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DASH Diet Named Best Overall Weight Loss Plan
The most efficient route to weight loss is a hotly contested topic- many believe a behavior modification based plan like Weight Watchers is the best way to reform eating habits, while others insist the ketogenic aspects of plans like the Atkins Diet are the key to long lasting weight management.
U.S. News ranked 22 diets- some well-known and some less prominent- using a panel of nearly two dozen experts. And the results favored a lesser known plan when all the evidence was weighed:
A panel of 22 experts in diet and nutrition, as well as specialists in diabetes and heart disease, said it was heart-healthy and nutritionally sound. DASH “looked like an All-Star,” according to the rankings, and “though obscure, beat out a field full of better-known diets.” In addition to helping deflate high blood pressure, the plan will likely help dieters shed pounds, too. Three diets tied at No. 2: the Mediterranean Diet, the TLC Diet, and Weight Watchers. “The goal of the Best Diets rankings is to help consumers find authoritative guidance on healthful diets that will work for them over the long haul,” said Lindsay Lyon, U.S. News‘s Health News Editor. The site weighed the diets against the same basic set of criteria:
- short-term weight loss
- long-term weight loss
- how easy it is to follow
- its nutritional completeness
- safety
- ability to prevent or manage diabetes
- ability to prevent or manage heart disease
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DASH Diet Named Best Overall Weight Loss Plan
Full report:
Health Buzz: U.S. News Ranks 'Best Diets' - US News and World Report
According to the Wikipedia entry, the DASH diet has the following principles:
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The DASH diet (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) is a diet promoted by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (part of the NIH, a United States government organization) to control hypertension. This eating plan is rich in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and low-fat dairy foods; includes meat, fish, poultry, nuts and beans; and is limited in sugar-sweetened foods and beverages, red meat, and added fats. In addition to its effect on blood pressure, it is considered a well-balanced approach to eating for the general public. It is now recommended by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) as an ideal eating plan for all Americans.
The DASH diet is based on NIH studies that examined three dietary plans and their results. None of the plans were vegetarian, but the DASH plan incorporated more fruits and vegetables, low fat or nonfat dairy, beans, and nuts than the others studied. Not only does the plan emphasize good eating habits, but also suggests healthy alternatives to "junk food" and discourages the consumption of processed foods. The NIH has published a guidebook, "Your Guide to Lowering your Blood Pressure With DASH", which details the nutrition facts of popular mainstream food items and their healthy alternatives. The manual also provides samples of meal plans and proportions along with their associated nutritional information. The last pages of the manual provides a list of resources and how to obtain them.
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DASH diet - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
So basically, the DASH diet is a diet carefully designed to reduce/control hypertension. Bottom line: its goal is to fight heart disease.
As you may know, heart disease is heavily influenced by dietary factors. I must admit that I've never heard of this specific diet, but it is based on nutritional principles of which I am already familiar. It's good, however, that a) it has been formalized into something official, and b) it's been studied.
Furthermore, it has now been found to be the "best" diet out there. "Best" is knowingly placed in quotation marks because it's considered the best based on
all the above criteria, as in "best overall."
I'm surprised that it even beat out the Mediterranean diet. And I know that Weight Watchers is well-designed. So this is news to me.
- What do you think of this diet?
- What do you think of the study/report?
- Would you try this diet?
- Have you heard of it before? Have you tried it before?
- Do you think this diet should be promoted as a solution to the obesity epidemic?
- Is this good publicity? Will it gain traction?
If I needed to lose some serious weight, or if I had heart health risks, I think this would be my first stop.