The ONLY diet plan you’ll EVER need

Have you had a chance to review the U.S. News & World Report’s annual rankings of the best diet plans?

This year, they ranked 24 diets to help people find a plan that meets their goals. And they sorted them into categories like…

Easiest diets to follow…

Best family-friendly diets…

Best diets for diabetes…

How about “best diet for a rainy day?” Seriously, people? Let’s STOP complicating things by using buzzwords for diets.

Especially when there’s ONE DIET that takes the top spot, no matter your health goal.

I’ll tell you all about it in just a moment. But first, let’s take a closer look at the rankings…

A complicated (and biased) list

For the sixth consecutive year—and unsurprisingly—the one and only Mediterranean diet clenched the top spot for best diet plan overall.

(I’m pleased to see this, as my A-List Dietand The Hamptons Dietare both based on this type of diet.)

But other diets received top marks as well…

The Dietary approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) diet ranked second. And, well, you already know how I feel about this one…

It’s awful! It has a heavy emphasis on fruits and whole grains, neither of which should be consumed regularly. (Say it with me now: #sugarkills!)

Next, we have a Flexitarian diet. Individuals who follow this diet plan enjoy healthy foods with occasional meat. Wait—doesn’t that make most of us a flexitarian? (Again, why is everything so complicated here?)

But wait, there’s more…

Weight Watchers® clenched the top spot for best weight loss diet. (Who wants to count points their entire life!? Not me!)

Of course, the ketogenic (“keto”) diet was listed first under Best Fast Weight Loss Diets… but it wasn’t mentioned under categories for diabetes, healthy eating, or heart health. What gives?

Now, I can’t list all of the categories here and my opinions. So, let me just say this…

There’s clear bias here. And when you have a nation that’s struggling with being overweight and obese—and the perils that come along with both—we don’t need a list that just makes dieting more confusing. To me, that’s plain criminal.

So, allow me to simplify this for you…

High-fat, low-carb eating

A Mediterranean-type diet is the only eating plan you’ll ever need to follow to help achieve better health.

Now, there are different variations of the Mediterranean diet. But they all focus on high-fat, low-carb foods—like lean protein, fresh produce, and nuts.

These foods provide a vast array of vitamins, polyphenols, and carotenoids. They also carry a uniquely therapeutic fatty acid profile—filled to the brim with monounsaturated fats (MUFAs) from sources like olive oil, avocados, and macadamia nuts.

In addition, they strike the perfect balance of polyunsaturated omega-6 fatty acids to omega-3s. (Remember, the Standard American Diet brings the balance of omega-3s to omega-6s to about 20:1, inflammatory to anti-inflammatory. But you really want to aim for a precise balance of about 1:1, as our hunter-gatherer ancestors did.)

And that’s precisely what makes Mediterranean-style diets so effective against inflammation, free radicals, and various other ailments (including weight loss).

To learn more about the many benefits of the Mediterranean diet, check out the January 2022 issue of my monthly newsletter, Logical Health Alternatives (“Scratch ‘weight loss’ off your resolution list for good”). Not yet a subscriber? Click here to learn about becoming one.

Until next time,
Dr. Fred

Sources:
“Best Diets Overall 2023.” U.S. News, 2023. (health.usnews.com/best-diet/best-diets-overall)

“U.S. News & World Report Reveals Best and Worst Diets for 2023.” Everyday Health, 01/03/2023. (everydayhealth.com/diet-and-nutrition/diet/us-news-best-diet-plans-mediterranean-dash-more/)