U.S. News Releases Ranking Of Best Diets For Healthy Eating

By Kurtis Hiatt, U.S. News

Not all diet plans are nutritious and safe. A new U.S. News ranking rates diets' healthiness.

Weight lost doesn't always equal health gained. That new diet that took inches off your waistline could be harming your health if it locks out or severely restricts entire food groups, like carbs, or relies on supplements with little scientific backing, or clamps down on calories to an extreme.

"People are so desperate to lose weight that it's really weight loss at any cost," says Madelyn Fernstrom, founding director of the UPMC-University of Pittsburgh Medical Center Weight Management Center and author of The Real You Diet. And when that desperation sets in, says Fernstrom, "normal thinking goes out the window." Who cares if the forbidden-foods list is longer than War and Peace? Pounds are coming off. You're happy. But your body might not be.

You can check the nutritional completeness and safety of 20 popular diets ranked by U.S. News, from Atkins to Jenny Craig to Weight Watchers, in detailed profiles of each one. (The profiles also cover scientific evidence, typical meals, and much more.) And now U.S. News is introducing new rankings, Best Diets for Healthy Eating, that give each diet a "healthiness" score from 5 (best) to 1 (worst) for safety and nutrition, with safety getting double weight; while you can modify a diet to some degree to adjust for nutritional imbalances or deficiencies, mere tweaking won't make an unsafe diet safe.

Behind the healthiness scores are ratings by a U.S. News panel of 22 experts in nutrition and diet. They assessed the 20 popular diets in seven categories, including the safety and nutritional completeness categories, for a series of rankings released last June. U.S. News recently added profiles of five more diets -- the Abs Diet, Biggest Loser Diet, Dukan Diet, Flat Belly Diet, and Macrobiotic Diet. They are not included in the new Best Diets for Healthy Eating but will be added in January after experts rate them.

The Best Diets for Healthy Eating and Best Diets Overall rankings overlap significantly. Both give high marks to DASH, TLC, Mediterranean, Mayo Clinic, Volumetrics, and Weight Watchers. "The ones that get high scores in safety and in nutritional value -- they're very similar to each other," says Andrea Giancoli, a registered dietitian who serves on U.S. News's expert panel. The recurring theme across the diets that excelled in healthiness is adequate calories supplied by a heavy load of vegetables, fruits, and whole grains, a modest amount of lean protein, nonfat dairy, healthy fats, and an occasional treat. Plants are the foundation and the menu is always built around minimally processed meals made from scratch.

Very few diets in the Healthy Eating list are overtly unsafe or severely deficient nutritionally. The only plans to receive healthiness scores of below 3 were the Paleo, Raw Food, and Atkins diets. They're simply too restrictive, say our experts, which calls their nutritional qualities into question. The meat-heavy Paleo diet bans grains and dairy, so getting adequate calcium and vitamin D isn't easy. Atkins, by severely curbing carbs, blows past recommended caps for total and saturated fat. Depending on your personal approach to the Raw Food Diet, you may shortchange yourself on calcium, vitamin B-12, and vitamin D; its restrictive cooking rules also could put you at risk for eating raw or undercooked ingredients.

If you have reservations about a diet's nutritional content or safety, listen to your body. Fatigue, sleeplessness, dizziness, aches -- they're all red flags. Says Fernstrom: "Losing weight is for good health, so you should feel more vital -- not bad."

More From U.S. News:
Best Diabetes Diets
6 Warning Signs of a Bad Diet
Best Weight-Loss Diets

Being on a diet doesn't always mean good things for your health. You want to make sure your new diet will provide enough calories and doesn't skimp on important nutrients or entire food groups. The Best Diets for Healthy Eating rankings take both nutrition and safety into account. (See how we did it.) Among the 20 popular diet programs ranked by U.S. News, the DASH Diet came out on top.

More From U.S. News:
Stop Emotional Eating With These 5 Tips
5 Great Diets for the Whole Family
Best Commercial Diet Plans

Comments

[Dr Mark Rosenberg]

03:26 PM on 11/18/2011

The raw food diet is mostly a vegetarian diet. While it does have its benefits, there are certainly some downfalls as well. Some of main my concerns pertaining to this diet are vitamin deficiencies, especially deficiencies in B12, which is common in vegetarian diets. This deficiency can result in anemia and conditions of the nervous system, as well as neurological disorders.

If you're interested in the pros and cons of this particular diet, one of my prior articles provides an in-depth analysis. http://www.healthyanswers.com/general-health/2010/07/raw-foods-the-good-and-the-not-so-good/

[Chuck Bluestein]

02:07 PM on 11/19/2011

An N.D. that tested for vitamin B-12 deficiency found that around 30% of vegan and vegetarians have a deficiency of vitamin B-12. But he also found that about 30% of meat eaters also have a deficiency of it. Note that stress increases the need for it. The best source of it is blue-green algae like spirulina that has more it than liver.

