health guides

One of the hardest things about starting a new diet can be deciding which one you want to follow. To give you a leg up, U.S. News & World Report has served up their annual list of the best diets for 2016. This year, the DASH diet took the crown again for the “best overall diet.” However, since the DASH diet won’t meet every person’s health and fitness goals, they evaluated 37 other popular diets and identified which diets are best for weight loss, heart health, and other goals. Here are the winners in some of the categories:

• Best weight-loss diet: Weight Watchers Diet
• Best heart-healthy diet: Ornish Diet
• Best diabetes diet: The Fertility Diet
• Best commercial diet plans: Mayo Clinic Diet and Weight Watchers Diet
• Best plant-based diet: Mediterranean Diet

Ready to choose a diet? Use this list to pick a handful of diets that might be right for you; then, ask yourself the following questions before making a final decision:

• What works with my personality and lifestyle? Find a compatible diet. Prepackaged or frozen meals may not work for you if you’re a foodie; and a low-carb diet isn’t going to stick if cutting out carbs makes you cranky.
• Why did past diets fail? Were they too restrictive? Pick a diet that doesn’t limit the types of foods you can eat. Were they not structured enough? A diet that includes meal plans may be a better fit for you.
• How long can I stay on this diet? Choose a diet you think you can do long-term. If you can only stick to the diet for a couple months, you’re less likely to get long-lasting results.
• What about exercise? Exercise is an important part of any health regimen. Does the diet outline an exercise programme or will you need to create your own plan?

Source: U.S. News & World Report