Chances are, now that the holidays are behind us (literally), many of us are considering healthier eating habits to start off the New Year right. Luckily, the U.S. News & World Report’s rankings for The Best Diets for 2013 are in! So whether your goals are to drop some weight, explore vegetarianism or eat a more heart-healthy diet, the panel of health experts evaluated 29 of the most popular diets and ranked them in the following categories: Best Weight Loss Diet, Best Heart-Healthy Diet, Best Plant-Based Diet, Best Diabetes Diet, Best Commercial Diet Plans, Best Diets for Healthy Eating and Easiest Diets to Follow.
In the Best Diets Overall, the top three choices were a bit surprising. In the coveted #1 category, the rather obscure DASH (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) Diet beat out more popular diets to claim the top spot. Similarly, the below-the-radar, TLC Diet created by the National Institute of Health, claimed the #2 spot. Tied for #3, were Weight Watchers, The Mayo Clinic Diet and The Mediterranean Diet.
The diets which ranked at the bottom were Raw Foods Diet, Dukan Diet and Paleo Diet.
In the end, the best diet is the one YOU will stick to and by “diet” we are using the more inclusive definition: “noun, the food and drink that a person regularly consumes.” So even if you’re restricting calories on your chosen diet, eating MORE real food, like fruits and vegetables and less processed “edible food-like substances” aka Franken-food, certainly can’t hurt. But you probably knew that already, even if you don’t have a nutritional degree.