Dieting is a very difficult task, no matter what your goals are: losing weight, improving your health, or simply eating healthier, healthier and more balanced. But it may be even more difficult to decide which diet you should stick to.
It is clear that there is no universal diet that suits everyone, but you still need to somehow choose which one is more likely to benefit you rather than harm you.
To help people sort through the plethora of hyped diet fads and make informed choices, U.S. News & World Report has published a “diet ranking” for the 14th year in a row . Each diet is scored by a panel of 43 experts, including doctors, nutritionists, nutritionists, epidemiologists, and other specialists.
When assessing diets, experts rely on the following criteria:
- completeness of nutrients;
- health risks and benefits;
- the ability to stick to a diet for a long time;
- proven effectiveness.
For the seventh year in a row, the title of the best diet goes to the Mediterranean diet – it is the leader among all 30 nutrition plans included in the rating, both in quality and in the absence of contraindications and the possibility of long-term use. This type of diet also ranks number one in categories such as “Best Diet for a Healthy Eating”, “Best Diet for Diabetes”, “Best Diet for a Healthy Heart”, “Best Diet for Bones and Joints”, “Best Diet for the whole family” “The easiest diet to follow.”
Second place in the “Best Diet” category went to the DASH diet , a nutrition plan primarily designed to prevent and combat hypertension. And in third place in this category is the MIND diet , aimed at improving brain health and preventing dementia and other neurodegenerative diseases. All these diets are suitable for all family members, they have no contraindications or restrictions, and you can follow them without much stress for the rest of your life.
The WeightWatchers nutrition program won the “Best Diet for Weight Loss” category , the Keto Diet won the “Best Diet for Rapid Weight Loss” category , and the Flexitarian Diet won the “Best Plant-Based Diet” category .
Worst Diets of 2024
At the opposite end of the rankings were diets that involve strict avoidance of certain food groups, diets such as raw food, the Dukan and Atkins diets , and the ketogenic diet (despite the fact that it was recognized as the best if your goal is to lose weight quickly).
Let’s talk about the best and worst diets of 2024 in a little more detail.
1. Mediterranean diet
Although people living in different regions of the Mediterranean eat slightly differently, the basis of their diet is the same – vegetables, fruits, nuts, seeds, whole grains, legumes, sea fish and seafood, herbs and spices, cheeses, poultry, lean meats , red wine, and healthy unsaturated fats, sourced from high-quality extra virgin olive oil.
In general, the nutritional rules according to the Mediterranean diet are as follows:
- Eat as varied as possible
- Every day, with every meal, eat fruits, vegetables, whole grains, beans, lentils, beans, nuts, herbs and spices, olive oil
- Eat fish and seafood at least twice a week
- Poultry, eggs, cheese, yogurt – either a little every day or several times a week
- Lean red meat and sweets – no more than several times a month.
- A glass or two of red wine – every now and then
- Completely eliminate fast food, sugary drinks, and processed foods from your diet.
This diet is rich in fiber, vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and other substances beneficial to the body, it prolongs life, improves its quality and reduces the risk of serious diseases such as cardiovascular disease and cancer.
2. DASH diet
DASH is an acronym for Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension. This diet is very similar to the Mediterranean diet, only with more strictly prescribed portions and restrictions. The DASH diet is also based on the consumption of vegetables, fruits, poultry, fish, seafood, legumes, whole grains, nuts, olive oil, and low-fat dairy products.
It is recommended to sharply reduce or completely avoid foods containing saturated fats and trans fats, primarily fatty red meat and full-fat dairy products. In addition, it is necessary to sharply reduce salt intake (no more than 2.3 grams per day), as well as drinks and foods with added sugar. This type of nutrition not only helps normalize blood pressure, but also brings many other benefits to the body.
3. MIND Diet
MIND is an acronym for Mediterranean-DASH Intervention for Neurodegenerative Delay. This type of diet is a combination of the Mediterranean and DASH diets, and is based on foods that are especially beneficial for brain health (green leafy vegetables, nuts, berries).
Although it is impossible to completely prevent the development of Alzheimer’s disease or dementia, it is believed that a healthy diet can still slow down the pathological processes occurring in the nervous system by reducing oxidative stress and inflammation.
The MIND diet recommends eating a variety of green leafy vegetables (lettuce, spinach, chard, etc.) daily, as well as other vegetables and whole grains, a variety of berries, especially blueberries, and a variety of legumes at least five times a week. snack on nuts, eat sea fish at least once a week. It is also beneficial to consume at least two tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil every day, using it instead of butter or frying oil. You can also drink a glass of red wine every day as part of the MIND diet.
