Now the diets have been put on a scale.
U.S. News & World Report ranked 32 of the weight-hating world’s best-known diets.
The mag convened a panel of doctors and nutritionists, who reviewed the plans for their weight-loss and disease-fighting potential.
The five best overall plans, according to these experts, are the DASH (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension), TLC (Therapeutic Lifestyle Change), Mayo Clinic, Weight Watchers and Mediterranean diets.
Weight Watchers was the only Top 5 plan that you pay for. The other four top diets don’t even have weight loss as a primary goal — but manage to achieve it, anyway, according to the mag’s health and wellness editor, Angela Haupt.
“This tells you eating healthy doesn’t cost you an arm and a leg,” Haupt says. “There’s a misconception that eating well means shelling out money on special plans.”
The bottom of the dieting barrel includes the Atkins, the Dukan and the “caveman” Paleo diets, despite supporters’ claims.
“If our society as a whole adopted the Paleo diet, the effects upon health and well-being would be enormous,” says Julia Blyumkin, a spokeswoman defending “The Paleo Diet” author Loren Cordain.
Reps for the backers of Atkins and Dukan did not immediately return messages seeking their comments.
1. DASH: This plan has maximum flexibility and allows for all kinds of meats, fruits, vegetables and grains. Big no-nos? Foods loaded with salt, sugar and fat. “It’s the most nutritionally complete,” says U.S. News’ Haupt.
2. TLC: Gets high marks for promoting cardiovascular health and cuts high-fat dairy (e.g., butter) and fatty meats (e.g., salami).
(tie) 3. Mediterranean: As the name suggests, this diet emphasizes olive oil, fish and other staples you’d find near the famous sea. It also calls for a splash of heart-healthy red wine, in addition to physical activity.
(tie) 3. Mayo Clinic Diet: This plan aims to help you drop at least 6 pounds in two weeks, and potentially 1 pound a week after that. Snack all you want on fruits and vegetables — but not while watching TV!
(tie) 3. Weight Watchers: The famous TV-advertised scheme puts a point value on virtually every food under the sun, and dieters have to keep a running tally. Fruits and vegetables have zero points, so you can go hog wild on the greens.
(tie) 6. Flexitarian: Rather than traditional meats, it focuses on proteins gleaned from tofu, beans, lentils, peas, nuts and seeds and eggs. So get ready for soy milk on cereal for breakfast, black bean soup for lunch and a barbecue veggie burger for dinner.
(tie) 6. Volumetrics: Penn State nutrition professor Barbara Rolls’ program calls for dieters to divide foods into “very low-density (fruits and vegetables, nonfat milk),” “low-density (grains, breakfast cereal, low-fat meat),” “medium density (other meats, cheese, bread, ice cream)” and “high-density (candy, chips).” Go big on the lower-density foods.
8. Jenny Craig: This paid program calls for one-on-one meetings with counselors and specific dishes delivered to customers. “Although success hinges on Jenny Cuisine, the program isn’t inflexible,” according to the magazine. “A ‘splurge strategy’ is built in from the beginning, allowing up to 250 extra calories for special occasions.”
(tie) 9. Biggest Loser: It’s based on the “Biggest Loser” book series, which includes “30-Day Jump Start” and “6 Weeks to a Healthier You.” The magazine writes: “It suggests four servings a day of fruits and vegetables, three of protein foods, two of whole grains, and no more than 200 calories of ‘extras,’ like desserts.”
(tie) 9. Ornish: UC San Francisco professor Dean Ornish lays out a plan of nutrition, exercise, stress management and emotional support. The diet attacks heart disease, ditching “most foods with any cholesterol or refined carbohydrates, oils, excessive caffeine and nearly all animal products besides egg whites,” according to the magazine.
(tie) 11. Traditional Asian Diet: The Cornell-China-Oxford Project on Nutrition, Health and Environment and Oldways — a nonprofit food think tank in Boston — developed this plan that’s built on rice, noodles, breads, corn, whole grains, fruits, veggies, legumes, seeds, nuts and vegetable oil. Red meat is allowed once a month.
(tie) 11. Vegetarian: Meat, chicken and fish are banned, but not milk and dairy products. You could reach 2,000 calories a day by consuming 2 cups of fruit, 2 ½ cups of vegetables, 3 cups of dairy, 6 ounces of grains and 5 ½ ounces of protein.
(tie) 13. Anti-Inflammatory Diet: Dr. Andrew Weil’s plan closely mirrors the Mediterranean Diet, with the addition of green tea and dark chocolate. Weil believes his diet combats cancer and other degenerative diseases. No fast or fried foods!
(tie) 13. Slimfast: This commercial plan takes dead aim at weight loss, with a goal of dropping 1 or 2 pounds a week. It’s all about calorie counts and portion control, with a set limit of 1,200 calories a day. It’s targeted at the severely overweight who want to drop pounds fast.
(tie) 13. Spark Solution Diet: “The Spark Solution” book calls for 1,500 calories a day — 45 to 65 percent carbohydrates; 20 to 35 percent from fats; and 16 to 35 percent from proteins. The book has a heavy exercise component.
