According to the US News & World Report’s annual list, the Mediterranean diet took first place in the best diets for the fourth consecutive year. DASH and flexible diets are linked to second place in overall diets; the former focuses on lowering blood pressure and the latter is a modified vegetarian diet. According to experts, such rankings are not surprising, because all three diets have similarities: they are easy to follow and focus on foods that people can include, and not exclude.
“The Mediterranean pattern of eating is that it’s really about the food you add as opposed to the food you take away,” said Maya Feller, a registered Brooklyn dietitian, TODAY. “What you see with the pattern of eating is that it is supportive of various cultures and foods, where sometimes a ‘conventional diet’ means that you have to eat in this specific way and not make the flexibility and individualization possible. ‘
Here are the best diets of 2021, according to the US News & World Report panel of nationally recognized health experts:
Is Noom a good diet?
For the first time, the publication examines Noom, which provides support to its members through its app. Noom selected Jenny Craig as third in the best commercial diet category and ranked number 12 in the overall diets.
In terms of commercial diets, WW (formerly Weight Watchers) came in first, while the Mayo Clinic diet came in second.
“It’s a really good show (for Noom). “It’s been a long time since we had a new diet that performed so well in the very first year, ” Angela Haupt, managing editor of health at US News & World Report, said TODAY. ‘It was one of the highlights for me to learn more about a new diet and see how good it is. This is a good diet that will be a smart choice for many people. ”
Extra support is perhaps more important than ever before as you change your eating habits.
‘There’s a strong psychological component to Noom, which does not necessarily exist in other eating patterns. It can be helpful, “said Leslie Bonci, a registered dietitian and owner of Active Eating Advice, TODAY. “
Diets like Whole30 and keto, which are popular, still perform poorly because they can be difficult to follow. The publication examined the modified keto diet for the first time, but it also fell to the bottom of the list and came in at the total diet at 35, linked to Whole30. Keto was 37 of the 39 diets.
“It did not display the absolute bottom-of-the-barrel, but it also did not perform as well as I wondered,” Haupt said. “It’s a healthier version of keto … It’s a less drastic form of the classic keto diet, which’s never been good for us.”
The publication also looked at delivery kits for meals, which became increasingly popular during the pandemic.
“We researched meals, but to adapt them to the best diet,” Haupt said. “If you’re someone who would like to get your delivery kits when you think about which diet is best for you in 2021, I think you want to see what the options are.”
Anyone think of dieting in 2021?
After closure, social distance and an ongoing pandemic, many people do not even want to think about weight loss or diet. And experts say they should not. Instead, think of these as actions that you must take on a regular basis.
“This year has had so much negativity in so many ways that when people think of diets, it’s very negative: ‘What should I give up?’ Said Bonci. ‘It’s becoming another negative thing in all the things we do not do. We therefore judge ourselves on what we can do better. And it does not necessarily promote good mental health, nor does it necessarily promote good physical health. ”
Feller said at the time that she should forget her patients about the numbers on the scale.
“As far as our conversation is concerned, that’s not what we’re talking about. We are talking about specific metabolic markers: Where is your blood sugar? What does your blood pressure look like? What does your lipid profile look like? Where is your cholesterol? She said. ‘What I have found in my patients is that the numbers are much more predictable for their health outcomes. If we think about these numbers, then how do you change your diet and your lifestyle? ‘
As the three top-ranked diets encourage, it does not hurt to include more fruits, vegetables and whole grains in the diet. And it can have a significant impact on a person’s overall health – it can happen to lead to weight loss.
‘Those eating patterns are really reasonable, right? They are sustainable. It is customizable. It allows for flexibility. They allow religious and cultural variation, ”Feller said. “For the average person who wants to influence their metabolic health, there are likely to be clinical outcomes.”
These eating patterns are also compatible with different budgets. As a result of the Covid-19 crisis, feeding America is among more than 50 million Americans, including 17 million children. According to the country’s largest anti-hunger organization, this is an increase of 50 percent over last year.
“The number of people experiencing food insecurity has increased very dramatically since the onset of the pandemic,” Feller said. ‘We’ll have to think about accessibility. If you can get dry beans and if you have dry beans, you can make a million dishes, and it falls into all three eating patterns. ‘
If you include something like dry beans or whole grains, you can also reduce the number of trips to the grocery store, which also reduces the risk of exposure to Covid-19.
Focus on general health
If people are considering changing eating habits, Feller recommends that they reflect on their overall health and ability to follow them.
“Once you limit yourself to the point that you cannot include certain foods, a psychological component is produced from it, which is a detrimental outcome,” she said.
The answers to these questions have far greater significance than a number on a scale.