Posted Jan 12, 2012
-U.S. News and World Report news magazine has ranked the Best Diets for 2012. The list includes 25 diet plans. Government-generated programs won top spots while commercial programs got a lot of honorable mentions.
The tops overall:
1. DASH Diet — Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension won the top spot. It was developed by the National Institutes of Health.
2. TLC — Therapeutic Lifestyle Changes is a diet high in fiber and low in fat also developed by the National institutes of Health.
Tied for 3rd:
–Mayo Clinic Diet, a low-energy, high-nutrition foods such as fruits and vegetables and allows dieters to eat more while eating fewer calories. –Mediterranean Diet, which includes whole grains, fresh fruits and vegetables and healthy fats such as olive oil and red wine in moderation. –Weight Watchers, which focuses on portion control and encourages plenty of fruits, vegetables, whole grains and low-fat dairy.
The magazine employed 22 experts including physicians and public health specialists.
The experts also ranked had six sub categories.
Easiest to follow:
Weight Watchers, Jenny Craig, Mediterranean.
Best for weight loss:
Weight Watchers, tied for second, Biggest Loser, Jenny Craig, and raw food.
Best commercial plan:
Weight Watchers, Jenny Craig, Biggest Loser
Best for diabetes plan:
Biggest Loser and DASH tied for first, Mayo Clinic, Ornish, and vegan were tied for third.
Best for heart health:
Ornish, TLC, DASH
Best for healthy eating:
DASH, TLC, Mediterranean.
Experts encourage people searching for an eating plan to include respect to lifestyle. For example, a diet that requires a lot of at-home food preparation for someone who hates to cook or is not home long enough, won’t work.
See the list of all of the diet plans examined by the magazine’s experts.
Follow health reporter Harry Jackson Jr. on Twitter at www.twitter.com/STLhealth for coverage of health, outdoors, health gadgets and tips from fitness trainers.
©2012 the St. Louis Post-Dispatch
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