How the Best Diets of 2023 List Compares With 2022’s List
As in previous years, in 2023 the Mediterranean diet beat out the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) diet on the overall list. (In 2018, the two tied for the top slot.) Here’s why the panel of nutritionists, dietary consultants, and physicians awarded the Mediterranean diet highest honors: It gets points (an overall score of 4.6 out of 5) for its health benefits. Indeed, the Mediterranean diet won in other categories, too, including Best Diets for Healthy Eating, Best Plant-Based Diets, Best Family-Friendly Diets (tied), and Best Diets for Bone & Joint Health (tied). The Mediterranean diet emphasizes whole grains, fruits and vegetables, legumes, nuts and seeds, olive oil, and some lean meat and fish. Similarly, the second-place DASH diet is a plan designed to lower blood pressure, and it incorporates vegetables, fruits, and low-fat dairy along with whole grains, lean meats, and nuts. It also sticks to sodium guidelines in an effort to reduce hypertension (high blood pressure), though you can certainly still benefit from this eating style if you have normal blood pressure. DASH is tied with the flexitarian diet, another plant-based eating plan that’s often called “semi-vegetarian.” Whatever plan you choose to follow, one thing is clear: A focus on plant-based foods is one of the best things for your health. According to a study published in the May 2017 Journal of Geriatric Cardiology, a plant-based diet is associated with a lower risk of type 2 diabetes and heart disease. More recently, a study in the August 2019 Journal of the American Heart Association concluded that people who closely adhered to plant-based diets had up to a 25 percent lower risk of death from any cause than those who didn’t follow the eating pattern. That said, the overall rankings didn’t shift that much in 2022. The top three diets remain in the top three spots. “I’m not at all surprised to see the Mediterranean diet once again top the list of best diets,” says Kelly Kennedy, RDN, the staff nutritionist at Everyday Health. “As a more plant-focused diet, the Mediterranean diet decreases the risk of many chronic diseases, including heart disease and certain cancers. Plus, there’s a lot of scientific research to back these benefits, unlike with many of the fad diets of the moment.” Kennedy likes that the Mediterranean diet focuses on fruits, veggies, and whole grains, and that it doesn’t eliminate whole food groups or vilify specific foods. “As a result,” she says, “this is a more maintainable lifestyle rather than a ‘quick fix’ diet.” U.S. News added two new categories this year: Best Family-Friendly Diets and Best Diets for Bone & Joint Health. “The pandemic made it especially clear how important it is for people to be able to prepare meals at home and enjoy those meals together with their loved ones,” says Gretel Schueller, the managing editor of health at U.S. News & World Report. (The term “family-friendly,” she points out, can include meals enjoyed socially with friends and other nonrelatives, and accommodates those with varying cultural, religious, dietary preferences, or nutritional needs.) When it comes to bone and joint health, a new category was warranted, because diet influences the health of your bones and joints, says Schueller. What’s more, she says, calcium and vitamin D have been named as dietary components of public health concern, according to the most recent U.S. Dietary Guidelines; many people are falling short on these nutrients, which are essential for good bone health. “A diet that is ranked as ‘good for bone and joint health’ will provide adequate calcium, vitamin D, and vitamin K, as well as promote physical activity,” she explains. Kennedy is excited about both new categories, particularly Family-Friendly Diets, as she often sees families struggle to prepare multiple meals to cater to everyone’s individual needs and diets. “It’s great that there is now a list to help people select a plan that’s healthy and realistic, not only for themselves, but for their entire family,” she says. RELATED: What Is the Green Mediterranean Diet, and Should You Try It?
Mediterranean Diet, DASH Diet, and Flexitarian Diets Remain the Best Diets of 2023
All three diets are highly recommended by doctors because of their known health benefits. “The Mediterranean eating plan doesn’t have a set calorie range or portion guidelines, which is why it can fit almost anyone’s needs. Eating in this way may promote weight loss, but the main goal of this eating style is the health benefits it can offer, such as improvements in cardiovascular health,” says Erin Palinski-Wade, RD, CDCES, the author of Belly Fat Diet for Dummies. For instance, the Mediterranean diet beat low-fat diets for weight loss after one year and improved measures of heart health, research has shown. Switching from an omnivore diet to a plant-based diet was found to help the majority of people lose weight, possibly because of the boost in fiber intake and the reduction of animal proteins in favor of plant proteins, among other reasons, per a systematic review published in Diabetes, Metabolic Syndrome and Obesity: Targets and Therapy in 2020. In a JAMA Network Open study of nearly 26,000 women, published in 2018, those who followed the Mediterranean diet closely had up to a 28 percent lower risk of heart disease than those who didn’t follow the diet, likely because the diet helped lower inflammation, improve insulin function, and reduce body mass index (BMI). A large-scale review called the evidence for the Mediterranean diet’s ability to decrease risk of heart disease and stroke “large, strong, and consistent.” The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) funded several studies examining the health benefits of DASH, and found that it can lower blood pressure and LDL (“bad”) cholesterol levels, as well as help people lose weight, when compared with diets such as the standard American diet (SAD). The SAD is high in salt, added sugar, and saturated fat, notes the Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion. What’s more, a meta-analysis published in Medicine in September 2018 of 12 studies including more than half a million participants concluded that people who followed the DASH diet closely had a 12 percent lower risk of stroke than those who were more lax in their diet. Experts say this diet is applicable to a wide population. “People tend to think of DASH as a diet only for those with high blood pressure, but the truth is that anyone could benefit from a well-balanced, reduced-sodium diet like DASH,” says Kennedy. As for the flexitarian diet, in a review of 25 studies, the eating style was shown to help with weight loss, improve blood pressure, and reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes. Its presence at No. 3 is well deserved, says Kennedy. “The flexitarian diet is an easy way for anyone to cut back on the calories and saturated fat in their diet without having to do a complete diet overhaul. This flexibility makes the diet more easily maintainable in the long term. It also increases the number of servings of fruits and vegetables you’ll be eating, which is really key for a healthy diet,” she says. RELATED: The Best Foods to Eat When You Have High Blood Pressure
