ATLANTA (CNN) – The Gold Medal for Best Diet for 2021 went to the Mediterranean Diet for the fourth year in a row, according to the ranking announced Monday by US News & World Report.
Silver was the DASH diet, which stands for dietary approaches to stop hypertension, and the Flexitarian diet, which usually encourages vegetarianism, but is flexible enough to allow for the occasional hamburger.
What do all these diets have in common? They emphasize reducing or eliminating processed foods and focusing on meals full of fruits, vegetables, beans, lentils, whole grains, nuts and seeds.
The Dukin and Keto diets, which emphasize eating high-protein or high-fat foods with minimal carbohydrates, came last and penultimate in the diet rankings. Those diets are typically rated poorly by experts because they are extremely restrictive and difficult to follow, eliminating entire food groups, which is not recommended by dietary guidelines.
To assess the diets, a panel of experts in heart disease and diabetes, nutrition, diet, food psychology and obesity reviewed research on the diets from medical journals, government reports, and other sources.
“We convened a panel of 24 experts who are living and breathing, diet, weight loss and obesity,” said Angela Haupt, editor of health at US News & World Report.
They score each diet on a number of different measures: how easy it is to follow, how likely it is to lead to long-term weight loss, how healthy and safe it is, and how effective it is in preventing or managing chronic conditions . such as diabetes and heart disease, ”she said.
More top awards for Mediterranean diet
In addition to identifying the best diet, the analysis of 39 eating plans also gave the Mediterranean diet first place in the best plant-based nutrition category. The Flexitarian Diet came in second, followed by the Scandinavian Diet, which promotes eating locally sourced, low glycemic foods.
The Mediterranean Diet was also tied with the DASH Diet and the Ornish Diet for top honors in Best Heart Healthy Diet. The Ornish Diet was developed in 1977 by Dr. Dean Ornish, founder of the California nonprofit Preventive Medicine Research Institute. Ornish calls the diet the only scientifically proven program to reverse heart disease in any clinical trial without drugs or surgery. However, experts have said the diet is restrictive and difficult to follow.
The Mediterranean Diet also joined the Flexitarian Diet for the # 1 Best Diabetes Diet; and with WW (Weight Watchers) for the easiest diet to follow and DASH for the best healthy eating diet.
Such high accolades are not surprising, as numerous studies have shown that the Mediterranean diet can reduce the risk of diabetes, high cholesterol, dementia, memory loss, depression and breast cancer. Meals from the sunny Mediterranean have also been linked to stronger bones, a healthier heart and longer life.
The diet consists of simple, plant-based dishes, with the majority of each meal focused on fruits and vegetables, whole grains, beans, and seeds, with a few nuts and a heavy emphasis on extra virgin olive oil. Say goodbye to refined sugar and flour, except on rare occasions. Fats other than olive oil, such as butter, are rarely or not consumed at all.
Meat can look rare, usually just to flavor a dish. Instead, meals can include eggs, dairy, and poultry, but in much smaller portions than in the traditional Western diet. However, fish is a staple.
“It’s more than a diet, it’s a lifestyle,” said Atlanta-registered dietitian Rahaf Al Bochi, who teaches her clients the Mediterranean diet, in a previous interview with CNN. “It also encourages eating with friends and family, socializing at mealtimes, consciously eating your favorite foods, as well as mindful movement and exercise for a completely healthy lifestyle.”
Best Overall Diet for Weight Loss
For this category, the panel of experts looked at the success of a diet in the short and long term, weighing both equally. The popular WW (Weight Watchers) joined the Flexitarian diet for top honors.
“Research shows that vegetarians eat fewer calories, weigh less, and have a lower body mass index (a measure of body fat) than their carnivorous peers,” says the Flexitarian Diet analysis. “If you emphasize the plant-based component of this diet – eating lots of fruits, vegetables, and whole grains – you’ll likely feel full on fewer calories than you’re used to.”
Weight Watchers, which also ranked # 1 in the Best Commercial Nutrition category, needs one key component in any successful diet: support. In addition to in-person meetings and optional one-on-one consultants, the plan offers an online community.
“Emotional support programs such as WW and group meetings lead to more adherence than a do-it-yourself diet,” the analysis said.
New diets evaluated
Four new diets have been added to the rankings this year, Haupt said: the Autoimmune Protocol (AIP) diet, the Gut and Psychology Syndrome (GAPS) diet, the modified keto diet, and the Noom diet.
