No one thing is wrong with the prevailing American diet, and no one-nutrient-at-a-time remedy will right it any more than a single part represents the whole elephant in the room. We need to see that elephant -- and develop a better recipe.

The conversation regarding what constitutes the ideal diet for optimal wellness and longevity is an ongoing and exhausting debate. Experts from each respective dietary camp have a plethora of data pointing to their case for why their particular system is the gold standard.

We need dietary guidance that is explicit about foods people should and shouldn't eat. Guidance that says once and for all, "If it glows in the dark -- whether it's low in fructose or not, low in fat or not, low in sodium or not -- step away from the box, and nobody will get hurt!"

It's the third week of January. Are you exhausted yet from counting calories, points, fat grams and carbs? Even if you've managed to make it this long, do you know your dieting days are numbered? Why did you think it would be different this year?

As you likely know, U.S. News and World Report released a list of "best diets" to coincide with the annual bumper crop of weight loss resolutions as the new year begins. I was privileged to be one of the 22 judges.

U.S. News evaluated and ranked the 25 diets below with input from a panel of health experts. To be top-rated, a diet had to be relatively easy to foll...

The DASH diet took the first place spot in U.S. News' second-ever ranking of the best diet plans -- for the second year in a row. The undefeated DASH,...

Drumroll, please. When US News and World Report tasked a group of 22 health experts with ranking the best eating regimes, the DASH diet came out on t...