When you think about weight loss and fitness, I hope you’ll forgive me for saying that the grand old United States is not the first nation that comes to mind. However, a new study has revealed that America may actually be housing the world’s best weight loss diet, beating out some of the world’s most famous and revered ‘Blue Zones‘.
As we enter a new year, many of us are redoubling our efforts to shed some pesky pounds. Predictably, however, this also results in a surge of fad editing trends that are actually liable to do you more harm in the long run than good. Luckily, a group of 40 health and diet experts have helped cut through the noise by publishing a definitive list of the top 16 diets for weight loss this year, shared by The Daily Mail.
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Aiming to identify diets that not only facilitate healthy weight loss at a rate of 1 to 2 pounds per week but also adding a crucial focus on long-term weight loss maintenance (an area where many fad diets are particularly liable to fall down). In a surprising twist, America’s longtime favourite, Weight Watchers, claimed the top spot. Adored by big names like Oprah Winfrey, the points-based system assigns food values based on their nutritional content without the need to count calories.
Doug Cook, a registered dietitian, had this to say about the Weight Watchers diet:
“WeightWatchers helps people to understand balance in so far that no food is off limits, helping it to be sustainable in the long run. It focuses on wholesome foods like fruits, vegetables, lean proteins, etc.:”
Doug Cook
A study published in the BMJ supports these claims, revealing that Weight Watchers participants lost an average of 9.8 pounds after 12 weeks, outperforming the other diets put under the microscope.
Securing second place was the famous Mediterranean diet — which the experts actually rated the best diet overall, a point well worth noting — which emphasises whole grains, lean proteins, healthy fats, plant-based proteins, and nuts. The diet has long been revered for its impact on health and longevity, with studies consistently showing reduced weight gain and smaller waistlines among adherents.
Rounding out the top five were the Volumetrics diet, Mayo Clinic and DASH diets, with the latter two garnering praise for their holistic approaches to weight loss and overall health. The Mayo Clinic’s 12-week program focuses on cultivating healthy habits, while the DASH diet aims to reduce hypertension and has been endorsed by a whole host of experts in the cardiovascular field.
Further down the list was the South Beach diet, languishing at the very bottom thanks to its restrictive nature and lack of supporting research for long-term weight loss. Dietitian Sharon Palmer came down on it pretty hard in her comments on the study…
“[The South Beach] diet would be hard to follow in the context of cultural diets, and it reinforces diet culture. I would not recommend this diet overall for weight loss.”
Sharon Palmer
So whatever your health and fitness goals this year, this study has much to teach us. Not only do our svelt Mediterranean counterparts still boast one of the best lifelong diets in the world, but our American friends may just have the secret to fast, long-term, and well-supported weight los hidden in their back pocket.