Jan. 6, 2025 – Just in time to make good on that New Year’s resolution to lose weight or eat more healthfully, the Mediterranean diet has once again claimed the top spot in the annual Best Diets rankings, excelling in 12 of 21 categories.
Released in its 15th edition, the report from U.S. News & World Report also evaluates 12 new categories and introduces 13 new diets, but the Mediterranean diet continues to dominate, placing highly across several categories.
This year’s edition looks at 38 diets in 21 categories. That reflects consumer needs, with new categories added to evaluate plans that focus on conditions such as gut health, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and arthritis, said Shanley Chien, a senior editor at U.S. News.
One big change: Instead of ranking diets numerically, best to worst, U.S. News is rating them on a 5-point system. This approach considers a wider range of health and lifestyle factors, meant to give consumers a more personalized assessment of various plans. So, if you have gut issues, arthritis, high blood pressure, or other conditions, the report has some suggestions for you.
The Winners Are …
The diets that rated best in each of the 21 categories, and the rating, with 5 points being highest, are:
Overall. Mediterranean (4.8)
Commercial diets. Weight Watchers (4.6)
Arthritis. Mediterranean (4.6)
Brain health and cognition. MIND diet (4.7)
Diabetes. Mediterranean (4.7)
Diverticulitis. Mediterranean (3.7)
Fatty liver. Mediterranean (4.5)
Gut health. Mediterranean (4.3)
Healthy eating. Mediterranean (4.9)
High blood pressure. DASH – dietary approaches to stop hypertension (4.9)
High cholesterol. Mediterranean (4.7)
IBS. Low-FODMAP (4.8)
Inflammation. Mediterranean (4.7)
Menopause. Menopause diet (4.6)
Mental health. Mediterranean (4.6)
Prediabetes. Mediterranean (4.7)
Weight loss. Weight Watchers (4.3)
Fast weight loss. Jenny Craig (3.7)
Heart-Healthy. DASH (4.9)
Plant-Based. Flexitarian (4.6)
Easiest to follow. Mediterranean (4.7)
The Mediterranean diet emphasizes fruits, vegetables, whole grains, beans, nuts, healthy fats, fish, and poultry, and not overindulging in sweets, red meats, and processed foods.
New Kids on the Block
Thirteen new diets were evaluated, based on what people were talking about and to look at diets and eating patterns that the publication had not before. The new ones are: the acid reflux diet, AIP, alkaline, Body Reset, BRAT, Cleveland Clinic, GAPS, gluten-free, gout, low-FODMAP, low-residue, menopause, and Whole30.
Methodology
The report used evaluations from 69 expert panelists who are medical doctors, registered dietitians, nutritional epidemiologists, chefs, and weight loss researchers.
Perspective
The ratings are not surprising, said Samantha Cassetty, MS, RD, a registered dietitian and nutrition and wellness expert in New York City. She was not involved in the report but reviewed the findings for WebMD.
“It’s very well-known that what’s good for the heart is good for the brain and good for the body in every sort of way,” she said, explaining why the Mediterranean diet was so popular and had such high ratings. “What’s good for your heart and brain also turn out to be good for your gut,” she said, citing the Mediterranean diet’s top rating for gut health and diverticulitis.
The flexitarian diet was rated best as a plant-based diet. “What’s interesting is that they included diets [in that category] that include meat,” Cassetty said. That could undo the myth that plant-based diets must always exclude meat, she said. The flexitarian diet, also known as the semi-vegetarian diet, allows meat to be included. Cassetty advises people that “the closer you can get to eating more plants and reducing reliance on heavily processed food and foods with added sugar, the better.”
She sees the new 5-point rating system as a plus. “What I hope comes out of this is that people see how little evidence there is for fad diets,” she said, and how much evidence there is for the healthier eating plans.
How to Use the Ratings
The report is meant to provide people with a starting point when they are thinking about improving their diet, whether for weight loss or other health reasons, Chien said. People should consult with their health care provider before deciding on a plan, she said.
That’s especially true for anyone being treated with medication for a health condition, Cassetty said.
The report summarizes the approach of each diet. The top-rated diets have several features in common, according to U.S. News. They focus on whole foods, don’t prohibit whole food groups, and allow for some indulgences so you don’t feel deprived.
