Best Diets: As Ranked by Experts

With no shortage of diets to choose from, picking the best one can be difficult. US News and World Reports recently released their list of top diets as rated by health experts. The results may surprise you.

How did they choose?
US News consulted a panel of experts in the fields of diet, nutrition, obesity, food psychology, diabetes and heart disease and asked them what they thought of the most popular eating plans. The experts ranked each diet on a variety of factors including overall healthfulness, likelihood of helping you lose weight, how easy they are to follow and how beneficial they are for certain diseases like diabetes or heart disease.

Which diets ranked highest?
The DASH diet took the top spot for best overall diet followed by the Mediterranean Diet and the relatively new MIND diet. The MIND diet focuses on brain health and combines aspects of the Mediterranean and DASH diets. Plant-based diets scored well overall with the Flexitarian Diet taking the #4 spot overall and the Vegan Diet landing at #2 for diabetes. US News also ranked diets in specific categories with Weight Watchers ranking as the best weight loss diet while DASH took the top spot for diabetes and tied with the Ornish diet for best for heart-health.

How do you pick the one that is best for you?
Even with these expert rankings, one thing remains true – diet is not something that is one size fits all. To find what works best for you, it is important to consider your overall health, your short and long term goals and your overall lifestyle. A conversation with your doctor or dietitian can help you get started.

REFERENCES:
1. US New s and World Reports Ranking: Best Diets 2017. Available at http://health.usnews.com/best-diet. Accessed January 9, 2017.

Written by: Jennifer M. Roberts, MS, RD.
March 2017

Comments

Fish For Your Heart?

Cutting back on red meat is a common recommendation for both health and sustainability. What’s less clear is what we should replace the meat with. A recent study looked at this and the results may surprise you. If not red meat, what? Red meat appears on many lists of foods to eat less of due mostly to its saturated fat and cholesterol content, and the fact that we tend to eat too much of it. A recent study looked at what we should consider substituting for red meat when we follow the advice to cut back. Of all of the substitutions the study looked at, one stood out as the best choice – fish high in omega-3s. The fatty fish showed more benefits for heart health than poultry, unprocessed meat and even lean fish. Is fish safe to eat? Fish, especially the kind that gives us omega-3s, has long been considered a healthy choice. Warnings related to contamination by mercury and other toxins has left many people wondering if fish is safe to eat. For most people, the benefits of eating fish far ...

Cutting the Salt!

Salt is found in more food products than you may realize. The 2015-2020 Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommend that American's should consume fewer than 2,300 milligrams (mg) per day of salt (this is slightly less than 1 teaspoon of salt). Adults age 51 and older, African Americans of any age and people with high blood pressure, diabetes or chronic kidney disease should reduce their sodium intake to 1,500 mg a day. These new dietary guidelines emphasize the importance of making meals and snacks from scratch versus choosing processed foods too often. The most common salts available are table salt, sea salt and kosher salt with the major differences among these being taste, texture, and processing. Kosher and sea salt have a larger course grain providing more air space, which in turn provides less sodium when used in place of table salt. The chefs in our kitchen across campus use kosher salt in their recipes to provide an overall reduced amount of sodium. Using items lik...

Superfood: Tomatoes

Fruit or vegetable? It is a fruit that works well as a vegetable! Tomatoes are considered a type of superfood because they are rich in lots of great nutrients. They contain lycopenes, which is an antioxidant that offers a protective effect in the body. Tomatoes are also a great source of vitamin A, E and C, which means tomatoes contain even more antioxidants than just lycopenes. Incorporate tomatoes and tomato products to help boost your immune system as well as promote skin and eye health! Good News: You should eat pizza!! Through research at the Harvard School of Public Health, it was determined that consumption of oil- and tomato-based products -- specifically tomato and pizza sauce – there was an association with cardiovascular benefits. So, choosing 1-2 slices of pizza paired with a side salad can be a healthy meal option.

Choosing Healthy Foods

Search This Blog