The Mediterranean diet is an excellent diet that has been thoroughly studied. It emphasizes foods that were commonly eaten around the Mediterranean region during the 20th century and earlier.

As such, it includes plenty of vegetables, fruits, fish, poultry, whole grains, legumes, dairy products, and extra virgin olive oil.

The paleo diet is a very popular diet that is effective for weight loss and general health improvement. The vegan diet has become increasingly popular in the past decade. The diet is based exclusively on plant foods and eliminates all animal products. The gluten-free diet is essential for people who are intolerant to gluten, a protein that is found in wheat, rye, and barley.

For optimal health, you should focus on whole foods that are naturally gluten-free. Gluten-free junk food is still junk food.

The five examples listed above are a good place to start. Our experts continually monitor the health and wellness space, and we update our articles when new information becomes available. A calorie diet is an extreme form of a very low-calorie diet VLCD , which requires you to drastically reduce the amount of food you eat.

While vegan diets can offer health benefits, they may be low in certain nutrients. Here are 7 supplements that you may need on a vegan diet.

There are many things you can do to lose weight and improve health. Here are the 25 best diet tips, which you can start implementing now. The health authorities have been telling us to eat a low-fat diet since Since then, there have been many studies, with disappointing results.

Discover which diet is best for managing your diabetes. Getting enough fiber is crucial to overall gut health. Let's look at some easy ways to get more into your diet:.

A Quiz for Teens Are You a Workaholic? How Well Do You Sleep? Health Conditions Discover Plan Connect. Many diets offer benefits that go beyond weight loss. The best programs for losing weight also improve your overall health. The biggest challenge is finding the one that will work for you.

While changing your diet can be one of the best ways to lose weight, it can also be a gateway to improving your habits, focusing on your health, and leading a more active lifestyle. Yet the sheer number of available diet plans may make it difficult to get started.

Different diets will be more suitable, sustainable, and effective for different people. Some diets aim to curb your appetite to reduce your food intake, while others suggest restricting your intake of calories and either carbs or fat. Some focus more on certain eating patterns and lifestyle changes, rather than on limiting certain foods.

The Mediterranean diet has long been considered the gold standard for nutrition, disease prevention, wellness, and longevity. This is based on its nutrition benefits and sustainability. The Mediterranean diet is based on foods that people in countries like Italy and Greece have traditionally eaten.

It is rich in:. Foods such as poultry, eggs, and dairy products are to be eaten in moderation, and red meats are limited. Studies also show that the Mediterranean diet has a preventive effect against certain cancers 1.

Though the diet was designed to lower heart disease risk, numerous studies indicate that its plant-based, high unsaturated fat dietary pattern can also aid in weight loss 2. A systematic review analyzing five different studies found that, compared with a low fat diet, the Mediterranean diet resulted in greater weight loss after 1 year.

Compared with a low carb diet, it produced similar weight loss results 3. One study in more than adults over 12 months found that higher adherence to a Mediterranean diet was associated with double the likelihood of weight loss maintenance 4.

Additionally, the Mediterranean diet encourages eating plenty of antioxidant-rich foods, which may help combat inflammation and oxidative stress by neutralizing free radicals 5. Recent studies have also found that the Mediterranean diet is associated with decreased risk of mental disorders, including cognitive decline and depression 6.

The Mediterranean diet emphasizes eating plenty of fruits, vegetables, fish, and healthy oils while restricting refined and highly processed foods.

Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension, or DASH , is an eating plan designed to help treat or prevent high blood pressure, which is clinically known as hypertension. It emphasizes eating plenty of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and lean meats. It is low in salt, red meat, added sugars, and fat.

The DASH diet recommends specific servings of different food groups. The number of servings you are encouraged to eat depends on your daily calorie intake. The DASH diet has been shown to reduce blood pressure levels and several heart disease risk factors.

Also, it may help lower your risk of breast and colorectal cancers 7 , 8 , 9 , 10 , Studies show that the DASH diet can also help you lose weight. For example, an analysis of 13 studies found that people on the DASH diet lost more weight over 8—24 weeks than people on a control diet Another study in adults with obesity over 12 weeks found that the DASH diet helped decrease total body weight, body fat percentage, and absolute fat mass in study participants while preserving muscle strength In addition to weight loss, the DASH diet may help combat depression symptoms A comparative study over 8 years found that even moderate adherence to the DASH diet was related to lower depression risk While the DASH diet may aid with weight loss and lower blood pressure in individuals with hypertension, there is mixed evidence on salt intake and blood pressure.

A low sodium diet like the DASH diet is more appropriate for individuals with hypertension or other health conditions that benefit from or require sodium restriction More research is needed in this area to understand how a low sodium diet can affect insulin resistance in individuals without hypertension.

Studies have also linked it to additional benefits for your heart and reduced risks of other chronic diseases.

