The Mediterranean, flexitarian and DASH diets are the three easiest diets to follow, according to a leading panel of doctors and health experts.
- The Mediterranean diet is the easiest to follow according to experts.
- Next come the flexitarian and DASH diets.
- These diets allow you to lose weight gradually and therefore sustainably.
After the holidays, good resolutions! For some, they start with a diet, to eliminate the pounds gained during those good New Year’s Eve meals. But which one to choose? U.S. News has made a ranking of the easiest diets to follow, based on advice from doctors and nutrition experts. The top three are the Mediterranean diet, flexitarian and DASH.
The Mediterranean diet
The Mediterranean diet is often cited as being the best for health. This makes it possible to reduce the mortality from cardiovascular diseases, the risk of pathologies such as Alzheimer’s or Parkinson’s, or even to improve the chances of pregnancy during assisted fertilization. And in addition to these benefits, it also helps you lose weight.
To follow the Mediterranean diet, you should avoid Americanized Mediterranean menus, which often consist of fried foods, cheese, pasta and beef. According to the experts, the ideal for this diet is to eat fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts, legumes, olive oil, herbs and spices daily. Twice a week you can also cook seafood or fish. As for meat, you can eat poultry or eggs but in moderation, just like cheese and yogurt. On the other hand, red meat and sweets should be very occasional.
As far as weight loss is concerned, this Mediterranean diet is effective but on condition that you pay attention to portion size and do not overdo it with the most caloric foods such as cheese or olive oil. “If your goal is to wear jeans that are 10 years old in two weeks, the Mediterranean diet is not for you, can we read in the article. However, health experts recommend losing no more than one or two pounds per week.”So, to lose weight gradually, without drastic constraints, the Mediterranean diet is entirely suitable.
Flexitarian and DASH diets
The number 2 easiest diet to follow is flexitarian, also called semi-vegetarian. To do this, you need to incorporate more vegetables and fruits into your diet – also focusing on plant proteins – and reduce meat. But this is not prohibited: you can eat it occasionally.
According to this meta-analysis of 25 studies, this diet is effective for weight loss because participants’ body mass index (BMI) was on average lower when they followed a semi-vegetarian diet compared to those who ate more meat. However, those on an all-vegetarian diet had the lowest BMIs in the study. Finally, according to this articlethe flexitarian diet helps reduce the risk of heart disease, diabetes and cancer.
The latest and easiest diet to follow is the DASH for Dietary Approaches to Stopping Hypertension which aims to fight against high blood pressure. This consists of increasing fiber intake and minerals such as calcium, potassium and magnesium, while reducing the amount of sodium (maximum 2,300 milligrams per day) and bad fats. Concretely, this diet resembles the Mediterranean because it is based on fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lean proteins (easy to digest and low in fat) and low-fat dairy products.
But compared to the Mediterranean diet, DASH imposes more limits. “This type of diet does not require you to eliminate food groups, but rather gives you guidelines on the number of servings per week that you should ideally consume.explains Lindsey Pine, nutritionist, in this article. (It’s) much more than just a diet to reduce blood pressure, it offers many health benefits, similar to the Mediterranean diet.” Just like the previous two diets, you can lose weight with DASH but gradually and sustainably.
Finally, whatever diet you choose, for it to be more effective – for losing weight and for health in general – it is advisable to practice physical activity regularly.