The Mediterranean Diet Wins Again
I like a sustainable, healthy, balanced approach to diet and nutrition. I love ❤️ the Mediterranean Diet. ✅
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Private Healthcare Navigation and Patient Advocacy when YOU need it mostFor the third year, the well-researched Mediterranean Diet is #1 🏆🥇 in the U.S. News and World Report's 2020 ranking of “best diets.”
For the third year in a row, the well-researched Mediterranean Diet is #1
What is factored in?
“Balance, maintainability, palatability, family-friendliness, sustainability, and healthfulness.” said a judge on the U.S. News and World Report panel.
What are the Benefits of the Mediterranean Diet?
🥬 Stronger bones
🥬 Healthier heart
🥬 Lower risk of dementia
🥬 Lower risk of breast cancer
🥬 A longer life
🥬 Reduced risk for diabetes
🥬 Reduced risk for high blood pressure
What is the Focus of the Mediterranean Diet?
🥗 Eating less red meat
🥗 Less sugar
🥗 Less saturated fat
🐟 More omega-3-rich fish
🥑 More olive or healthy oil
🍷 Red wine in moderation
✳️ Socializing with friends and family during meals is advised
What Diets took Top Honors?
Following closely behind the Mediterranean diet were the following respected diets.
⛔️ ⚠️ Spoiler alert—the "trendy" and very popular Keto diet was not on this list created by 25 judges on the U.S. News and World Report panel.
DASH Diet
Flexitarian Diet
WW Diet (the rebranded name popularly known as Weight Watchers)
MIND Diet
Angela Haupt, the managing editor of health at U.S. News & World Report, shared, "We're interested in diets that have proven staying value -- not fad diets that are here today, gone tomorrow." Furthermore, "The diets that perform well are safe, sensible, and backed by sound science. That's going to be consistent from year to year." Mic 🎤 drop.
"We're interested in diets that have proven staying value -- not fad diets that are here today, gone tomorrow."
The flexitarian diet tied with the DASH diet for second place
The DASH Diet
The DASH diet is often recommended to lower blood pressure.
Eat more veggies, fruits, and low-fat dairy foods
Cut way back on any food high in saturated fat
Limit your intake of salt
Studies have shown that following the DASH diet can reduce blood pressure in weeks. That is a fact. This diet is proven to work.
The Flexitarian Diet
This is a three-week plan to eat less meat. There is an emphasis on eating a "flexible" diet of the following.
Whole grains
Fruits
Vegetables
Plant-based proteins
A "vegetarian diet" allows the "occasional piece of meat or fish." Thus the use of the word "flexible."
Personally, I grew up without any meat 🥩 fish 🐟 or poultry 🍗. Still living close to that. I’m mostly plant-based 🌱 now. Feel the best that way.
The MIND Diet, aka "Mediterranean-DASH Intervention for Neurodegenerative Delay"
Here you have a "combination of the Mediterranean and DASH diets." The MIND diet requires less fish and fruit.
What stands out to me is that "both the MIND and the Mediterranean diets" have been shown to "lower the risk of Alzheimer's disease" in studies. Alzheimer's disease (dementia or memory loss) is prevalent, with more than 3 million US cases annually.
Both the MIND and the Mediterranean diets have been shown to lower the risk of Alzheimer's disease in studies.
The WW Diet, aka Weight Watchers
This diet came in fourth on the "best diet list." However, it did receive first place in the report's ranking of "best weight loss and commercial weight-loss programs."
The WW diet did receive first place in the report's ranking of "best weight loss and commercial weight-loss programs."
This diet is healthy and stresses the importance of support for dieters. I am a big fan of accountability. I lost 15 lbs, 5% body fat—and maintained it through group accountability.
The Keto Diet ⛔️
I have written about this before in earlier blogs. ⛔️ So stop here if anything not 💯% supporting a ketogenic diet will upset you.
🥬 I’ll add this to my postings on a ketogenic diet—just my opinion.
I focus my sharing on choices supporting "long-standing, sustainable, healthy, balanced weight loss." ⚠️ Not diets for "specific, individualized medical 🏥 conditions" that may benefit from a ketogenic diet. This is a good read, too, in addition to my posts.
If you want to understand my thoughts and share what works for me—being a Gastroenterologist 🥼. Here’s a quick 2–minute ⏱ read...Keto Diet and Weight Loss—A few thoughts 💭 from a Gastroenterologist 🥼.
Are you ready?
The trendy Keto diet came in "next to last in the ranking of 35 diets." Ouch.
The Keto diet came in next to last in the ranking of 35 diets.
What was #35 on the list?
The Dukan diet? Have you ever heard of it? I have not. Both the Keto and Dukan diets aim for a state of "ketosis."
What is "Ketosis"?
Ketosis is a "metabolic state" that burns the body's fat stores instead of carbohydrates.
Carbohydrates are the body's natural source of energy.
The Keto diet emphasizes high protein, fats, and dairy levels instead of carbs.
Fats and dairy are typically full of "saturated fat." That can lead to cardiovascular 💔 and other chronic diseases. That is not good. Fact.
These "carbohydrate-restrictive" diets restrict carb intake to deficient levels. Many nutritionists feel "highly unhealthy" and "completely unsustainable." I agree.
You limit carbs to about 20 grams per day. In the Keto diet
What are 20 grams? It is the equivalent of a tiny banana 🍌 or apple 🍎. It takes "an apple a day" to a whole new level of meaning.
The Keto diet can cause headaches, nausea, dizziness, and fatigue. These symptoms are seen mainly in the beginning.
The issue is that long-term studies on its effectiveness are lacking.
Is there a role for the Keto diet?
There are "specific, individualized medical 🏥 conditions" that may benefit from a ketogenic diet. See the link above.
For some, it may be a "jump-start" to weight loss. It will dramatically and rapidly eliminate processed carbs and sugars from your diet. You will lose weight in the short term. That is true. Thus, the Keto diet "tied for third place" for the "best 'fast' weight loss diet."
What about the "Best Fast Weight-Loss Diets"?
I am not going to spend time here. I do not like"get rich quick" schemes or "snake oil." The same applies to health and nutrition.
The most effective diets for "fast" weight loss are restrictive and cannot be maintained. Even if they were maintainable, they are incompatible with a healthy, long-term, sustainable lifestyle.
⛔️ Any restrictive diet obviously should be under the guidance of a medical professional—especially if there are medical comorbidities or medications taken for a condition such as diabetes.
The Atkins and the Keto diets, both low or no-carb diets, tied for third place in this category. Note that this was despite ranking at the very bottom of other diet categories, such as "best diet," the "most healthy diet," and even the "best diets for heart health and diabetes." What category is essential to you?
What is Intermittent Fasting?
Will eating in a 6-hour window and fasting for 18 hours help you live longer? That is for another blog conversation.
Summary
There is no magic formula for long-term, sustainable weight loss.
Balance. Portion control. Keep nutrition simple. Eat Smart. Eat Healthy. 🌱 🌾 🌿
Personally
I eat a high-fiber, mostly plant-based 🌱 diet, no red meat, drink 4 liters of water a day, exercise, and am focused on keeping nutrition simple. I am sharing what works for me and what I routinely recommend to my patients.
"Balance. Portion control. Keep nutrition simple. Eat Smart. Eat Healthy. 🌱 🌾 🌿"
Gut Health ➕ Patient Advocacy with Navigation ➕ Life Balance
If you were looking for information about Private Healthcare Navigation and Patient Advocacy from Executive Health NavigationClick here for Executive Health Navigation✴ Connect with Dr. Dooreck on LinkedIn, where he focuses his sharing on Health, Diet, Nutrition, Exercise, Lifestyle, and Balance.
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