8 Healthy and Effective Diets

By
Cynthia Sass, MPH, RD

Updated on February 21, 2025

Medically reviewed by
Maggie Moon, MS, RD
IN THIS ARTICLE
 Best Diets for Your Health
 Mediterranean Diet
 DASH Diet
 Flexitarian Diet
 The MIND Diet
 Mayo Clinic Diet
 TLC Diet
 Volumetrics Diet
 WW (formerly Weight Watchers) Diet
 The 3 Diets That Ranked Lowest
 A Quick Review
0 seconds of 30 secondsVolume 0%

What Happens to Your Body When Withdrawing from Alcohol

Close

There are many possible eating plans to choose from, but the top
one for you may be on the Best Diets Overall list. U.S. News &
World Report releases an annual ranking of Best Diets Overall, and
while the order in 2025 was slightly different from the previous
lists, the top five picks of the 38 diets evaluated remain largely the
same.1

Best Diets for Your Health

Here's how the decision process worked: The list of Best Diets
Overall was chosen by a panel of 69. experts in diet, nutrition,
obesity, food psychology, diabetes, and heart disease. The experts
evaluated modern and popular diets based on seven categories:2
  Effectiveness for long-term weight loss
 Effectiveness for short-term weight loss
 How easy it is to follow
 Nutritional completeness
 Potential for preventing or managing diabetes
 Potential for preventing heart disease
 Safety

The experts ranked the diets in different lists, including Best

Diabetes Diet, Easiest Diets to Follow, and Best Plant-Based Diets.
But the main list that considered multiple categories was the Best
Diets Overall. To compile this list, U.S. News & World
Report combined the panel's ratings of the above seven categories,
giving more consideration to the long-term weight loss and safety
category scores.
CWP, LLC / Stocksy

Mediterranean Diet
The Mediterranean diet ranked at the very top yet again in 2025—
the fifth year in a row, in fact. The eating pattern has long been
considered the gold standard for nutrition, disease prevention,
wellness, and longevity.3

There really isn't one single Mediterranean diet. For example,

people in Greece eat differently from those in Italy and Spain.
While the traditional diets in this region share many of the same
principles, the Mediterranean diet is an eating style and way of life,
not a rules-oriented diet. That said, you may lose weight simply by
shifting your intake away from processed foods and toward more
fiber- and nutrient-rich produce and whole foods.

Features of the Mediterranean Diet

 The diet is rich in vegetables, fruits, whole grains, nuts, pulses

(i.e., beans, lentils, peas, chickpeas), and olive oil.
 It calls for fish at least a few times per week and allows for
poultry, eggs, and dairy in moderation.
 It severely limits processed foods, added sugar, and red meat.
 The diet encourages at least two and a half hours per week of
moderate-intensity activity, along with a few days of muscle-
strengthening exercises, and these can include recreational
activities like walking and gardening.

This diet naturally provides a wide range of anti-

inflammatory antioxidants, including those from moderate amounts
of red wine. Note that wine is not a requirement of the diet, but one
5-ounce glass per day for females and two for males is typical for
those who follow the diet.

Benefits

The Mediterranean diet is nutritionally sound and balanced and

provides a diverse array of filling foods and flavors.

Numerous studies support the diet's ability to improve outcomes

for metabolic syndrome, type 2 diabetes, heart disease, obesity, and
cancer. Heart disease remains the top killer of US adults.45

A 2018 Italian study found that following a Mediterranean diet was

associated with lower levels of weight gain and less of an increase
in waist circumference over 12 years.3

Disadvantages

There are no guidelines for specific portions, calorie targets, or meal

configurations, which can be frustrating for some.

And the Mediterranean diet can potentially be costly, although, you

can reduce your grocery bill by buying certain foods like in-season
produce, bulk grains, and canned beans.

The diet also generally requires cooking. If you'd like to follow the
plan with a bit more structure, consider consulting with a
registered dietitian who can help you determine how to plan
Mediterranean meals tailored to your personal preferences, budget,
needs, and goals. You can also look for meal delivery services,
cookbooks, and other online resources that support the plan, of
which there are plenty of options.
DASH Diet
Slotting in at number two is the Dietary Approaches to Stop
Hypertension Diet, which is more commonly known as the DASH
diet. This diet is not just for people with high blood pressure. DASH is
promoted by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, which
is part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH).6

Features of the DASH Diet

This plan borrows elements of the Mediterranean diet, but it is a

very specific eating pattern.

According to the NIH, the DASH eating plan recommends specific

portions from various food groups, depending on a person's daily
calorie needs. For example, a 1600-calorie DASH diet, includes the
following:

 5-6 servings of grains daily, with an emphasis on whole grains

 3 to 4 servings of vegetables daily
 4 servings of fruit daily
 2 to 3 servings of fat-free or low-fat dairy daily
 3 to 4 ounces or less of lean meat, poultry, or fish daily
 3 to 4 servings of nuts, seeds, and legumes per week
 1-2 servings of fats and oils daily
 3 or fewer servings per week of sweets
 A maximum of 2,300 milligrams per day of sodium

The word "diet" may suggest a temporary or quick-fix approach, but

DASH is meant to be followed for the long haul. The plan is
recommended as part of a lifestyle that also includes limiting
alcohol, coping with stress, being physically active, not smoking, and
getting plenty of sleep.
Benefits

