The Dash Diet

For the next four weeks, I will review some of the top 24 diets, in order from very best to best to “so, so”, as rated by a U.S. News and World Reports expert panel. Some of the programs are well known, others you may never have heard of before. Consider whether there is one here that matches up with your personality and health needs, and “go for it.” Just remember that when you start to lose weight, you also need fewer calories, so modify your calorie counts as you lose the pounds. Use exercise to boost weight loss or as a means to sneak in a few more calories.

DASH Diet

It got the #1 rating from US News and world Reports expert panel. Why? Because it’s a balanced plan and it has the research behind to show that it works quite effectively. It has been shown to lower blood pressure and cholesterol, and it may lower your risk of developing cancer, heart disease, stroke, heart failure, kidney stones and may help you avoid diabetes. Depending on your size and goals the calorie range offered falls between 1600 and 3100 calories. So the number of servings of specific food groups goes up or down, depending on the number of calories you are assigned. You will eat a certain number of servings of: grains and grain products, fruits, vegetables, low fat/non fat dairy, lean meat/fish/poultry, nuts/seeds/legumes, fats/sweets. Interestingly enough, weight loss per say was not the initial target of the program when it was developed, but you can already see from the “balanced” aspect of the program that it is a natural by-product.

For more information, check out www.dashdiet.org