Also this food is neither animal nor vegetable. It existed before animals and plants existed. It put the oxygen in the air. It has more calcium than milk, more protein than meat, more beta-caroteen than carrots, more iron than spinach, more vitamin E than wheat germ and more omega-3s than fish. Fish get their omega-3s from eating algae. http://bit.ly/nbD3Jx The number one supplement in Japan is chlorella-- a green algae.

[Daniel Berisford]

07:36 PM on 11/13/2011

Raw Food is the best diet for health hands down! I totally expected economy generating diets like weight watchers to be up there because of the population conditioning but the "Experts" probably have never tried the diet. People reading this: try it for yourself for 21 days! What can happen to you in that time? You'll see the reason I posted this if you rise to the challenge!

[Dillon N Gail]

11:59 PM on 11/12/2011

Vegan and vegetarian a 3? Seriously! It has been shown amply with so many different studies and even now Forks Over Knives movies explain it too ... it is the healthiest way you can eat not only for diet but for whole health ... we solved all of our health problems eating this way 85% of the time, we do still eat real butter and eggs... then fish or chicken on occasion ... my husband lost 40 lbs and turned his heart health completely around and his leg and back pain... I lost 20 lbs and cured my headaches, acne and digestive problems ... we are very healthy so are our kids

[Cimms]

12:02 PM on 11/08/2011

Meat, cheese, and eggs only for me the last three and a half months. 30lbs lost, wearing size 30 jeans again for first time since junior year in HS, roatia (spelling) and dandruff cleared up, teeth whiter, never felt better, blood work done last week excellent. I laugh at such rankings.

[TomP100]

04:22 PM on 11/08/2011

I'm with you. Been low-carb / high-protein for years now, and it works wonders for me. I'm a big guy at 6'4" and 240lbs, but I can maintain a 34 inch waste at age 40 simply by eating low-carb. It gives me so much energy. I learned years ago that blood sugar spikes make me feel terrible and rob me of energy. By grabbing, say, buffalo jerky or cheese wedges instead of a candy bar for a snack, I can completely avoid a lot of fatigue.

[Cimms]

04:32 PM on 11/08/2011

Very nice. 240 and 34 inch waist is awesome. Don't want to meet you in a dark alley :) I am 44, 5'10 and weighed 189. Dropped to 159. Funny thing is I did not exercise one bit during the first three months on the diet. Just started lifting again last weekend. Lost about 20lbs on my bench and about 30lbs on my squat but I am sure I will get back up there soon.

I am trying to convince my older brother to go low carb as well. We are the same height but he is pushing 230. Seriously worried about him.

[Dillon N Gail]

12:00 AM on 11/13/2011

yes it will keep your weight down but it will get your heart, look at Mr Akins ...

[Dillon N Gail]

12:02 AM on 11/13/2011

it may have taken your weight down, but it will get your heart and make many other problems, dairy is awful for you ... try mainly veggie diet and you will have even better results and NO health problems ... after all the Akins diet guy dropped dead of a heart attack nice and slim

[Cimms]

02:52 PM on 11/14/2011

No thanks. Did full physical a couple of weeks ago and blood tests. Everything excellent. Told my Doc about my diet. He recommended I stay on. Never felt better..

[Cimms]

01:22 PM on 11/17/2011

"a diet of meat and dairy will kill you :( you have been fooled into this diet and it is extremely dangerous my friend ... meth will keep you skinny too ... think about it, ... weight loss and health are separate issues"

And you base this on? Someone better tell the Eskimos, well, a liitle late now since they have adopted the Western diet and are experiencing the diseases that go along with it now. Do some research, I did. I would start here:

http://forum.zeroinginonhealth.com/index.php

Thank you for your concern though :)

[msimp0108]

02:48 PM on 11/07/2011

And I should have mentioned that the fact that the "Slim Fast" diet wasn't last on the list, or that it was even called a "diet" and given
ANY credibility at all, is potential evidence of the conflict of interest I mentioned in the previous comment.

[msimp0108]

02:45 PM on 11/07/2011

The so-called "panel of experts" is typically biased. To ban the Paleo Diet because it is too low in calcium and vitamin D is telling. There are plenty of plant and animal based sources for these nutrients when you drop the bias against fats. Eggs, butter, fatty fish, cod liver oil that has not been refined, are a few sources. Sesame seeds are very high in calcium, as is spinach and other leafy greens. There is plenty of data suggesting that calcium from pasteurized milk is poorly assimilated, and on and on. I am not even a Paleo fanatic. It is arguably not sustainable. I don't know what the best diet is and neither do these experts. For everyone of them, there is another expert recommending the alternative based on just as solid empirical evidence. I would also be concerned as to their degree of conflicting interest. It's a common problem these days.

