America’s 7 favorite diets and which one is best for YOU

It was an eating plan created specifically to prevent and lower high blood pressure.

But according to a panel of health experts, it has become so much more. 

The DASH diet is overwhelmingly America’s favorite eating regime, taking the number one slot in the U.S. News World Report’s annual ranking of diets by nutrition and fitness experts. 

Always a popular choice among dieters, this is the seventh year in a row DASH has taken the top spot as it encourages whole grains, produce and lean protein while recommending modest portions of fats and sweets. 

Following New Year’s, many are looking to go on diets – whether to shed a few pounds, change their eating habits, boost their brains, or even get pregnant.

The report looked at rankings in a number of categories and whether you’re looking to lose weight or lower your risk of heart disease.

Here we explain the best plans to follow, and why…

More than one-third of U.S. adults are obese, often leading to conditions such as heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes and types of cancer. We list the most popular regimes to stay healthy

1. BEST ALL-ROUNDER… 

DASH Diet

DASH (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) is a lifelong diet designed to prevent or lower high blood pressure, or hypertension. 

The DASH diet encourages reducing sodium and eating vegetables, fruits and low-fat dairy foods — and moderate amounts of whole grains, fish, poultry and nuts.

A typical dinner dish could consist of roasted chicken breast, a baked potato and a side of asparagus.

The standard DASH diet suggests no more than 2,300 milligrams of sodium a day. 

There is a lower sodium DASH diet option with a 1,500 milligram recommendation.

The DASH diet also took first place in the report’s Best Diet for Diabetes section.

The DASH diet was designed to lower hypertension, or high blood pressure. Foods with less sodium and more macro-nutrients are encouraged such as chicken, baked potatoes and vegetables

2. IF YOU WANT TO KEEP WEIGHT OFF…

Oprah has discussed how Weight Watchers has helped her lose and maintain a weight loss of over 40 pounds

Weight Watchers Diet

The Weight Watchers diet is a lifelong diet. You can lose up to two pounds a week and, once your goal weight is reached, maintain that weight.

The diet doesn’t count calories but rather uses a SmartPoints system for the foods eaten throughout the day. Users can eat whatever they want as long as they stick to their daily SmartPoints target – a number based on sex, age, weight and height.

The Weight Watchers Beyond the Scale Program, launched in 2015, encourages an eating plan that is lower in calories, saturated fat and sugar, and higher in protein.

The companion is FitPoints, a metric to help members track activity from walking the dog to running a 5K.  

Perhaps the program’s most recognizable celebrity, Oprah has spoken many times about how Weight Watchers helped her lose and keep off over 40 pounds.

3. IF YOU WANT TO LOSE WEIGHT FAST… 

HMR Diet

The HMR Program (Health Management Resources) is a low-calorie plan with meal replacement shakes that encourages eating plenty of fruits and vegetables.

HMR recommends meal replacements in the form of low-calorie shakes, meals, nutrition bars and multi-grain hot cereal.

By mixing vegetables and fruits with HMR meal replacements, the user will likely have filling, nutritious meals.

Physical activity is also encouraged on the HMR program – even as little as 10 to 20 minutes of walking per day.

The HMR Program encourages meal replacements in the form of low-calorie shakes, meals, nutrition bars and multi-grain hot cereal

4. IF YOU WANT TO BOOST YOUR BRAIN…

MIND Diet  

The goal of the MIND (Mediterranean-DASH Intervention for Neurodegenerative Delay) diet is to eat brain-healthy foods, lowering the risk of Alzheimer’s.

The diet takes the Mediterranean and DASH diets and focuses on the foods that affect brain health.

Namely, followers can eat from 10 brain-healthy food groups: green leafy vegetables in particular, all other vegetables, nuts, berries, beans, whole grains, fish, poultry, olive oil and wine. 

Foods to be avoided are: red meats, butter and stick margarine, cheeses and desserts and fried or fast food.

The MIND Diet is a combination of the Mediterranean and DASH diets that focuses on eating foods that are brain-healthy, potentially lowering the risk of Alzheimer’s disease – such as carrots, apples  and salmon

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5. IF YOU WANT TO GET PREGNANT…   

Fertility Diet

The aim of the Fertility Diet is to increase ovulation and improve the chances of getting pregnant.

There are 10 steps when it comes to the diet: 

First is to cut out trans fat, second is to consume more unsaturated vegetable oils and third is to incorporate more vegetable proteins in your diet, but less animal protein.

The fourth and fifth steps are to eat whole grains and add a full-fat dairy product to your daily routine. 

The sixth and seventh steps are to take a multivitamin that contains folic acid and other B vitamins, and to up iron intake either from foods or from supplements.

The eighth step requires women to cut out soda and drink plenty of water. Caffeine is also allowed.

The ninth and tenth steps are to achieve a healthy BMI and to boost fitness levels.

The Fertility diet encourages women who want to get pregnant to include more vegetable proteins and cut out animal proteins

6. IF YOU WANT TO REDUCE HEART DISEASE…

Ornish Diet 

The Ornish diet was created by California-based physician Dr Dean Ornish in the early 1990s.

The aim of the Ornish diet varies from losing a few pounds to lowering blood pressure. However the diet is best known for helping to reverse heart disease.

The diet categorizes food into five groups from ‘healthiest’ (group one) to ‘least healthy’ (group five).

Only 10 percent of calories can come from fat, very little of it saturated. 

Foods with any cholesterol and refined carbohydrates as well as all animals products are banned.

Fiber and complex carbohydrates are encouraged on the diet. 

Although it’s veggie-based, it’s not vegan as Ornish dieters are allowed to eat egg whites and one cup per day of nonfat milk or yogurt.

The diet also recommends exercise mostly through yoga, meditation or other stress management techniques.

Following his cancer diagnosis, Steve Jobs adopted the Ornish diet. He frequented a vegetarian restaurant in San Francisco that served dishes that fit in with the diet.

The Ornish diet is best known for those who are looking to reverse heart disease after suffering a heart attack or other cardiovascular problems. High-fiber foods like potatoes are encouraged. Steve Jobs went on the diet following his cancer diagnosis

7. IF YOU WANT TO EAT PLANT-BASED…

Mediterranean Diet

The diet combines the eating habits of countries that border the Mediterranean Sea – mainly Spain, France, Italy, and Greece. It is marketed as an eating pattern rather than a structured diet.

The diet encourages followers to eat less red meat, sugar and saturated fats and to load up on produce, lean protein, nuts and other healthful foods.

Dairy products such as milk, cheese and yogurt are allowed but in moderation.

A bean salad with tomatoes and cucumbers, tossed with feta cheese and fresh herbs, accompanied by a glass of wine is a typical lunch dish. 

Celebrity chef Rachael Ray has credited the Mediterranean diet with helping her lose weight and maintaining a healthy lifestyle. 

The Mediterranean diet focuses on the eating patterns of countries that border the Mediterranean Sea, specifically Spain, France, Italy and Greece. Legumes, beans and moderate amounts of cheese are encouraged

Celebrity chef Rachel Ray has endorsed the Mediterranean diet as the reason behind her losing weight and maintaining a healthy lifestyle