The best diet of 2014: DASH diet

The DASH diet is the best diet of 2014. This is the result of an American study by USNews. The DASH diet scored particularly well on safety, health and against cardiovascular disease. Purely in terms of weight loss, Weight Watchers came out on top. According to the research, Weight Watchers is also the easiest to stick to and the best commercial diet. Diets come in many forms. Most people follow a diet to lose weight, but there are also many diets that are followed for health reasons. You decide which diet is best for you, whether or not in consultation with a doctor or dietician. Personal wishes can also play a role in this. One person insists on continuing to eat bread, another does not want to give up his steak, you name it. It can therefore be useful to consider the results of objective research in your choice.

The American USNews investigated what is the best diet of 2014 according to their criteria. The DASH diet came out as the overall winner. However, if it is purely about losing weight, it is best to go to Weight Watchers, according to US News. What was investigated and what were the results?

• How were the diets researched?
• Overall winner: the DASH diet
• Easiest to maintain and most weight loss: Weight Watchers diet
• The results of the research

How were the diets researched?

US News had a panel of 22 diet and nutrition experts, mainly working at universities and scientific institutes, review 32 diets. Each diet was examined to see how it scored on a number of criteria:

• Is it easy to maintain?
• How much weight can you lose in the short term?
• How much weight can you lose in the long term?
• Are you getting sufficient and balanced nutrition?
• Does the diet prevent cardiovascular disease, or can it even reduce it?
• Does the diet have a preventive or curative effect against diabetes?
• Is the diet safe to follow?

The research mainly consisted of very extensive literature research. Medical records, government reports and the like were scrutinized. It was examined what each diet promised and whether this matched reality. A comprehensive report was then drawn up for each diet examined. The results were then classified into a number of categories:

• Best diet for weight loss
• Best diet in terms of healthy food
• Best diet against cardiovascular disease
• Best diet for diabetes
• The easiest diet to maintain
• Best diet overall
• Best Commercial Diet (What You Have to Pay to Follow)
• Best vegetarian diet

Overall winner: the DASH diet

On average, the DASH diet came out on top. DASH stands for Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension. So it is a diet that has been developed to combat high blood pressure. In short, with this diet you are not allowed to snack, you are not allowed to eat red meat and you must eat a low-salt diet. The DASH diet logically scored well in the cardiovascular disease category. In addition, it was also rated as very safe to follow. It also scored highest in the healthy food category.

Easiest to maintain and most weight loss: Weight Watchers diet

The power of the Weight Watchers principle is social control. Every week you are weighed in your Weight Watchers group, which of course you don’t want to miss. In the meantime, you can pretty much eat whatever you want, as long as you don’t score too many points. You put together your meals from a list of up to 40,000 products, all of which cost a certain number of points. The fewer calories and the longer the food gives you a feeling of fullness, the fewer points you have to count.

The results of the research

It would take us too far to discuss all the diets studied here. But for the sake of completeness, below are the diets that scored best in the various categories. It is remarkable that the Paleo diet, which was on the rise in the Netherlands in 2014, did not score well in this American study. It came in last place both in the overall ranking and in terms of weight loss.

Best diet overall

1. DASH diet
2. TLC diet
3. Mayo Clinic diet
4. Subtropical diet
5. Weight Watchers

Best diet for weight loss

1. Weight Watchers
2. Biggest Loser Diet
3. Jenny Craig diet
4. Raw food diet
5. Volumetrics diet

Best diet in terms of healthy food

1. DASH diet
2. TLC diet
3. Subtropical diet
4. Mayo Clinic diet
5. Volumetrics diet

Best diet against cardiovascular disease

1. Ornish diet
2. TLC diet
3. DASH diet
4. Subtropical diet
5. Enigine 2 diet

Best diet for diabetes

1. Biggest Loser diet, DASH diet
2. Enigine 2 diet, Flexitarian diet, Mayo Clinic diet, Ornish diet, Vegan diet

The easiest diet to maintain

1. Weight Watchers
2. Jenny Craig diet
3. Flexitarian diet, Subtropical diet
4. Slim-Fast diet, Volumetrics diet

Best commercial diet

1. Weight Watchers
2. Jenny Craig diet
3. Biggest Loser Diet
4. Slim-Fast diet, Spark Solution diet

Best vegetarian diet

1. Subtropical diet
2. Flexitarian diet
3. Ornish diet
4. Traditional Asian diet
5. Vegetarian diet

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