[Food Review 101]

02:30 PM on 11/07/2011

http://www.foodreview101.com/ The one that allows you to not go crazy.

[elisehippie]

02:04 PM on 11/07/2011

well this seems kinda silly! how can veganism get demerits for "inconvenience" when the study is supposedly based on healthiness...i would rather go through the hassle (sarcasm) of opening a can of beans than follow the tedious number crunching and ratio calculating diets.
sure you should do research before embarking on such a lifestyle, but isnt that the case with any dietary decision?? eating plant based foods is way more maintainable than drinking slim fast shakes for 2 of your 3 meals...is that really realistic? for the rest of your life?

http://bit.ly/tP9ycH

[plantbasedpunk]

02:20 PM on 11/07/2011

Ginny Messina tackled this one. They made a good effort to cover veganism, but seriously missed the mark on some points. One example is how they call it moderately expensive. Sure, it can be expensive if you are eating organic and imitation meat products. But for the most part, I think vegans have really cheap grocery bills. I know my grocery bill went down when I stopped eating animal products. Here's Ginny's blog: http://www.theveganrd.com/2011/11/u-s-news-rates-vegan-diets-and-gets-a-few-things-wrong.html

[elisehippie]

02:28 PM on 11/07/2011

couldnt agree more - last time i checked bulk grain and dried beans were way cheaper than a cut of meat or filet of fish.

[NotEve]

12:20 PM on 11/07/2011

Please not the locations of vegan, raw, and atkins diets on the list - 3 out four of the worst ranked diets.

One thing that all three have in common is that they're simply extreme ends of opposite spectrums.

As omnivores we should leave the ends of the nutritional spectrum to the herbivores and carnivores and enjoy our comfortable, healthy, delicious, and biologically determined place in the middle.

[Lesann]

11:31 AM on 11/08/2011

I'm sorry, but this list is flawed. There is no way, no way that Jenny Craig, Nutri-system, Medifast, and Slim Fast are better diets than a vegetarian or vegan diet.

I am a vegan and had my blood work done, and it is perfect. I eat this way due to a family history of GERD and high cholesterol, and I have also never really enjoyed meat of any kind. I eat a variety of foods and feel great.

Every person is different. What may work for one person may not work for another.

[HerrMonk]

07:22 PM on 11/09/2011

Paleo is ranked down there too.

I think what they really have in common is a lack of marketing and industry advocacy within the government and nutritional - academia.

This is could be called the best-marketed, best financed diets and best subsidized diets.

(For the record I think Paleo is a good idea for most people, and vaganism is a terrible idea for everyone.)

[Linda Casey]

11:54 AM on 11/07/2011

I was on Weight Watchers several years ago and I did well with it - I lost 37 pounds in 9 months. After I stopped and didn't pay particular attention to what I was eating or didn't care and therefore gained some of that weight back.

I'm back on WW and going to the gym 3 days a week. After 3 weeks I'm down 4 pounds.

Once I hit my goal weight, I'll be staying on WW. It is more a lifestyle change than a diet and easy to follow.

I have friends who do Jenny Craig, but won't know exactly how to reproduce those meals once they stop buying the food from them. WW at least teaches you to do it on your own from day one, and also teaches you how to eat out so that you don't sabotage your eating. There is something you can have at most every restaurant and you learn quickly how to figure that out.

Meetings/support really do help. A friend and I are doing it together online and I'm going to the gym with my husband (who will make sure I go when I am being lazy).

I do find that since I've joined WW, my blood glucose level is much more stable, my HDL and LDL are at more acceptable levels and my asthma doesn't bother me as much as it did when I was heavier.

[farmilyman]

10:47 AM on 11/07/2011

It's a big mistake to exclude saturated fats. Polyunsaterated fats are the problem.

[HerrMonk]

07:23 PM on 11/09/2011

Transfats are the problem.

Polyunsate­rated fats are only a problem for cooking at anything but low-heat.

[KatoAto]

07:51 PM on 11/06/2011

We as a country are making this way harder than it should be. Mostly fruits and veggies, some grains, and some protein (sustainably-raised meats if you are a meat-eater, tofu/nuts/seitan/tempeh if you are a veggie head). Almost nothing you eat should come out of a box or a bag.

Why are we making this so difficult?