(tie) 16. Flat Belly Diet: The key to this program is its opening four-day “anti-bloat” regimen of just 1,200 daily calories. “Each day, you’ll have four 300-calorie meals that adhere to a rigid list of acceptable food and drink,” the mag writes. “That means lots of baby carrots, cucumbers, grape tomatoes, skim milk, extra-virgin olive oil, sunflower seeds, applesauce, chicken breasts, organic deli roast turkey, tilapia and fresh or dried basil.”
(tie) 16. Nutrisystem: It stresses “good” carbs from vegetables and whole grains. In theory, these foods digest slowly and keep dieters feeling full longer. The paid plan “delivers your meals, and tells you what to eat and when,” according to the mag. “It makes for guaranteed calorie restriction, the tried-and-true weight-loss tactic.”
(tie) 18. Abs Diet: Created by “Men’s Health” Editor-in-Chief David Zinczenko, the diet stresses protein with every meal in the hopes of sparking lean muscle growth and
fat burn. Meals are rich in foods such as almonds, beans, spinach, instant oatmeal, eggs, peanut butter, raspberries, olive oil and whole grains.
(tie) 18. The Energy 2 Diet: This was created by former firefighter Rip Esselstyn, whose great-grandfather co-founded the Cleveland Clinic and whose dad was an Olympic rower and Cleveland Clinic surgeon. Esselstyn’s plant-rich diet claims to fight heart disease, diabetes, Alzheimer’s and cancer.
(tie) 18. South Beach Diet: The famed plan stresses low carbs and high proteins. It’s filled with vegetables, fish, eggs, low-fat dairy, lean protein such as chicken and turkey, whole grains and nuts. Saturated and trans fats are strongly discouraged,
(tie) 18. Vegan Diet: Vegetarians have to go another step here by avoiding all dairy and eggs. “Research shows vegans tend to eat fewer calories, weigh less and have a lower body mass index (a measure of body fat) than their meat-eating counterparts,” states U.S. News. “If you’re doing it right — i.e., eating lots of fruits, veggies and whole grains — you’ll likely feel full on fewer calories than you’re allowed each day.”
(tie) 22. Eco-Atkins: This low-carb plan is a hybrid of meat-loving Atkins and Paleo diets and vegetarian and vegan schemes. It was designed by University of Toronto professor David Jenkins as a twist on Atkins. “Starchy options like white bread, rice, potatoes and baked goods top the Eco-Atkins ‘don’t-eat’ list, while fruit, vegetables, whole-grain cereal, whole-wheat bread and oats are recommended,” notes the magazine.
(tie) 22. The Glycemic Index Diet: There are good carbs like bran cereal, apples and carrots. Then there are bad carbs like white bread and instant mashed potatoes. The plan is to get as many good carbs into your body so they digest slowly, yielding the sensation of a full belly.
(tie) 22. Zone Diet: Biochemist Barry Sears’ plan is aimed at keeping your insulin in check — in a zone, if you will — by eating in proper portions. Meal times are crucial, calling for food at least once every five hours. Pasta, bread, cereals and potatoes are no-nos.
(tie) 25. Macrobiotic diets: There are various versions but all are generally vegetarian with high doses of brown rice, barley, oats, rye, buckwheat, leafy greens, root, beans and soybean products like tofu and tempeh. One take on this diet strategy calls for each mouthful of food to be chewed 50 times to aid digestion.
(tie) 25. Medifast: This commercial plan comes with meals tailored for specific dieters such as diabetics, seniors, teens, vegetarians and nursing mothers. The mag warns of potential site effects, including leg cramps, dizziness or fatigue, headaches, loose skin, hair loss, rashes, gas, diarrhea, bad breath, constipation and menstrual changes.
27. Acid-Alkaline Diet: This plan bans acid-forming foods such as red meats, whole dairy products, breads high in yeast, wheat products, sugary snacks, ketchup, mayonnaise, salad dressings, croutons and coffee. It’s not suggested for dieters with kidney problems or heart conditions.
28. The Fast Diet: It’s often called the 5:2 plan, meaning you eat regularly five days a week and drastically cut back calorie intake on two, non-consecutive days (when men are limited to 600 calories, women to 500). Potential dieters should consult a doctor before taking on such a drastic regimen.
(tie) 29. Atkins: Probably one of the most controversial plans in dieting history, it calls for a radical carb dump and heavy consumption of meat. Without the energy provided by carbs, a dieter’s engine will be fueled by the protein of meat and tricked into burning the body’s alternative fuel — stored fat. Potential concerns include a higher risk of heart disease and other cardiovascular problems.
(tie) 29. Raw Food Diet: It sounds simple, but could be one of the most difficult plans of all to pull off. Raw food is most commonly defined as not “cooked, processed, microwaved, irradiated, genetically engineered or exposed to pesticides or herbicides,” explains the mag. This is definitely a no-go for growing kids — and adults have to be careful about food poisoning when eating raw or undercooked meat, fish, milk or eggs.
(tie) 31. Dukan: This has many similarities to the Atkins diet but allows for non-starchy vegetables such as cucumbers, mushrooms, zucchini, peppers and salad greens. It shuts out grains and fruits, leading the mag to quote an expert who calls the diet “idiotic.”
(tie) 31. Paleo: It’s a simple but hard-to-do premise — if a caveman didn’t eat it, you shouldn’t either. You lose dairy products and grains but gain fish and grass-fed meats. “It cuts out a lot of food, and needlessly so,” says Haupt.