The Best And Worst Diets

We see commercials constantly about weight loss diets that contend that they are the best. Recently, US News and World Report set about to answer this question by assembling a panel of 20 experts in the fields of heart disease, diabetes, diet and exercise to review 20 diets.

While there were clearly winners and losers, the overall winners were those that stressed a diet high in vegetables and low in high fat foods. This is consistent with the vegetarian diet plan which we support here. However, as with any change in diets there are precautions to understand. For example:

Lots of people make the mistake of supposing that a vegetarian low carb diet involves no carbs at all. This wouldn’t only be unhealthy, but also rather risky. Our bodies require a specific amount of carbs to operate-and offer us necessary energy for our daily lives. You do not need to be lethargic continuously, therefore make sure to include a little amount of healthy carbs at each meal. Just remember that those refined sugars cause a spike-then drop-in your blood sugar, that could also cause lethargy. Stick to the healthy options and you’ll have no problem.

Adding an excellent vegetarian low carb diet is definitely possible, and could be quite easy if you could differentiate healthy carbs from those that offer little nutritional benefit.

Best Commercial Diet Plans

This category is not about best television commercials or spokespeople; it is about the brand-name programs which offer support and structure. Weight Watchers persevered in the top spot, followed by Jenny Craig and then Slim Fast.

The Atkins Diet and Medifast were the bottom of the list in this category. Experts agreed they lacked nutrients and ease of use.

Here is the take home message: Celebrities are not weight loss experts, even though they can successfully lose weight and be a role model for others – like Jennifer Hudson is for Weight Watchers. Even though we eat to live, there are real experts in the field of weight loss and we should be wary of those who purport to be so without the appropriate credentials.

If it sounds too good to be true (lose 30 pounds in 30 days), it is. The quick fixes are not safe or effective for long-term weight loss or maintenance.

With the exception of the Best Commercial Plans category – all of the winners placed an emphasis on a plant-based diet: fruits, vegetables, beans, legumes, and grains with smaller portions of animal-based proteins. Fat and sodium levels were lower with fiber intake being higher. The secret to weight loss is in the laws of physics – eat fewer calories and move more.

Ranked: The Best and Worst Diets – FoxNews.com