DASH Diet nabs top ranking from U.S. News & World Report; TLC, Mayo Clinic and Weight Watchers score high

U.S. News & World Report has ranked the DASH diet tops for health and weight loss.

A diet designed to combat high blood pressure turns out to be the healthiest eating plan on the market, lowering cholesterol and melting fat without gimmicks.

That’s the finding of U.S. News & World Report, which ranked the DASH diet No. 1, for the second year in a row, in its annual survey.

The Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH)diet is high on fiber, low on fat and includes eight to 12 servings of fruits and vegetables a day.


It doesn’t make any crazy promises: one website promoting the regimen even notes that dieters “initially may find it hard to implement and sustain.’

But it doesn’t require paid memberships, prepackaged food or very restrictive menus.

The U.S. News expert panel cited its “nutritional completeness, safety, ability to prevent or control diabetes, and role in supporting heart health.’

DASH is endorsed by the National Institutes of Health — and another no-frills plan created by the federal research agency was ranked No. 2 on the list.

The Therapeutic Lifestyle Changes or TLC diet is a set of guidelines for how many calories, fat, sodium and cholesterol a person should take in a day.

There are lists of recommended foods and sample menus, but it

requires a "do-it-yourself" approach — on contrast to the hand-holding provided by some commercial diets.

Three diets tied for third place: Weight Watchers, the Mayo Clinic Diet, and the Mediterranean Diet.

The WW PointsPlus plan that slimmed down Jennifer Hudson was deemed a winner for its emphasis on fruits and vegetables, online and group support, and handy guides to eating in and out of the house.

Mayo’s plan was considered very effective at fighting diabetes, less so at taking off major poundage. The Mediterranean Diet’s emphasis on fruits and vegetables, olive oil and fish gave it an edge.

What diets should people avoid?

The trendy Dukan Diet, a four-phase plan that starts off with a menu of 68 protein-only foods, was blasted as

overly restrictive, unnecessarily complicated and just plain "idiotic."

The Paleo Diet, based on the lean meats and greens our cave-dwelling ancestors ate, scored at the bottom because it would be too hard for the average dieter to follow.

Here’s the full list of U.S. News & World Reports Best Diets Overall

1. DASH Diet

2. TLC Diet

3. Weight Watchers

3. Mayo Clinic Diet

3. Mediterranean Diet

6. Volumetrics Diet

7. Jenny Craig Diet

8. Biggest Loser Diet

8. Ornish Diet

10. Vegetarian Diet

11. Slim-Fast Diet

12. Flat Belly Diet

12. Nutrisystem Diet

14. Abs Diet

14.South Beach Diet

14. Vegan Diet Overall

17. Eco-Atkins Diet

17. Glycemic-Index Diet

17. Zone Diet

20. Macrobiotic Diet

20. Medifast Diet

22. Atkins Diet

22. Raw Food Die

24. Dukan Diet

24. Paleo Diet


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