced by US News & World Report on Wednesday.
The Mediterranean diet also came first in the categories of easiest diet to follow, best diet for the family, best diet for healthy eating and best diet for diabetes, bone and joint nutrition and heart healthy, the report said.
The DASH diet (dietary approach to stop hypertension) won second place for the best diet, with the MIND diet (Mediterranean-DASH intervention for neurodegenerative delay) third on the list of 30 diets. The top three diets are all plant-based, focusing on fruits and vegetables, whole grains, beans and seeds.
The award committee of 43 nutritional experts evaluated the vegan diet for the first time, which won third place in the best plant-based diets. Other newly rated diets for 2024 included the Dukan diet (28 of the top 30 overall diets); the Herbalife Nutrition diet (29 out of 30 diets); the HMR (Health Management Resources) (21 out of 30 diets) and its co-brand, the Profile Plan (19 out of 30 diets); and the Plantstrong diet (formerly Engine 2), which was ranked 15th in the best overall diet category.
“The world of diet and nutrition can be confusing and full of misinformation and inaccurate health claims,” Shanley Chien, senior health editor at US News, said in an email.
“That’s why US News puts its users first, gathering input from nationally recognized medical and nutrition experts to find out which diets come out on top for nutritional completeness, ease of following and promote a long-term healthy lifestyle,” said Gretel Schueller , health managing editor at US News & World Report.
What is the Mediterranean style of eating?
A study found that the Mediterranean diet can reduce the risk of diabetes, high cholesterol, dementia, memory loss, depression and breast cancer. The meal plan, which is more of an eating style than a restricted diet, has also been linked to stronger bones, a healthier heart and a longer life.
The diet includes simple, plant-based cooking, with most of each meal centered on fruits and vegetables, whole grains, beans and seeds, with a few nuts and a heavy emphasis on extra-virgin olive oil. Fats other than olive oil, such as butter, are rarely consumed, if at all, and sugar and refined foods are reserved for special occasions.
Red meat is used sparingly, usually to flavor a dish. Eating healthy oily fish, which is packed with omega-3 fatty acids, is encouraged, and eggs, dairy and poultry are eaten in much smaller portions than in a traditional Western diet.
Social interactions during meals and exercise are fundamental cornerstones of the Mediterranean eating style. Lifestyle changes that form part of the diet include eating with friends and family, socializing over meals, carefully eating your favorite foods and engaging in mental movement and exercise.
Ranked last by experts
Last place on the list of 30 best overall diets went to the raw food diet, which recommends eating food that has not been “cooked, processed, microwaved, irradiated, genetically engineered or exposed to pesticides or herbicides,” said the report.
While those characteristics may appear healthy, the diet is too nutritionally restrictive and may be unsafe for some people, according to the US News & World Report website. In fact, cooking several foods “allows for more variety and increases intake of protein and other essential nutrients,” said Dr. Vanita Rahman, an internal medicine physician and clinic director at Barnard Medical Center in Washington, DC. .
“The safest and healthiest way to enjoy raw foods is as part of a whole food, plant-based diet rich in raw fruits and vegetables, and cooked lentils, beans, grains and vegetables,” said Rahman in website evaluation.
The popular keto diet came in 25th in the overall rankings but got the No. 1 in the best quick weight loss category, according to the report. However, experts say that the diet, which requires limiting carbs to about 20 per day, is too restrictive to continue for long.
“I see a lot of people go on keto trying to lose weight and then go off keto when they can’t do it anymore. This diet is hard to stick to, and not many people (follow a diet that is) keto but low-carb,” said registered dietitian and panelist Amanda Sauceda in an evaluation on the US News & World Report site.
People with heart, liver and kidney conditions and certain types of cancer should not go on the diet, the report noted. Children who have not been told by a doctor to lose weight, pregnant people and high performance athletes should also not go on the keto diet.
A 2023 review of studies found that there was concern that staying on keto for more than two years could lead to cognitive decline, nutritional deficiencies, kidney stones, heart disease and muscle loss.
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