Best Ranked Diets!

The ratings gurus at U.S.News and World Report have put some of the nation's most popular diets through the wringer and crowned as champion a diet originally developed to help people lower their blood pressure.

Called DASH — for Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension — the diet is UN&WR's top all-around pick . The diet keeps a tight lid on saturated fat and cholesterol. And it emphasizes food rich in protein, fiber and nutrients, such as potassium and calcium, that may lower blood pressure.


A team at the magazine combed the scientific literature and boiled down the pros and cons of 20 diets in standardized profiles. Then a group of 22 experts enlisted by the magazine rated the diets on a scale of 1 to 5 for such things as safety, long-term weight loss and ability to prevent or control diabetes.

The DASH diet earned 3.9 stars out of 5. There was a three-way tie for second place: the Mediterranean diet ; the Therapeutic Lifestyle Changes , or TLC, diet; and Weight Watchers all got 3.8 stars.

When Consumer Reports did its own deep dive on diets last month, Jenny Craig came out No. 1. Slim-Fast and Weight Watchers came in second and third, respectively. The low-carb Atkins diet came in last.