Vegetarianism and veganism are the most popular versions of plant-based diets, which restrict animal products for health, ethical, and environmental reasons. However, more flexible plant-based diets also exist, such as the flexitarian diet. This is a plant-based diet that allows eating animal products in moderation.

Typical vegetarian diets restrict meat of all kinds but allow dairy products. Typical vegan diets restrict all animal products, including dairy, butter, and sometimes other byproducts like honey. Its principles include:. Numerous studies have shown that plant-based diets can reduce your risk of developing chronic diseases, including improved markers of metabolic health, decreased blood pressure, and reduced risk of type 2 diabetes.

They can also help you lose weight Flexitarian diets have also been shown to reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes and improve metabolic health and blood pressure, plus may have their own weight loss benefits. For those who are looking to lead a sustainable lifestyle, decreasing your meat consumption can also reduce greenhouse gas emissions, deforestation, and soil degradation And while the flexibility of the flexitarian diet makes it easy to follow, being too flexible with it may counteract its benefits.

Plant-based diets like veganism and vegetarianism can have real health benefits, such as a reduced risk of type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol.

However, they can also feel restricting for some people. The flexitarian diet is a less strict version of a plant-based diet that allows for minimal meat and animal product consumption. The Mediterranean-DASH Intervention for Neurodegenerative Delay MIND diet combines aspects of the Mediterranean and DASH diets to create an eating pattern that focuses on brain health.

Like the flexitarian diet, the MIND diet does not have a strict meal plan, but instead encourages eating 10 specific foods with brain health benefits. Research also shows that the MIND diet can help slow cognitive decline and improve resiliency in older adults There is little research concerning the MIND diet and weight loss.

Yet, since it is a combination of two diets that promote weight loss, the MIND diet may also help you lose weight. One way it can help promote weight loss is that it encourages limiting your consumption of foods like:.

By combining the best of two diets, the MIND diet has a lot to offer and offers some more flexibility than stricter diets. While you can eat more than the 10 food groups it recommends, the closer you stick to the diet, the better your results may be.

WW, formerly Weight Watchers , is one of the most popular weight loss programs worldwide. WW is a points-based system that assigns different foods and beverages a value, depending on their calorie, fat, and fiber contents.

Many studies show that the WW program can help you lose weight For example, a review of 45 studies found that people who followed a WW diet lost 2.

WW allows flexibility, which makes it easy to follow. This enables people with dietary restrictions, such as those with food allergies , to adhere to the plan. While it allows for flexibility, WW can be costly depending on the subscription plan and the length of time you intend to follow it.

Studies show that it may take up to 52 weeks to produce significant weight loss and clinical benefits WW, or Weight Watchers, is a weight loss and healthy eating program that uses a points-based system.

This can lead to weight loss — unless you compensate by eating too much food during allowed eating periods. Intermittent fasting has been linked to anti-aging effects, increased insulin sensitivity, improved brain health, reduced inflammation, and many other benefits 29 , Both animal and human studies show that intermittent fasting may also increase heart health and extend lifespan 31 , 32, In a review of studies, intermittent fasting was shown to cause 0.

This is a significantly greater percentage than many other methods Other studies found that intermittent fasting can increase fat burning while preserving muscle mass, which can improve metabolism 35 , While certain diets can have a lot of rules, require frequent trips to the grocery store, and can be difficult to follow, intermittent fasting is known as a more simple-to-follow eating plan.

Due to the nature of the diet, there are fewer meals that you need to prepare, cook, and clean up after. That said, those sensitive to drops in their blood sugar levels should talk with a health professional before starting intermittent fasting.

These groups include people:. The Volumetrics diet was created by Penn State University nutrition professor Barbara Rolls and is meant to be a long-term lifestyle change rather than a strict diet.

The eating plan is designed to promote weight loss by having you fill up on nutrient-dense foods that are low in calories and high in water.

These categories are:. Meals on the Volumetric diet consist mostly of foods from categories one and two, with limited amounts of food from categories three and four. No foods are completely off-limits on the Volumetrics diet, and exercise is encouraged for at least 30—60 minutes each day.

The Volumetrics diet encourages nutritious foods that are low in calories but high in fiber, vitamins, and minerals, which may help increase your intake of key nutrients and protect against nutritional deficiencies.

Research also links diets with a low calorie density to improved diet quality A review of 13 studies in more than 3, people found that diets rich in low calorie density foods led to increased weight loss. Similarly, an 8-year study in more than 50, women found that high calorie-dense foods led to increased weight gain 40 , While the Volumetrics diet may be effective for health benefits and weight loss, it requires a good understanding of Volumetrics, which involves learning about the calorie levels of foods in relation to portion sizes and nutrient levels.

The Volumetrics is designed to promote weight loss by having you fill up on nutrient-dense foods that are low in calories and high in water.