What are the best rated diets for 2016?

Every year for the past 6 years, US News and World Reports ranks the best diets (Best Diets 2016).  They gather a panel of diet and nutrition experts and rank 38 diets on a number of criteria.  They rate various diets on areas of:

-ease in following

-diets ability to produce long-term and short term weight loss

-how nutritionally complete the diet is

-safety of the diet

-if the diet has the potential to prevent diabetes, heart disease or helps manage these diseases

What are the Best Diets Overall?  The ranking for best diets is based on ratings that included safety, weight loss, sustainability, and other factors.

1. DASH diet – The DASH diet also came in as number one last year.  This diet was originally developed for high blood pressure and the acronym stands for Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension.  But it is also a nutritionally complete diet, very safe, helps prevent and control diabetes, supports healthy hearts. 
2. MIND Diet – maybe you haven’t heard of this diet but it ranks 2^nd as Best Diets Overall.  This diet is actually a combination of top ranking diets, the DASH diet and the Mediterranean diet.  The difference is this diet focuses on foods that promote brain health.  It highlights 10 food groups for a healthy brain.  It de-emphasizes foods that don’t promote brain health. 
3. TLC Diet – stands for Therapeutic Lifestyle Changes and was created by the National Institutes of Health to promote hearth health.  A lot of focus is on cutting back on fats especially saturated fats, increasing fiber and limiting dietary cholesterol.

What are the Best Weight Loss Diets?

1. Weight Watchers – ranked number one again for those interested in losing weight.  Oprah is making Weight Watchers famous as she has had success with this diet.   This program teaches you how to eat healthier and change your eating habits for permanent weight loss that lasts.  The experts like Weight Watchers because it promotes group support, encourages fruits and vegetables, allows one to have some indulgences and it promotes exercise. 
2. HMR Program – haven’t heard of it?  Probably not, but it ranks second.  Need to use meal replacements supplemented with fruits and vegetables.  Exercise is also emphasized.  But this diet requires a motivated person to keep on it.
3. Biggest Loser Diet – yes it is based on a popular TV show but the diet is sound, healthy and also promotes exercise.  It again ranks number 3 in terms of weight loss approaches.  It offers a good combination of a nutritious diet and exercise to lose weight.  Stay on the diet for 6 weeks and reap the benefits of improved heart health and protection against diabetes. 
4. Jenny Craig – you see their commercials on TV all the time.  Many find success with this diet but others find it hard to keep the pounds off without all the pre-packaged food.  The pre-packaged meals can be a costly way to shed those pounds.  But others find the pre-packaged meals helpful.

We will explore these diets in more depth in future blog posts.  Take some time to visit the web site and read about the rankings and which diets are best. 

Source: Best Diets 2016 ,  Image source:  U.S. News and World Report