In addition to being effective in reducing blood pressure, the highly

researched DASH diet has been shown to promote weight loss,
protect heart health, and lower the risk of type 2 diabetes and
stroke.7

DASH has actually been in existence for over two decades. It's
fairly straightforward, and while the rate of weight loss with DASH
can be slow, it's sustainable long term.7

Disadvantages

One drawback is the lack of obvious alternatives to animal protein

for those who are looking for a plant-based plan. It's also a bit low
in healthy fats. Since the diet is very specific, if you're looking to
tailor the plan to your preferences, consult with a dietitian for a
customized DASH plan.7

Flexitarian Diet
"Food blogs were aflutter this year over 'flexitarian,' the latest word
in gastronomic circles," the New York Times reported back in 2004.
Decades later, the diet is still going strong.8

Features of the Flexitarian Diet

A flexitarian diet is primarily a vegetarian diet, with the occasional

inclusion of animal protein.

However, there is no one way to follow a flexitarian diet. There is

no universal guideline on the number of times per week animal
products are consumed or on the overall makeup of a day's worth
of servings of produce, whole grains, etc.

The best way to follow the overarching flexitarian plan for weight
management and overall health is to maximize your intake of
whole, plant foods and minimize highly processed foods, even if
they are fully plant-based. In other words, choose a grain bowl
made with leafy greens, veggies, quinoa, lentils, and tahini over a
vegan cheeseburger with fries.

If the bulk of your meals include a variety of whole, plant-based

foods, and plant proteins, you can enjoy occasional servings of
animal foods while reaping many nutrients and health benefits.

Benefits

Since the term began buzzing, numerous studies, including a 2016

research review in the journal Frontiers of Nutrition, have shown
that the shift toward a mostly plant-based diet is tied to lower body
weight and a reduced incidence of chronic diseases, including
improved markers of metabolic health, blood pressure, and reduced
risk of type 2 diabetes.9

A study from 2020 found that young adults don't view flexitarianism
as an all-or-nothing approach—"one does not have to be a full
vegetarian or a meat eater, but can instead be something in
between," the researchers wrote about the participant's outlook on
the diet.10

Disadvantages

While the diet's flexibility can be viewed as an advantage, there has

been a movement to better define and categorize different
approaches for those who want a more concrete label. A 2021 study
in the journal Appetite segmented flexitarian diets into three
types:11

 Climatarian (limit beef and lamb consumption)

 One step for animals (eliminate chicken consumption)
 Reducetarian (reduce all meat consumption)

Considering which of these you want to follow could help you if you
are looking for a more clearly defined diet.

The MIND Diet

The MIND diet combines aspects of the Mediterranean and DASH
diets to create an eating pattern designed to focus on brain health.
Even though its main targets include preventing dementia and age-
related cognitive decline, the MIND diet can be followed by anyone
for weight loss and overall wellness.

MIND stands for the Mediterranean-DASH Intervention for

Neurodegenerative Delay. Because both the Mediterranean and
DASH diets have such strong research to support their
healthfulness, MIND highlights aspects of the two that are
particularly protective of the brain.

Features of the MIND Diet

Rather than a set meal plan, MIND's primary directive is to eat

more of the 10 brain-defending foods, which are:

 Green, leafy vegetables—Aim for six or more servings per

week.
  All other vegetables—Get in at least one serving a day in
addition to your leafy greens, particularly non-starchy veggies.
 Nuts—Have five or more servings weekly.
 Berries—Eat them at least twice a week.
 Beans—Take them in at least four times per week.
 Olive oil—Use it as the main prep and cooking oil.
 Whole grains—Include at least three servings per day.
 Fish—Eat it at least once a week, particularly fatty fish high in
omega-3s, like salmon, sardines, mackerel, trout, and tuna.
 Poultry—Aim for un-fried chicken or turkey twice a week or
more.
 Wine—This is optional, but you can drink no more than one
glass, preferably of red wine, daily.

The plan also lays out five foods to avoid, as they have been shown
to hinder brain health:

 Butter and margarine—Limit to less than 1 tablespoon per

day.
 Cheese—Stick to once per week or less.
 Red meat—Have no more than three weekly servings.
 Fried food—Limit to less than once per week.
 Pastries and sweets—Consume no more than four times per
week.

Benefits

Since MIND is newer than both the Mediterranean and DASH diets,
there are fewer studies on its outcomes. However, the research on
its health benefits that have been published is impressive. In one
2015 study of nearly 1,000 older adults, those who followed the
MIND diet most closely had a 53% lower risk of
developing Alzheimer's disease compared to those who deviated from
it most.12

U.S. News & World Report cites another study that found that the
MIND diet may have protective effects against Parkinson's disease.
Starting MIND at about age 65 was associated with delaying
Parkinson's onset—up to about 17 years later for women and eight
years for men, according to the study.

Disadvantages

As for weight loss, 2020 research on more than 6,500 participants

with obesity found that the following MIND had no impact on body
weight or waistline size.13

One possible reason for the lack of weight loss—and another

downside of the MIND diet—is a lack of information about how to
transform its guidelines into concrete meal plans and recipes.
There are books and online resources to help, but customizing the
plan to your eating preferences and weight loss goals may require
some expert guidance.