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So which diet really works?

April 3, 2014
So which diet really works?

Vegetarian, South Beach, Paleo, Mayo Clinic, Atkins, Dukan, Weight Watchers and many more. We’ve heard about 20 different diets, tried about a dozen and vowed to try even more. So which of those really work? U.S. News gathered the opinions of health experts and ranked 32 diets on the ease of following the diet, nutritious values it provides, safety and effectiveness not only for weight loss but also in preventing diabetes and heart disease.

The website has other diet rankings, including best diets for weight loss, best diets for healthy hearts and best diets for healthy eating, so check out www.health.usnews.com for more lists. The best diet for strictly weight-loss purposes (disregarding well-balance and health purposes) was the Weight Watchers, followed by the Biggest Loser, Jenny Craig, Raw Food, Volumetrics, Atkins, Flexitarian, Slim-Fast, Spark Solution and Vegan diets.

Before you scroll down and realize the popular Paleo, Atkins, South Beach and Dukan are nowhere to be found on the list, experts ranked them at the bottom. South Beach diet was ranked number 18, scoring 3 out of 5, experts believe it is effective in weight loss but difficult to maintain on the long term and not too effective in managing diabetes or heart disease. Vegan also scored 3 out of 5 due to its extreme restrictiveness and the imbalance nutrition it provides. Atkins came at number 29 and scored 2.3 due to the fact that it doesn’t provide a balanced diet and isn’t effective in long-term weight management. Vegetarian diet ranked 11th on the list, scoring 3.5, and was said to be effective in weight loss and strong in areas like heart health and nutrition balance.

The rather popular Dukan and Paleo diets ranked at the very bottom of the list, scoring only 2 points out of the 5. While Dukan was too restrictive, experts also believed it hasn’t been proven to be effective and called it idiotic. The Paleo diet was also regarded it as ineffective because trying to duplicate a truly Paleo regimen in modern times is difficult.

So which ones ranked the highest in overall diets? Here are the top 10 on U.S. News‘ list. For the full list, visit their website.

1. Dash Diet (scoring 4.1): Dash diet is aimed at preventing and treating high blood pressure through reducing sodium and eating nutritious foods while focusing on potassium, calcium and magnesium intake. It also helps preventing osteoporosis, cancer, heart disease, stroke and diabetes.

2. TLC Diet (scoring 4.0): TLC lowers cholesterol and focuses on reducing saturated fat intake through limiting meat and whole milk intake.

3. Mayo Clinic Diet (scoring 3.9): This is a lifestyle, rather than a diet and was developed by the Mayo Clinic and focuses on long-term weight control.

4. Mediterranean Diet (scoring 3.9): This diet promotes a healthy heart and, as the name suggests, is inspired by the Mediterranean cuisine.It promotes eating more fruits, veggies,  grains, beans, nuts, legumes, seeds, herbs, spices and olive oils followed by a smaller amount of fish and seafood, an even smaller amount of poultry, eggs, cheese and yoghurt and a tiny amount of meats and sweets.

5. Weight Watchers (scoring 3.9): This is a diet based on points calculated for every food intake. According to each person’s weight, he’s allowed a certain number of points per day. It’s easier to follow than many other restrictive diets as it allows occasional indulgences and the company make their own foods available in many grocery stores.

6. Flexitarian Diet (scoring 3.8): This diet aims at eating more plant-based foods and cutting back on meat intake.

7. Volumetrics (scoring 3.8): This diet focuses on low-density foods, those are foods low in calories but high in volume. This leaves the dieter losing weight while eating the same amount of food to feel full.

8. Jenny Craig (scoring 3.7): Jenny Craig developed a diet plan of 70 different prepackaged low-calorie foods.

9. Biggest Loser Diet (scoring 3.6): This diet was developed by The Biggest Loser show and combines diet with exercise to build strength and lose weight. It focuses on small, frequent meals based on lean protein, low-fat dairy, fruits, veggies, whole grains, beans and nuts.

10. Ornish Diet  (scoring 3.6): The Ornish Diet is tailored to the dieter’s aim; losing weight, preventing heart diseases and so on.


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