The Diets That ‘U.S. News’ Says Are the Best for Weight Loss
There has been some pushback against the list, as it also includes diets that would be considered fad diets, which tend to be notoriously unsustainable and in some cases unhealthy. But listing a broad range of diets can actually be helpful to consumers, says Kennedy. Registered dietitians guide people toward eating plans based on nutritious whole foods but also get asked about trending diets all the time, she says. “I think it’s important for people to realize that these rankings aren’t recommending any fad diets, but rather, [they’re] a tool to determine if a diet you’re considering is a good fit for you or if there’s a healthier option that would be more maintainable in the long term.” Also, Kennedy points out that some of the most nutritious diets might not rank as high as a weight loss diet or for fast weight loss, as they were designed with health — not weight loss — in mind. If you’re looking to lose weight, WW (formerly Weight Watchers) or DASH may be a better bet. Both were ranked at No. 1 and 2, respectively, among weight loss diets, followed by TLC and Mayo Clinic, which tied for third place. “I have personally seen [WW] help quite a few people lose weight in a healthy way. Again, the focus is on lots of fruits and veggies, as it is with all the top diets,” Kennedy says. She adds that this is a diet where even desserts aren’t off-limits. “This flexibility makes it easier to follow long term without feeling deprived.” What’s more, by making fruits and vegetables “free” on the points system, this may help people transition to a more plant-based style of eating, she notes. One popular diet, Noom, ranked at No. 11 in Best Diets Overall and climbed from last year’s No. 12 spot to the No. 5 in the Best Weight Loss Diets category, which it shares with the Mediterranean, flexitarian, and volumetrics diets. “Noom focuses on behavior change along with nutrition education, which in my opinion is an effective combination in bringing about lasting change,” says Palinski-Wade. She notes that the community support, positive reinforcement, and accountability in the app can set the stage for long-term results. RELATED: Can You Lose Weight by Drinking Water?
Which Fad Diets Ranked Low on the 2023 ‘U.S. News’ List?
In 2022, the list ranked 30 diets, and in 2023, 28 are featured, which naturally shook up some of the rankings. This year, many diets were incorporated into others. For example, vegetarian and vegan (integrated into all diets), Nordic and traditional Asian diet (integrated into the Mediterranean diet), and modified keto (integrated into the keto diet). Others, such as HMR, were removed because they are no longer available, while still others — the fertility diet, macrobiotic, intermittent fasting, Sirtfood, and Whole30 were removed entirely. “We decided to cut some transient diets that are popular only for a month or two, or that are similar to already covered diets, and others, such as commercial diets that are no longer supported by the company or founder,” says Schueller. Plant-based diets will continue to be popular, and they can be adapted into any of the diets on this list, she explains. The result was that the expert panelists had more room to really dive into diets that have stood the test of time or have evidence behind them that they improve health. “We chose quality over quantity,” says Schueller. That said, some of the most popular diets today didn’t fare as well. Near the bottom? Paleo (No. 19), keto (No. 20); Atkins, SlimFast, and Optavia (tied at No. 21), and the raw food diet (No. 24). Rather than focus on lifestyle changes with staying power, these plans present “a quick fix that’s not maintainable,” says Kennedy. “Those trendy diets that eliminate entire food groups or call for extreme changes or deprivation will not rank well with wellness professionals, and this is represented in these rankings,” she says. Though keto remains a popular diet, outside of a medical need for the diet, such as epilepsy, this high-fat plan can backfire. “These diets are incredibly high in fat and very low in carbohydrates. As a result, they encourage limiting or eliminating healthy foods such as whole grains, legumes, dairy, and many types of fruit. To me, this is a red flag,” says Kennedy. She points out that though keto ranks No. 1 as the “Best Fast Weight Loss Diet,” “fast doesn’t usually translate to long-lasting. Keto is difficult to do correctly and many people end up going off the diet as a result,” she adds. That ultimately can lead to weight regain. Palinski-Wade agrees. “I’m not surprised to see some of the most popular diet trends rank near the bottom of the list.” These diets have made a name for themselves by being restrictive and cutting out entire food groups. “Although there is some positive research on the health benefits of following a ketogenic diet on improving insulin resistance and helping to manage diabetes, the diet itself is very restrictive and hard to maintain long term,” she says. Two diets are new to the list: Keyto diet and Pritikin diet. Keyto is a combination of the Mediterranean and low-carb keto diet. Pritikin is a whole food–based low-fat, high-fiber diet. As for their rankings, keyto debuted at No. 18 and Pritikin at No. 11 in Best Overall Diets. Generally, both these diets fall around the middle in each of the separate categories. Ultimately, for a diet to successfully help you improve your health, it needs to be sustainable for the long haul — as in, for life. “Fad diets and ultra-restrictive plans may promote fast weight loss initially, but for improved health and disease prevention, weight loss is not a race,” says Palinski-Wade. “Choose the approach that you can foresee yourself sticking with effortlessly for years to come, and that is what will bring you success,” she says. RELATED: Why Are Healthy Eating Habits Important?
A Broad Look at the Best Diets Overall in 2023
You’ll find the full list at U.S. News & World Report, but here’s a broad glance at the results.
