Health & Wellbeing

These 3 Effective Diets Will Bring You Weight Loss in 2019

Krista M.

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With the new year comes the desire to lose weight. In fact, in most new year's resolutions, dieting is at the top of most people's minds. So, no matter what your goal is, before you do go on any diet, you may want to consult the U.S. News and World Report for the best diets of 2019 - the U.S. News conducted surveys from an expert panel of top nutritionists, dietary consultants, and doctors, who specialize in diabetes, heart health, and weight loss. And this year, they recommended the Mediterranean diet, the DASH diet, and the MIND diet as the best. Here's what you need to know about each one:

1. The Mediterranean diet

The Mediterranean diet is based on traditional foods that people used to eat in countries like Italy and Greece back in 1960. In fact, it was noted that these people were exceptionally healthy compared to Americans and had a low risk of many lifestyle diseases.

The Mediterranean diet is not only beneficial to weight loss, but it can also help prevent heart attacks, stroke, type 2 diabetes, and premature death. The basics of this diet include vegetables, fruits, nuts, seeds, legumes, potatoes, whole grains, bread, herbs, spices, fish, seafood and extra virgin olive oil.

Poultry, eggs, cheese, and yogurt is recommended in moderation, and red meat is suggested, albeit rarely. While sweetened drinks, added sugars, processed meat, refined grains, refined oils, and other highly processed foods are not recommended.

2. The DASH diet

The Dash diet is designed to combat high blood pressure and reduce people's risk of heart disease. It is recommended for people who want to prevent or treat hypertension and focuses on fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and lean meats.

The diet was created after researchers noticed that high blood pressure was much less common in people who followed a plant-based diet. In fact, scientists believe that one of the main reasons people with high blood pressure can benefit from this diet is because of its low salt intake.

3. The Mind diet

The Mind diet is designed to prevent dementia and loss of brain function as you age. It is a combination of the Mediterranean diet and the DASH diet, creating a dietary pattern that focuses specifically on brain health. Anyone on the MIND diet is encouraged to eat green, leafy vegetables and all other vegetables, berries, nuts, olive oil, whole grains, fish, beans, poultry, and wine.

Butter and margarine, cheese, red meat, fried food and pastries, and sweets are not recommended. In sticking to this diet, it has been found to decrease oxidative stress and inflammation - both of which can be detrimental to brain health. It has also been shown to reduce harmful beta-amyloid proteins - fragments which are found naturally in the body but can accumulate and form plaques that build up in the brain, disrupting communication between brain cells, leading to brain cell death.

Alongside the list of recommended diets for 2019, the worst diets for this year were also listed. Two diets recommended by various experts that you avoid are the Keto diet and the Whole30 - both listed among the worst. Due to recent research on the harmful effects of following a low-carb diet, the Keto diet and the Whole30 diet were considered to be unfavorable.

Whole30 ranks low because it lacks scientific research to support the claim that eliminating major food groups, like dairy and whole grains, will help reduce inflammation.
Meanwhile, the Keto diet's low ranking primarily is a result of a number of side effects. The Keto diet has been shown to cause fatigue, excess thirst and constipation.

Nevertheless, regardless of what your goal to diet may be, bear in mind that whatever diet you do choose, it is part of a lifestyle, as opposed to a temporary fix.