At the same time, it is necessary to limit or completely avoid foods that are harmful to the brain, primarily saturated fats and sugar. Thus, no more than a teaspoon of butter per day is allowed, and no more than four servings of red meat or meat products, no more than five servings of sweets, and no more than two servings of fatty cheese per week.
4. WeightWatchers (WW) system
This is a comprehensive sustainable weight loss program that combines lifestyle changes, scientific nutrition and social support.
Thus, for people suffering from obesity or simply wanting to lose weight, the WW program offers an individual point system.
Scores are calculated based on a food’s content of good and bad substances, such as added sugar, fiber, protein, saturated and unsaturated fat, as well as age, body mass index and level of physical activity. Using the app, the user can always find out if they are staying within their daily or weekly points quota, which can increase as their level of physical activity increases.
For example, if you ate three slices of pizza and a soda this morning, but didn’t go to the gym, your points for that day are gone. This means sticking to fruits, non-starchy vegetables, low-fat yogurt, and other zero-point foods for the rest of the day. You can plan your meals and lifestyle to stay within your quota.
5. Flexitarian and vegan diets
The name of the flexitarian diet is derived from a combination of two words – flexible (flexible) and vegetarian (vegetarian). This is a type of vegetarian diet in which you eat mostly plant-based foods, but still indulge in the occasional burger or steak.
Research shows that eating a diet high in plant-based foods and low in meat helps normalize weight and reduce the risks of heart disease, diabetes and cancer.
In general, a flexitarian diet involves eating dairy products and eggs in addition to vegetables, fruits, legumes and whole grains, spices and seasonings. This approach fully provides the body with all the microelements it needs, which cannot be said about another, super-fashionable plant-based diet – vegan.
The vegan diet took only 10th place in the ranking of the best diets, because, despite all the benefits of plant foods, it involves the complete exclusion of animal protein from the diet. And this threatens a deficiency of such essential substances for the normal functioning of the body as vitamin B12 and calcium, which are not produced by plants.
6. Ketogenic diet
This is a diet based on very high fat intake and very low carbohydrate intake. As a result, a state similar to hunger is caused in the body, and it begins to use stored fat as an energy source rather than carbohydrates. As a result, you can lose weight quickly, especially if you combine the keto diet with active exercise.
The disadvantages of the keto diet, first of all, include the fact that it has an extreme effect on the body, which has to urgently rebuild its metabolism, and therefore is not suitable for everyone.
This type of diet should be avoided by children, pregnant women, and patients with certain types of cancer, heart disease, kidney disease, and liver disease. The keto diet can also negatively affect the production of insulin and reproductive hormones, so patients with diabetes, especially those taking insulin, should approach the keto diet with great caution and, if they do decide to do this diet, be closely monitored medical supervision.
In general, anyone who wants to try the keto diet is advised to first consult with a doctor and nutritionist.
Other risks associated with the keto diet may include certain nutrient deficiencies due to limited foods, digestive and cardiovascular problems, kidney stones, muscle loss, and cognitive impairment.
7. Atkins and Dukan diets
Both of these restrictive diets, aimed primarily at weight loss, are based on low carbohydrate intake and high protein intake. The idea, as with the ketogenic diet, is that if there is a shortage of the main fuel, carbohydrates, the body will begin to burn fat reserves.
These diets are not easy to follow; they require adherence to strict rules and recommendations. Like the ketogenic diet, these meal plans are not suitable for children, teenagers, pregnant or breastfeeding women, and are far from safe for people with various diseases – diabetes, kidney stones, kidney and heart failure, depression, osteoporosis, eating disorders.
Additionally, as with any diet that involves eliminating certain food groups, there is a risk of deficiencies in important nutrients.
8. Raw food diet
This is, according to experts, the worst diet you can choose. Although there are different variations of this type of diet, its basis is to consume exclusively those foods that have not undergone any culinary processing. In most cases, we are talking about raw vegetables and fruits, less often raw milk, fish or meat are added to them.
Proponents of a raw food diet believe that this method of eating is the healthiest, because cooking destroys most of the vitamins, microelements and other important substances contained in foods, but there is no scientific confirmation of this theory.
Like other extreme diets, a raw food diet is dangerous for people of all ages and health conditions, but it is completely contraindicated, first of all, for children and adolescents, whose bodies are rapidly developing. With this type of nutrition, they simply do not have enough calories and nutrients for normal growth and development. Not to mention that raw dairy products, meat and fish that have not undergone the pasteurization process pose a direct threat to health.