The Proven Champion Diet for Optimal Health: Unveiling 2024's Top Choice
The 2024 US News & World Report’s top diet winner, the Mediterranean style of eating, not only promotes overall health but also effectively combats heart disease, diabetes, dementia, cancer, depression, and obesity
Join CNNs Eat, But Better: Mediterranean Style for an eight-part guide to a delicious and expert-backed eating lifestyle that will improve your overall health. The Mediterranean style of eating has been ranked as the best overall diet for seven consecutive years, according to the 2024 ratings from U.S. News & World Report.
The report highlighted that the Mediterranean diet secured the top spot for being the easiest diet to follow, the best family-friendly diet, the best diet for healthy eating, and the best diet for diabetes, bone and joint, and heart-healthy eating.
An aerial shot of a wide variety of fresh, healthy foods suitable for a flexitarian Mediterranean diet. The spread features salmon, chicken breast, canned tuna, beef steak, a selection of fruits and vegetables, nuts, seeds, dairy products, olive oil, eggs, and legumes. This high-resolution image was captured in a studio using a SONY A7rII camera with a Zeiss Batis 40mm F2.0 CF lens.
A recent study revealed that combining the DASH diet with regular exercise can effectively reduce harmful belly fat and provide other health benefits. The DASH diet, known as dietary approaches to stop hypertension, was ranked as the second-best diet, while the MIND diet, or Mediterranean-DASH intervention for neurodegenerative delay, claimed the third spot out of 30 diets. These top three diets are all centered around plant-based foods, emphasizing the consumption of fruits and vegetables, whole grains, beans, and seeds.
A committee of 43 nutritional experts recently evaluated the vegan diet for the first time, awarding it third place in the best plant-based diets category for 2024. Other diets evaluated this year included the Dukan diet (28 out of 30 best overall diets), Herbalife Nutrition diet (29 out of 30), HMR (Health Management Resources) diet (21 out of 30), as well as its sister brand, the Profile Plan (19 out of 30), and the Plantstrong (formerly Engine 2) diet, which ranked 15th in the best overall diet category. "The world of diet and nutrition can be overwhelming and filled with misinformation and inaccurate health claims," commented Gretel Schueller, managing editor of health at U.S. News & World Report in an email.
"What is meant by eating in a Mediterranean style?"
Numerous studies have demonstrated that the Mediterranean diet is associated with a decreased risk of developing conditions such as diabetes, high cholesterol, dementia, memory loss, depression, and breast cancer. This eating style, rather than a strict diet, has also been connected to improved bone health, a healthier heart, and increased longevity.
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Forget dieting in 2024. Do this instead
The diet emphasizes simple, plant-based cooking, with most meals centered around fruits, vegetables, whole grains, beans, and seeds, along with a few nuts and a strong focus on extra-virgin olive oil. Other fats, like butter, are rarely consumed, and sugar and refined foods are limited to special occasions.
Red meat is used minimally, often just for flavor. Consuming healthy, oily fish rich in omega-3 fatty acids is encouraged, while eggs, dairy, and poultry are consumed in smaller portions compared to the traditional Western diet.
and consistently overlooked by many, social interactions during meals and exercise are often forgotten aspects of the Mediterranean eating style. This approach to eating includes making lifestyle changes such as enjoying meals with loved ones, having meaningful conversations over food, savoring beloved dishes, and participating in mindful physical activity and exercise.
The raw food diet landed in last place on the list of 30 best overall diets. This diet recommends consuming food that has not been "cooked, processed, microwaved, irradiated, genetically engineered, or exposed to pesticides or herbicides," according to the report.
Sources of saturated fats.
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New research suggests that a diet similar to Keto may be linked to an increased risk of heart disease. Despite the diet's appearance of healthiness, it is overly restrictive in terms of nutrition and may not be safe for everyone, according to the U.S. News & World Report website. Dr. Vanita Rahman, an internal medicine physician and clinic director of the Barnard Medical Center in Washington, DC, recommends cooking certain foods to allow for more variety and to boost the intake of protein and other essential nutrients.
Rahman emphasized that the best way to consume raw foods is within a whole foods, plant-based diet that includes abundant raw fruits and vegetables, as well as cooked lentils, beans, grains, and vegetables.
In the assessment, the keto diet was ranked 25th overall, but it did claim the top spot in the fast weight-loss category. Nonetheless, professionals warn that the diet's strict limit of 20 carbs per day makes it unsustainable for long-term adherence.
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Registered dietitian Amanda Sauceda, who is part of a panel evaluating diets on the U.S. News & World Report site, expressed concerns about the difficulty of sticking to a keto diet and the tendency of people to transition from keto to low-carb diets, which may result in weight gain.
The report stated that individuals with heart, liver, and kidney conditions, certain types of cancer, as well as children who have not been advised by a doctor to lose weight, pregnant individuals, and high-performing athletes should avoid the keto diet. Additionally, a 2023 review of studies identified potential risks of prolonged keto dieting, including cognitive decline, nutritional deficiencies, kidney stones, heart disease, and muscle loss.
