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US News and World Report released its annual diet ranking, with a panel of health experts examining 41 diets, and their conclusion was that the Mediterranean diet is the best one to follow for 2019. However, the DASH diet was a close second. Both diets are excellent choices for good health and weight loss or weight management.
Last year, the Mediterranean diet also ranked #number one, in a tie with the DASH diet. This year the DASH diet came in second ranking 4.1 out of 5, while the Mediterranean diet ranked 4.2 out of 5.
The Mediterranean diet is named after the area it originated in, people who live bordering the Mediterranean Sea, and it’s based upon their eating habits. Health experts observed that people who adhered to this diet had a tendency to live longer, while also suffering less from cardiovascular or cancer as compared to most Americans.
The goals of the Mediterranean diet are to promote weight loss, prevent and control diabetes, prevent cancer, while improving heart and brain health. The Mediterranean diet is also credited for helping to control high cholesterol, depression, memory loss, and dementia.
To simplify, following the Mediterranean diet consists of eating certain foods on a daily basis, while other foods are only consumed weekly or even monthly. This makes it easier, in some cases, than trying to count calories or servings.
The Mediterranean diet consists of a basic food pyramid which includes:
The goal of the DASH diet is lowering and preventing high blood pressure (hypertension). Because it is focused around healthy food, it is also excellent for losing weight. One simply adjusts the amount they eat against their level of physical activity.
The DASH diet focuses on food high in nutrients such as calcium, potassium, protein and fiber. These components are essential in combating and regulating high blood pressure.
The DASH diet focuses on servings and calorie amount.
Using 2,000 calories as a baseline, a typical diet would be:
