Top Rated Diets of 2014

Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) is a flexible and balanced eating plan that is based on research studies sponsored by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI). These studies showed that DASH lowers high blood pressure and improves levels of blood lipids (fats in the bloodstream), which reduces the risk of developing cardiovascular disease.

DASH requires no special foods and it includes easy-to-follow recipes (for example, browse the Delicious Heart Healthy Recipes from the NHLBI).

The DASH eating plan:

Emphasizes vegetables, fruits, and fat-free or low-fat dairy products
Includes whole grains, fish, poultry, beans, seeds, nuts, and vegetable oils
Limits sodium, sweets, sugary beverages, and red meats
In terms of nutrition content, DASH is:

Low in saturated and trans fats
Rich in potassium, calcium, magnesium, fiber, and protein
The DASH eating plan is lower in sodium (mostly from salt) than the typical American diet. The DASH research showed that an eating plan containing 2,300 milligrams (mg) of sodium per day lowered blood pressure. An eating plan containing only 1,500 mg of sodium per day even further lowered blood pressure.

The "Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2010"external link icon advises reducing sodium intake to less than 2300 mg per day.

People in the following groups should reduce sodium intake further, to 1,500 mg of sodium per day:

People who already have high blood pressure
People who have diabetes or chronic kidney disease
African Americans
Adults aged 51 and older
Below is a table that shows the daily nutrient goals used in the DASH studies.

Daily Nutrient Goals Used in the DASH Studies (for a 2,000-Calorie Eating Plan)

Total fat 27% of calories
Saturated fat 6% of calories
Protein 18% of calories
Carbohydrate 55% of calories
Cholesterol 150 mg
Sodium 2,300 mg*
Potassium 4,700 mg
Calcium 1,250 mg
Magnesium 500 mg
Fiber 30 g
* 1,500 mg of sodium was a lower goal tested and found to be even better for lowering blood pressure. It worked very well for people who already had high blood pressure, African Americans, and middle-aged and older adults.

g = grams; mg = milligrams

For more detailed information about the DASH eating plan, go to the NHLBI's "Your Guide to Lowering Your Blood Pressure With DASH."

What Is High Blood Pressure?

Your doctor may recommend the DASH eating plan if you have high blood pressure. Blood pressure is the force of blood pushing against the walls of the arteries as the heart pumps out blood. Blood pressure rises and falls during the day.

If blood pressure rises and stays high over time (high blood pressure), it can damage the body in many ways. High blood pressure also is called hypertension (HI-per-TEN-shun).

Blood pressure includes systolic (sis-TOL-ik) and diastolic (di-ah-STOL-ik) pressures. "Systolic" refers to blood pressure when the heart beats while pumping blood. "Diastolic" refers to blood pressure when the heart is at rest between beats.

You'll most often see blood pressure numbers written with the systolic number above or before the diastolic number, such as 120/80 mmHg. (The mmHg is millimeters of mercury—the units used to measure blood pressure.)

Blood pressure is considered high if it stays at or above 140/90 mmHg over time. If you have diabetes or chronic kidney disease, high blood pressure is defined as 130/80 mmHg or higher. A diagnosis of high blood pressure is based on an average of two or more properly measured, seated blood pressure readings done during two or more office visits.

High blood pressure is dangerous because it makes your heart work too hard. The condition can damage your blood vessels and organs, such as your heart, kidneys, brain, and eyes.

High blood pressure is a risk factor for coronary heart disease and stroke, two of the leading causes of death among Americans. High blood pressure also can put you at risk for other medical conditions, such as heart failure, kidney disease, and blindness.

The Mayo Clinic Diet: A weight-loss program for life
The Mayo Clinic Diet is a different approach to weight loss. It's a lifestyle that can help you maintain a healthy weight for a lifetime.
By Mayo Clinic Staff
The Mayo Clinic Diet is a weight loss and lifestyle program designed by Mayo Clinic health experts. The Mayo Clinic Diet is a lifelong approach to help you improve your health and maintain a healthy weight. The Mayo Clinic Diet uses the Mayo Clinic Healthy Weight Pyramid as a guide to making smart-eating choices and encouraging daily activity.

Purpose

The purpose of the Mayo Clinic Diet is to help you lose excess weight and to find a way of eating that you can enjoy for a lifetime. The Mayo Clinic Diet aims to teach you how to choose healthy foods and portions and to develop healthy lifestyle habits so that you can maintain a healthy weight for life. The Mayo Clinic Diet says that making healthy changes in diet and exercise can reduce your risk of weight-related health problems, such as diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure and sleep apnea.

Why you might follow the Mayo Clinic Diet
You might choose to follow the Mayo Clinic Diet because you:

Enjoy the types and amounts of food featured in the diet
Want to improve your overall eating habits
Want to learn how to drop unhealthy lifestyle habits and gain healthy ones
Want to improve your health and reduce your health risks by eating the recommended foods
Are looking for a diet program you can maintain for life
Want to follow a diet that has been developed by medical professionals
Check with your doctor or health care provider before starting any weight-loss diet, especially if you have any health conditions.

Diet details

The Mayo Clinic Diet is the official diet developed by Mayo Clinic, based on research and clinical experience and detailed in the book of the same name, published in 2010. You might have tried what you thought was a Mayo Clinic diet — something you saw on the Internet or that was passed along by friends — but it was probably bogus. The true Mayo Clinic Diet says that successful, long-term weight control needs to focus on your overall health, not just what you eat. It also emphasizes that the best way to manage weight long-term requires changing your lifestyle and adopting new health habits. The Mayo Clinic Diet can be tailored to your own individual needs and situations — it isn't a one-size-fits-all approach.

The Mayo Clinic Diet has two main parts:

Lose It! This is a two-week phase that allows you to jump-start your weight loss, losing as much as 6 to 10 pounds (2.7 to 4.5 kilograms) in a healthy way. In this phase, you focus on lifestyle habits. You learn how to add five healthy habits, break five unhealthy habits and adopt another five bonus healthy habits. This phase also includes getting at least 30 minutes of physical activity or exercise every day.
Live It! This phase is a lifelong approach to diet and health. In this phase, you learn more about food choices, portion sizes, menu planning and sticking to healthy habits. You continue steady weight loss of 1 to 2 pounds (0.5 to 1 kilogram) a week until you reach your goal weight. By continuing the healthy lifestyle habits you adopted, you can maintain your goal weight permanently. In this phase, you also learn how to set a goal weight and how to develop long-term healthy-eating patterns. Regular physical activity remains a central part of this phase.
Follow the Mayo Clinic Healthy Weight Pyramid
The basis for the Mayo Clinic Diet is the Mayo Clinic Healthy Weight Pyramid. The pyramid illustrates the importance of balance between exercise and eating healthy foods.

Eat healthy foods and portions
The base of the Mayo Clinic Healthy Weight Pyramid focuses on generous amounts of healthy foods that contain a small number of calories in a large volume of food, particularly fruits and vegetables. Healthy choices in moderate amounts make up the rest of the pyramid, which encourages selecting whole-grain carbohydrates, lean sources of protein such as legumes, fish and low-fat dairy, and heart-healthy unsaturated fats. The Mayo Clinic Diet teaches you how to estimate portion sizes and plan meals. The Mayo Clinic Diet doesn't focus on counting calories, nor does it require you to eliminate certain foods.

Increase your physical activity
The Mayo Clinic Diet promotes regular physical activity and exercise, as well as healthy eating. When you're active, your body uses energy (calories) to work, helping to burn the calories you take in. If you've been inactive or you have a medical condition, talk to your doctor or health care provider before starting a new physical activity program. Most people can begin with five- or 10-minute activity sessions and increase the time gradually.

The Mayo Clinic Diet recommends getting at least 30 minutes of moderately intense exercise every day, and even more exercise for further health benefits. Moderately intense activity or exercise should increase your heart and breathing rates and possibly lead to a light sweat. Brisk walking and yardwork that entails near constant motion are examples of moderately intense activity.

Typical menu for the Mayo Clinic Diet
The Mayo Clinic Diet provides several calorie levels. Here's a look at a 1,200 calorie-a-day menu that follows the Mayo Clinic Diet plan:

Breakfast. A fruit yogurt parfait (1 cup fat-free yogurt mixed with 1 serving fruit).
Lunch. 1 serving tuna and pasta salad (combine 1 can water-packed tuna, 4 cups cooked shell pasta, 2 cups diced carrots and zucchini, and 4 tablespoons low-calorie mayonnaise — serves 4); 1 small orange.
Dinner. One-third of a 12-inch crust cheese pizza; green salad (2 cups lettuce with 1/2 cup sliced tomatoes, red onions and mushrooms); 2 tablespoons fat-free salad dressing.
Snack. 1 small apple, sliced.
You can include a calorie-free beverage with each meal.

What Is the Volumetrics Diet?

The diet is found in a book called The Volumetrics Weight-Control Plan co-authored by Barbara Rolls, PhD, a nutrition researcher at Penn State University, and Robert Barnett, a nutrition writer.


Who Is Dr. Barbara Rolls?

In addition to co-authoring the Volumetrics book, Dr. Rolls has researched obesity for more than 20 years. She served on the advisory Council of the National Institutes of Health’s Institute of Diabetes and Digestion and Kidney Disease as well as the North American Association for the Study of Obesity, for which she served as president.


What Is the Volumetrics Plan About?

The diet is based on the premise that it’s the volume of food eaten, rather than the number of calories consumed , that leads to our experiencing a sense of satiety (fullness). The plan promises that by eating foods that fill you up on fewer calories you will lose weight without feeling like you’re on a diet, being hungry, or suffering from a sense of deprivation.
You will see something called "calorie density" mentioned in this plan. The recommended foods on this diet have a low energy density, meaning they promote a sense of fullness; those to be avoided are energy dense, meaning they are higher in calories or you must eat a lot of them before you begin feeling full.



What Is the Evidence Behind This Diet?

According to the authors, we tend to eat roughly the same amount of food each day, regardless of the total number of calories consumed. If you eat about the same weight of food containing fewer calories than usual, according to the authors, you will able to lose weight without experiencing hunger. The studies the authors based the book on were performed at well-known, reputable institutions such as the National Institutes of Health and Penn State’s labs. The authors do mention, however, that research on calorie density is somewhat new and ongoing.
What Will I Eat if I Go On the Volumetrics Diet?

To follow the plan, you will eat low-calorie, high-volume foods that contain a lot of water and/or fiber , since both increase the sense of satiety. You will eat fruit, low-fat milk or other dairy products, whole grains , beans, low-fat fish, vegetables, skinless poultry, and lean meat while avoiding high-calorie foods such as regular cheese, candy, high-sugar beverages, and cookies (even low-fat ones). However, no food is completely banned, and you can enjoy foods considered calorie-dense -– such as chocolate -– as a treat, as long as you stay within your caloric recommendations .
The book provides a formula for you to calculate the number of calories you are allowed each day. The authors provide both 1,600- and 2,000-calorie meal plans, which can be modified to your specific caloric needs. The 1,600-calorie plan, for example, allows for a 400-calorie breakfast, a 500-calorie lunch, a 500-calorie dinner, and a 200-calorie snack. There are a number of recipes provided as well.

If you do not wish to use the diet plans, you can also use guidelines set forth in the book to plan your own meals; it provides a list of hundreds of foods’ calorie density. It also provides a simple technique for figuring out the calorie density of any food using the number of calories and serving size, both of which can be found on the nutrition label or About.com's Calorie Count.



What Additional Changes Are Recommended?

The authors recommend lifestyle changes that lead to long-term weight management, such as keeping exercise logs and food logs and planning for social situations that may throw you a curve ball, such as parties. The authors recommend that you get at least 30 minutes of exercise most days of the week. They suggest that you weigh-in no more than once a week during the weight loss phase.
The book provides a maintenance plan to follow once you have met your goal weight, or after six months have passed. After you’ve maintained your weight for another six months, you can start the weight loss plan over again.

Is Volumetrics a Fad Diet? Is it Effective?

The Volumetrics plan is not a fad diet . It is nutritionally sound, and its recommendations are similar to those of the United States Department of Agriculture. It emphasizes a healthy, balanced diet of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and encourages the limiting of fat intake. Since the diet is sensible without being overly stringent, it is fairly easy to stick to for an extended period of time. It is also easy to modify to your own personal eating preferences.
The fact that the plan encourages regular, moderate physical activity is a definite plus. Exercise is something fad diets virtually ignore, despite the fact that regular activity is a vital part of a lifestyle that leads to long-term health and permanent weight loss.

The additional recommendations, such as keeping a food diary, will also help you adjust to your new lifestyle.

If the caloric guidelines and food recommendations set forth in this plan are followed correctly, this diet is both effective and nutritious. It will not bring major results very quickly, but it instead leads to safe, gradual weight loss of about one to two pounds a week, which is ideal for long-term success.

Source

Rolls, Barbara, and Robert Barnett. The Volumetrics Weight-Control Plan. New York: HarperTorch, 2002.