Every year, the American information company US News & World Report evaluates all the data and studies, and ranks the existing diets and the corresponding nutritional standards in order of evaluation.
It is impressive that the Mediterranean diet won first place, for the sixth year in a row.
“Specifically, 24 of the most well-known diets were evaluated by 30 leading medical professors, nutritionists and epidemiologists, and in addition to the overall ranking for the healthiest diet, other rankings were created in various categories, so that everyone can have an informed answer to the question: what dietary pattern should I follow if I am obese, if I have diabetes or hypertension”, explains Mr. Andreas Melidonis, Coordinating Director of the Diabetic-Cardiometabolic Center of the Metropolitan Hospital.
“Diet types were assessed based on factors such as whether a diet includes all food groups, how easy it is to follow, whether it can be tailored to meet individual preferences and whether it has a realistic timetable for weight loss. For this reason, some types of diets such as Atkins and ketogenic, achieved high positions in the category of rapid weight loss, while in the other categories they were in the last positions”, continues Mr. Karolos Papalazarou, Clinical Dietitian – Nutritionist, Scientific Associate of Metropolitan Hospital.
Winners and categories
General category “Better Diet” in total:
1st place the Mediterranean diet
The Mediterranean diet is a dietary pattern, which was initially inspired by the dietary habits of Crete and then became the dietary model of Greece, France, Italy and Spain until 1970. Each country, depending on its culture, customs and its customs had some variations in this dietary pattern but the basic features were common.
Specifically, the Mediterranean diet is characterized by daily consumption of unprocessed grains, seasonal fruits and vegetables, dairy and nuts. The main source of fat is olive oil, which is also used in cooking, while fish, seafood, poultry, eggs and pulses are consumed on a weekly basis. Red meat is limited to 1-2 times a month, while processed meat products are avoided.
As for alcohol, moderate consumption of wine, mainly red, with meals is recommended.
Two other two types of diets tied for 2nd place
-The DASH diet, a type of diet designed to treat high blood pressure that emphasizes fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lean protein, and low-fat dairy.
-And the Flexitarian diet, which focuses on fruits and vegetables but allows occasional meat consumption.
Individual Categories
A. The best weight loss diets
Ranked #1 was the WW Diet, formerly known as Weight Watchers.
This type of diet emphasizes not only weight loss, but also healthier eating and regular activity.
The DASH diet took 2nd place.
The Mayo Clinic Diet and the TLC Diet tied for 3rd place. The Mayo Clinic focuses on fruits, vegetables, and whole grains and helps people improve their eating habits, while TLC focuses on vegetables, fruits, lean protein, and lowering cholesterol levels.
B. The best fast weight loss diets
The ketogenic diet took 1st place. It is a high-fat, low-carb diet that aims to achieve weight loss through fat burning.
In 2nd place they tied:
The Atkins diet, created by cardiologist Robert Atkins, starts with very few carbohydrates that are then gradually increased until the weight loss goal is reached.
The Nutrisystem diet, a prepackaged meal plan that focuses on high-protein, low-glycemic foods to stabilize blood sugar levels.
The Optavia Diet, which focuses on low-carb, low-calorie foods and includes fortified meal replacements.
The SlimFast diet, which is a program that includes shakes, smoothies and meal bars that replace two of the three main meals of the day.
C. The best diets for heart health
-1st the DASH diet
– 2nd the Mediterranean diet
-Flexitarian and Ornish tied for third place. The Ornish diet focuses on plant-based and whole-grain foods and limits animal products. It recommends daily exercise and stress reduction.
D. The best diets for diabetes mellitus
-1st the DASH diet
– 2nd the Mediterranean diet
-3rd the Flexitarian diet.
It is clear that in most categories and especially in the general evaluation, the Mediterranean diet is the absolute winner and is undoubtedly the best diet model. Also, over time, many and noteworthy studies have also shown the cardiovascular benefit resulting from its adoption.
For example, the Spanish PREDIMED study, with 8,000 participants and a five-year follow-up, showed that all aspects of the Mediterranean diet were associated with a 30% reduction in the risk of cardiovascular events and mortality.
“Already in 2015, UNESCO added the Mediterranean diet to the representative list of the intangible cultural heritage of the olive-producing countries of the Mediterranean.
Given the above and with the opportunity of the excellent evaluation of the Mediterranean diet by the organization US News & World Report, the state, scientific companies and social organizations should focus on informing society about the value of implementing this diet model which it is essentially the diet of our ancestors”, conclude Mr. Melidonis and Papalazarou.
Written by:
Mr. Karolos Papalazarou, Clinical Dietitian – Nutritionist,
Research Associate of the Metropolitan Hospital
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