“Of all these, Noom did the best: No. 12 overall, which is impressive for a newcomer,” said Haupt.
Based on a food tracking app, Noom wants you to record every meal, snack and exercise activity as well as your daily weight. Noom encourages “low caloric density” foods that are high in water and low in calories.
As with WW, Noom offers support groups where dieters “can help each other out with everything from how to curb distracted eating to how to make plain old water more fun,” Haupt said.
The modified keto diet, also called keto 2.0, is a little less restrictive than its parent, the classic keto. For example, modified keto dieters consume about 82% of their daily calories from fat versus 90% in the traditional keto diet, 12% protein instead of 6%, and 6% carbohydrates instead of 4%, the report said.
However, the new version was panned by the experts, finishing in 35th place, just slightly better than the traditional keto ranking of 37 out of 39 diets.
Keto 2.0 “gives you a little more elbow room with what you eat, but experts said it’s still way too restrictive,” said Haupt.
The Autoimmune Protocol Diet, also known as the Autoimmune Paleo Diet, is designed to reduce inflammation and ease the symptoms of autoimmune diseases. It requires people to eliminate food for at least a month and monitor symptoms when the food is reintroduced. Experts called the diet restrictive, suggesting more research is needed to substantiate any benefits.
The Gut and Psychology Syndrome, or GAPS, diet is designed for people with a strange spectrum of conditions: severe digestive and immune system problems, learning disabilities, and serious neurological disorders.
GAPS was developed by Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride, who “believes that the food, drink and products that people consume play a major role in their brain function,” the US News & World report said. Like the keto diet, GAPS comes last in the best diets.
Best Diet for Rapid Weight Loss
The rapid weight loss category is for the person who needs to lose a few pounds for a special occasion, as the diets were only evaluated for a period of two months. According to US News & World Report, it is not intended to be recommended as a long-term diet or lifestyle.
HMR, or the Health Management Resources Program, came in first, while WW and the Atkins diet came in second.
The HMR program is a weight loss and lifestyle change program designed to reduce calories through meal replacements with added fruits and vegetables. The starter kit is just under $ 200 and includes 70 servings of HMR shakes and appetizers, support materials, weekly group coaching, and free shipping.
The Atkins Diet, created in 1972 by cardiologist Dr. Robert Atkins, includes four stages of meal plans, starting with very few carbs and adding more as the diet progresses. However, “low-carb dieters can eat too much fat, causing health problems,” the analysis found, ranking the diet 33 out of 39.
CNN contributor Lisa Drayer, a registered dietitian, is concerned with any type of diet that is too restrictive in food choices and is concerned about the role of ready-to-eat meals, shakes, and snacks.
“They don’t necessarily teach you how to eat healthily on your own and how to make healthy choices,” she told CNN in a previous interview, adding that all too often she had seen this happen to her own customers.
“They were so severely restricted, and they didn’t know how to get other foods back into their diet in a reasonable way,” Drayer said. “So they not only regained their weight, but they gained even more weight than they started, which is really painful.”
Getting started with the Mediterranean diet
Do you want to make the Mediterranean diet one of your goals this year? Start by cooking a meal based on beans, whole grains, and vegetables every week, and use herbs and spices to spice things up. If one night a week is a breeze, add two and build up your non-meat meals from there.
Cereals that have changed little over the centuries, also known as “ancient grains”, are also an important feature of the Mediterranean diet. Quinoa, amaranth, millet, farro, spelled, Kamut (a grain of wheat said to have been discovered in an Egyptian tomb) and teff (an Ethiopian grain the size of a poppy seed) are some examples of ancient grains.
If you eat meat, take small amounts. For a main course, that means no more than 90 grams of chicken or lean meat. Better yet, use small pieces of chicken or slices of lean meat to flavor a vegetarian meal, such as stir-fry.
And rethink dessert. Mediterranean cultures top off their meals with seasonal fruits.
If you are tired of eating raw fresh fruit, get creative. Poach pears in pomegranate juice with a little honey, let the sauce reduce and serve over Greek yogurt. Grill pineapple or other fruit and drizzle with honey. Make a sorbet from fruit, including avocado (it’s real fruit). Fill a fig or date with goat cheese and sprinkle a few nuts over it. Make a crunchy brown rice apple or even a whole grain fruit pie.
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