Backed by science, these diets are the best way to get results.
New Year’s resolutions often revolve around adopting a healthier lifestyle, and maintaining a nutritious diet is key. However, it can be tricky figuring out which diets are legit and which ones are bogus.
To help, a panel of nutrition experts evaluated 38 of the most popular diets, ranking them based on different criteria, like how nutritional and safe the diet is, how easy it is to follow, its short- and long-term effects on weight loss, and how well it helps combat heart disease and diabetes.
The experts ranked the diets on a scale of one to five, with one being the least effective and five being extremely effective. The diet rankings are published annually by US News & World Report.
Of all 38 diets, these are the ones that made it to the top of the list.
RELATED: These are the Best Diets of 2016 Ranked by Nutritionists and Psychologists
10. (Tie) Vegetarian Diet
The Vegetarian diet climbed up the list from its 13th place ranking last year. It’s simple: no meat allowed.
Short-term weight loss: 3.2
Long-term weight loss: 3.2
Easy to follow: 3.1
Healthy: 4.1
10. (Tie) Ornish Diet
This diet was developed by Dr. Dean Ornish, and focuses on eating whole grains, fruits, vegetables, some fats with omega-3 fatty acids, and less processed foods.
Short-term weight loss: 3.6
Long-term weight loss: 3.1
Easy to follow: 2.3
Healthy: 4.1
10. (Tie) Jenny Craig Diet
The Jenny Craig diet was made popular by a number of celebrities, including Kirstie Allen, Queen Latifah, and Mariah Carey. The program involves customized weight-management counseling as well as a healthy menu or prepared meals, which can be delivered straight to customers’ doorsteps.
Short-term weight loss: 4.1
Long-term weight loss: 3.3
Easy to follow: 3.6
Healthy: 4.1
8. (Tie) Volumetrics Diet
Barbara Rolls, the founder of the Volumetrics diet, preaches that it’s not the number of calories consumed that makes you feel full, but the types of food and amount eaten that matter the most.
The idea is to consume more foods like soup and vegetables with high water content, which are low in calories but still make you feel full.
Short-term weight loss: 3.9
Long-term weight loss: 3.5
Easy to follow: 3.5
Healthy: 4.5
8. (Tie) Fertility Diet
The Fertility diet, established by Jorge Chavarro and Walter Willett of the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, aims to help boost fertility in women. The diet centers around eating vegetable proteins and oils, drinking whole milk, and taking multivitamins that contain folic acid.
Short-term weight loss: 3.1
Long-term weight loss: 2.9
Easy to follow: 3.7
Healthy: 4.3
4. (Tie) Weight Watchers Diet
Weight Watchers claims that by eating healthy and exercising, you can lose about two pounds a week. The diet focuses on consuming foods that are high in protein while staying away from foods that are high in calories, saturated fat, and sugar.
Short-term weight loss: 4.3
Long-term weight loss: 3.7
Easy to follow: 3.7
Healthy: 4.4
4. (Tie) TLC Diet
TLC doesn’t stand for “tender loving care” in this instance, but the Therapeutic Lifestyle Changes diet does encourage dieters to focus on loving and caring for their bodies. Rather than focusing solely on weight loss, the main goal of the diet is to lower cholesterol.
The diet is endorsed by the American Heart Association, and by adhering to the TLC diet, you can lower bad LDL cholesterol by 8 to 10 percent in six weeks.
Short-term weight loss: 3.4
Long-term weight loss: 2.9
Easy to follow: 3.3
Healthy: 4.5
4. (Tie) Mayo Clinic Diet
As its name reveals, the Mayo Clinic diet was created by a panel of health experts and the Mayo Clinic, and the diet can reportedly help people shed up to 100 pounds (45.4 kilograms) in just one year.
First and foremost, dieters are asked to choose five bad habits to replace with healthy ones. It’s also recommended that dieters get at least 30 minutes of exercise every day.
Short-term weight loss: 3.5
Long-term weight loss: 3.0
Easy to follow: 3.4
Healthy: 4.5
4. (Tie) The Flexitarian Diet
Instead of going full-blown vegetarian, the Flexitarian diet focuses on more veggies and less meat but not fully eliminating meat from your diet. Most “flexitarians” aim to go meatless three to five days a week, and replacing high-calorie meats with low-calorie fruits and veggies helps shed extra weight.
Short-term weight loss: 3.6
Long-term weight loss: 3.4
Easy to follow: 3.6
Healthy: 4.3
3. The MIND Diet
The goal of the MIND (Mediterranean-Dash Intervention for Neurodegenerative Delay) diet is to reduce the risk of developing neurodegenerative brain diseases — particularly Alzheimer’s disease.
The diet was built on medical literature that suggests certain foods are good for the brain, and the food categories are green leafy vegetables, beans, whole grains, nuts, berries, fish, and olive oil.
Short-term weight loss: 3.2
Long-term weight loss: 3.1
Easy to follow: 3.7
Healthy: 4.6
2. The Mediterranean Diet
The Mediterranean diet jumped up to second place from its fourth place ranking last year. It’s heavy on fish, fruits and vegetables, and healthy fats like olive oil. The diet not only helps people lose weight, but promotes heart health and protects against a number of diseases.
Short-term weight loss: 3.4
Long-term weight loss: 3.2
Easy to follow: 3.7
Healthy: 4.7
1. The DASH Diet
For the seventh year in a row, the DASH (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) diet has locked down the number one spot on the best diet rankings.
The DASH diet aims to treat or prevent hypertension, or abnormally high blood pressure, by lowering sodium intake. The Mayo Clinic reports that the DASH diet can help drop systolic blood pressure by as many as 7 to 12 points.
Short-term weight loss: 3.4
Long-term weight loss: 3.2
Easy to follow: 3.6
Healthy: 4.8
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