It’s not too late to start eating better and look your best for summer. Of course, every year we have new diets on the radar, some good, some not so much. While some diets gain a lot of popularity and attention, it doesn’t always mean the diet is right or even safe for you. Before staring one of the top summer diets, consult your doctor for recommendations and safety.
Before beginning a new diet, define your goals and expectations. Is your goal weight loss or to have more energy? How hard is the diet plan? More required planning usually leads to early failure when the planning aspect becomes too much work. Can your diet be adapted to social situations? Consider alternatives when dining out with friends before you decide to dive into that deep dish pizza.
The US News & World Report ranked diet trends on a scale of 1 (worst) to 5 (best) with inputs from a panel of health and dietician experts. To be among the top, a diet had to be easy to follow, nutritionally sound, safe, and effective for weight loss. The scorecard ranked weight loss, both short and long term, ease of use, and healthiness.
The DASH diet takes the #1 spot in best diet overall. Created to reduce blood pressure, the DASH diet focus on a well-balanced diet. The guideline tells you how many calories you should eat for a particular age and activity level based on servings. For example, you should take in 4-5 servings a day of fruit and vegetables, 6 ounces or less of lean meats, poultry or fish, as well as going easy on the sodium. Sweets are allowed, but should be kept to 5 or less servings a week. DASH focuses on more fruits and veggies, which help to fill you up without piling on pounds.
The MIND diet takes two other healthy diets (DASH and Mediterranean) and combines them, to focus on improving your cognitive abilities. The emphasis is eating from brain-healthy food groups, which coincidentally also promote good overall health and removes foods from unhealthy groups such as too much dairy, red meat, and fried and fast foods.
The Mayo Clinic Diet – while not new – is ranked #4 in US News Best diets overall. The beauty of the Mayo Clinic is replacing bad habits with good ones. This one also focuses on lot of healthy fruits, veggies, and whole grains, as well as 30 minutes of physical activity a day, a key component to building strength and aiding in weight loss. The Mayo Clinic diet teaches what a serving actually looks like.
The Mediterranean Diet, again while not new, focuses on healthy fats such as olive oil, nuts, and fish to incorporate in your diet. While not a hard and fast plan for weight loss, the Mediterranean Diet also focuses on incorporating fruits and veggies, whole grains (yes, that includes whole grain pastas).
Weight Watchers ranks as #1 in best weight loss, #1 in easiest and #4 in best diets overall. The revamped program assigns points based on nutrition, rather than calorie count, focusing on what is better and longer lasting for you.
To read more details about diet rankings, click here. To get one on one support with our registered dietician, contact us today.
