2018 Best Diets To Lose Weight: U.S. News Rankings

If you're hoping to kick-start your metabolism this month after all that holiday indulging, you're not alone. According to Statistics Brain, a whopping 32 percent of people had a weight-related new years resolution in 2017. In a similar boat this year? These just may be the best diets to get it done.

With the plethora of people looking to shed pounds in January comes hoards of intense health-related advice. To try and help the estimated 45 million Americans who diet each year decipher all this "healthy" data, U.S. News & World Report has released an annual assessment of the year's top-ranked diets for 2018.

The organization put together a panel of nationally recognized experts in diet, nutrition, obesity, food psychology, diabetes and heart disease to review profiles and rate over 40 diets within seven different categories:

• How easy it is to follow
• Its ability to produce short-term weight loss
• Its ability to produce long-term weight loss
• Its nutritional completeness
• Its safety
• Its potential for preventing and managing diabetes
• Its potential for preventing and managing heart disease

"Whether you’re trying to lose weight or manage a chronic disease like diabetes, the 2018 Best Diets rankings are designed to help consumers identify the right diet for their specific needs," said Angela Haupt, Assistant Managing Editor of Health at U.S. News.

According to the extensive research, here are top-rated diets overall for 2018 ranked by U.S. News:

DASH Diet

The concept: "Just emphasize the foods you've always been told to eat (fruits, veggies, whole grains, lean protein and low-fat dairy), while shunning those we've grown to love (calorie- and fat-laden sweets and red meat). Top it all off by cutting back on salt, and voila!"

Read more about the DASH diet here

Mediterranean Diet

The concept: "It's generally accepted that the folks in countries bordering the Mediterranean Sea live longer and suffer less than most Americans from cancer and cardiovascular ailments. The not-so-surprising secret is an active lifestyle, weight control, and a diet low in red meat, sugar and saturated fat and high in produce, nuts and other healthful foods."

Read more about the Mediterranean Diet here

Flexitarian Diet

The concept: "Becoming a flexitarian is about adding five food groups to your diet – not taking any away. These are: the "new meat" (tofu, beans, lentils, peas, nuts and seeds, and eggs); fruits and veggies; whole grains; dairy; and sugar and spice (everything from dried herbs to salad dressing to agave nectar sweetener)."

Read more about the Flexitarian Diet here

Weight Watchers

The concept: "The Weight Watchers Beyond the Scale Program assigns every food and beverage a SmartPoints value, based on its nutrition (higher amounts of saturated fat and sugar increase the point value; higher amounts of protein bring the point value down). Choices that fill you up the longest 'cost' the least, and nutritionally dense foods cost less than empty calories."

Read more about Weight Watchers here

MIND Diet

The concept: "The emphasis is on eating from 10 brain-healthy food groups: green leafy vegetables in particular, all other vegetables, nuts, berries, beans, whole grains, fish, poultry, olive oil and wine. Meanwhile, MIND adherently avoids foods from the five unhealthy groups: red meats, butter and stick margarine, cheeses, pastries and sweets, and fried or fast food."

Read more about the MIND Diet here

TLC Diet

The concept: "The key is cutting back sharply on fat, particularly saturated fat. Saturated fat (think fatty meat, whole-milk dairy and fried foods) bumps up bad cholesterol, which increases the risk of heart attack and stroke."

Read more about the TLC Diet here

Volumetrics

The concept: "Since some foods are less energy dense than others – that is, they have fewer calories per gram – filling your plate with more of those means you'll be eating fewer calories without actually eating less food. Low-density foods, which are low in calories but high-volume, help you feel full and satisfied while dropping pounds."

Read more about Volumetrics here

In addition to the Best Diets Overall, U.S. News’ 2018 Best Diets research offers rankings for the Best Weight-Loss Diets, Best Fast Weight-Loss Diets, Easiest Diets to Follow, Best Commercial Diets, Best Diets for Healthy Eating, Best Plant-Based Diets and best diets for conditions such as diabetes and heart disease.

Check out more specific diet rankings by category here

Photo by Syd Wachs on Unsplash