[queenjulia]

09:40 AM on 11/07/2011

This is really hard to digest. I've tried and it isn't family friendly.

[plantbasedpunk]

02:25 PM on 11/07/2011

I can get behind that. I think a big problem is the price of fresh produce. There is NO reason why a cheeseburger should cost $1 and a red bell pepper $2. The price of fast food does not reflect the cost of production. Our government pays millions (billions?) to subsidize corn production which is then used for processed food and grain-fed meat. More subsidies for veggies, less for processed garbage!

[FaunaAndFlora]

10:30 PM on 11/07/2011

Actually, there is a reason. Very few places can support large-scale production of red bell peppers or any other fruits and vegetables. Those places that can tend to be arid and require intensive irrigation systems to grow these crops. This adds to the cost of production. So does the manual labor that is required for harvesting most fruits and vegetables. Also, during the winter months most of the produce in American grocery stores comes from Mexico. I doubt that most Americans would support subsidizing Mexican farms.

As for cheeseburgers and other meats, livestock can be raised almost anywhere. And where beef is concerned, steers do most of their growth on pasture, with hay providing the bulk of their feed during the winter. It's only during the last few months before slaughter that they're sent to feedlots and grain becomes a part of their diet.

Personally, I'd like to see a guaranteed living wage provided to all farmers regardless of what they grow. That way those who wish to experiment with more sustainable or organic methods can do so without risking the loss of their farm. Alas, the chance of that happening is akin to a snowball's chance in Hell.

[Ranveig Elvebakk]

05:04 PM on 11/06/2011

This is like taking votes on "the best law of gravity". How the body works, including the metabolism of food, is known. We also have some notion of what makes us well and what makes us ill. That is because it is biochemistry, (science, that is).
If we could ever give up our fantasies about "diets' and teach ourselves and our children how our bodies work with food, we could take our blind folders off and stop looking for answers in the philosophy department.

[NotEve]

12:29 PM on 11/07/2011

There's only one law of gravity - Newton's Universal Law of Gravitation. That makes it a rigged election and a very poor allegory for the point you're trying to make.

Perhaps you meant "thermodynamics"?

[Lesann]

11:30 AM on 11/08/2011

I understand what you are trying to say, and I agree.

[steve12]

10:15 AM on 11/06/2011

I disagree with its rating of a vegan diet, which isn't really a diet, but lifestyle change. The vitamin deficiencies mentioned can be easily compensated for by a vegan multivitamin and calcium supplement. Some can do it through a more careful vegan regimen, but I'm too lazy.

[Rebrebreb]

07:30 PM on 11/06/2011

It isn't really so hard to be vegan in this day and age. It never was hard, per se, but now there is more veg-centric food around for people on the go. So many restaurants, food shops (even big corporate ones like Whole Foods) and culinary schools and businesses are embracing it. I always find it funny that people think that a vegan diet has to be carefully monitored, when the average omnivore, carnivore (or whatever you might deem yourself) would do well to care a little more about actual nutrition. Lacking in nutrients is not unique to any one diet - - it is a flaw of people and education, that we are not eating consciously and caring as much about nutrition as how things taste. For me veganism has been lifechanging and awesome, but to each their own. But we need to dispel the myth that veganism is "difficult" or also "expensive" (another common bit of misinformation.) It isn't - no more than any other way of eating. You just have to be vaguely intelligent and inform yourself. Lotsa resources on the web. Filter out the tainted, USDA-conflict-of-interest government stuff and find yourself a sensible and positive place to read up like the PCRM site.

[Italian-in-NY]

08:42 PM on 11/06/2011

Not at all.
A high-fat/low-carb diet based on animal fats includes all necessary micronutrients but vitamin C.
So all you need to take is a vitamin C supplement.
I do that and my bloodwork just came back perfect.

[plantbasedpunk]

02:33 PM on 11/07/2011

Couldn't agree more. The only people who think veganism is difficult are the ones who have never tried it. Also, most of the nutritional concerns about veganism are true for an omnivorous diet as well. Like getting enough sunlight to produce vitamin-D for example.

[steve12]

08:34 PM on 11/06/2011

You are so right. It isn't that difficult. I switched from being a fast food junkie to veganism last year and it doesn't have to cost an arm and a leg. Also, healthy eating is a whole lot cheaper than a big fat doctor's bill.

[HerrMonk]

07:24 PM on 11/09/2011

Now take the next step and start eating healthy.

[Howard Latchford]

07:45 PM on 11/09/2011

Yeah, I hate getting bills from big fat doctors, too.

[Imzadi]

08:29 AM on 11/06/2011

Skip the slide show - just print the list already.