There are so many diet plans out there, and so much variation in the quality and truth of information available – it can be overwhelming to try to navigate.

 

I came across this excellent resource by US News & World Report reviewing 41 of the the most popular diets and ranking them (with help from a panel of diet and nutrition experts) by best overall, best for weight loss, best for heart health, easiest to follow, best plant based, and so forth.  For each diet plan, you can find a detailed  overview of each diet, as well as lists and photos of food that are (or are not) included in that diet.

 

Here are a few tips to consider when you are choosing which pattern of eating would work best for you:

  • Remember to think of this as a permanent lifestyle change rather than a temporary ‘diet’.  Studies show that if a person loses weight on a diet and then stops the diet, the weight comes back (and then some, in many cases).
  • Stray away from the diets that rank high in the best fast weight loss category. Notice that they rank well for short term weight loss but poorly for long term weight loss.  This is because a program that helps lose weight fast is likely one that is very hard to stick to in the long term.  The yo-yo weight pattern that may result from these short term programs is bad for our metabolism and may increase the risk of heart attacks and even death over the long term.
  • These diet reviews do not talk about safety.  For example, for some people with diabetes, the keto diet is dangerous, and this is not discussed under their keto diet review. Talk to your doctor before embarking on any new eating program. 

 

Follow me on twitter! @drsuepedersen

www.drsue.ca © 2019