Best Diets for Health 2020

Want to eat healthier in 2020?  What does “eating healthy” mean?  In the class I teach, students are always recommending we eat healthier diets.  But when I ask them what this means they often struggle to come up with specifics.  Many people make a resolution to go on a “diet” for the new year.  Why not go on a “diet” to eat healthier?  Are there healthy diets to follow?  A diet not for weight loss or weight gain, but just a healthy eating pattern? Not a “diet” you go on for a week or two but a healthy eating pattern diet that you can go on all year long.  I was watching TV recently and the host noted that every January they go on the Whole30 diet.  Is this really a healthy diet to go on?  People may think they are eating healthy by following the Whole30 diet.  According to the Whole30 website, food groups like grains and dairy have a negative impact on health.  US News & World Report gives the Whole30 diet a poor rating and a low ranking.  Why?  The diet is quite restrictive and excludes grain (an important food group), legumes, even peanut butter, and dairy – another important food group.  Whole grains are hugely important in our diets for fiber, trace minerals and other nutrients.  Rather than excluding whole grains, Americans should be eating more whole grains.  Dairy foods shouldn’t be restricted as dairy foods contribute calcium and vitamin D which so many Americans are lacking in their diets.  Any diet that excludes a food group and thus excludes nutrients that the food group provides, is not a healthy diet.  So how do you decide what is a healthy diet?  

Each year, the US News & World Report evaluates the “Best Diets”.   For 2020, they evaluated 35 popular diets and determined which ones were easy to follow, provided good nutrition, and are best for your health and fitness.  What do they look for?  They use health experts to rank diets on a number of parameters including how nutritious the diet is, how safe it is and whether the diet protects against diseases like diabetes and heart disease.  Top spots for 2020 went to Number One:  the Mediterranean Diet, Number Two:  the DASH diet that tied with the Flexitarian Diet.     

Best Diets for 2020

Diets that ranked as the “Best Diets” for 2020

     1.  Mediterranean Diet – for the second year in a row, this diet remained number one.  In the nutrition class I teach, we often talk about the Mediterranean Diet and why it is so good for one’s health.  This diet is based on the foods people eat in Greece and other countries around the Mediterranean Sea. Not only is their diet rich in fruits and veggies, they lead an active lifestyle.  Many nutritionists and health experts recommend this pattern of healthy eating.  Rather than giving up a food group, this diet recommends foods from each food group – but healthy foods from each group.

a.       Why is this diet good for your health?  The Mediterranean diet is a good diet for disease prevention – prevention of cancer and diabetes.  It is diet for healthy hearts and a healthy brain.   And, you can use this diet for weight loss.  Basically, for a healthier you in 2020.  To get started, try the 30-Day Mediterranean Diet Challenge at Eating Well.    Rather than go on the Whole30 for 30 days, choose to try the Mediterranean Diet for 30 days. 

b.       Foods to enjoy:  fruits, vegetables, olive oil, nuts, and fish.  

                                                               i.      Choose low-fat dairy – 2%, 1% or non-fat milk.  Choose low-fat yogurt.  Buy cheese that is made with low fat or skim milk like mozzarella cheese.  Real dairy is so important to your health.  Focus on eating real dairy foods at every meal.

                                                             ii.      Whole grains – as noted in a previous blog, so many Americans have few or no whole grains in their day.  Find a way to add whole grains to your daily food intake and to your kid’s diet.  Starting the day with oatmeal or Cheerios is a good way to add whole grains to your day.

                                                           iii.      Fruit and Vegetables – 5 A Day is a start.  More than 5 A Day is even healthier. As noted in last week’s blog, bring a vegetable with you for lunch every day.  Simple changes can be oh so good for your health.

                                                           iv.      Nuts – add a handful of nuts a day

                                                             v.      Olive oil – buy some Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO) and use it in cooking.

c.       Foods to cut back on: red meat, foods with added sugar and foods high in saturated fat.  

      2. DASH Diet – this diet stands for Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension, thus the acronym, DASH. Although it was designed to help lower blood pressure, the diet is good for your health.  U.S. News & World Report notes the diet is praised for its nutritional completeness, safety, ability to control diabetes, and prevent high blood pressure (hypertension).  The focus on fruits, vegetables, whole grains and real low-fat dairy, loads the diet up with potassium, calcium, protein and fiber.  These nutrients help lower blood pressure.

a.       Nutrients – the diet emphasizes nutrients that help lower one’s blood pressure like potassium and calcium.  It encourages more fruits, vegetables, whole grains and lean protein and dairy – but low fat dairy products.  Be sure to choose real dairy, not fake dairy. 

b.       Foods to limit are those higher in saturated fats like fatty meats, full-fat dairy foods, coconut oil, and foods high in salt.  Also, cutting back on added sugar by cutting back on sodas, sports drinks and other sugar-sweetened beverages and sweets high in added sugar.

c.       To get more guidance on the DASH diet from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, get a 20 page guide, DASH Eating Plan or a 6 page guide at Lowering Blood Pressure with DASH. 

Although the DASH diet was designed for lowering high blood pressure, it is a good overall pattern of healthy eating.

3. Flexitarian Diet– Actually tied for 2^nd place in the Flexitarian Diet.  This sounds like it would be a “quack” diet, but it is actually a diet that emphasizes many healthy foods, fruits, vegetables, whole grains and plant-based protein.  It is a diet that combines vegetarian eating and flexibility.  This diet has been around since 2009 and was popularized by Dawn Jackson Blatner, R.D. in her book, “The Flexitarian Diet: The Mostly Vegetarian Way to Lose Weight, Be Healthier, Prevent Disease and Add Years to Your Life”.  Well this is mostly a vegetarian diet, the flexibility comes in because you can still enjoy a burger, a steak and other meat – but on occasion.  If you are interested in getting started on this diet, try the Beginner’s Guide. 

a.       You ADD these foods to your diet:

                                                               i.      Plant-based protein and eggs = tofu, beans, lentils, peas, nuts, eggs and seeds.

                                                             ii.      Fruit – all kinds

                                                           iii.      Vegetables

                                                           iv.      Whole grains - including brown rice, Quinoa, oats, buckwheat and barley

                                                             v.      Herbs and spices – spices are super healthy so a good addition to any diet,

                                                           vi.      Oil – olive oil

                                                          vii.      Protein – emphasis on fish and poultry

                                  viii.  Dairy - - real dairy - milk and yogurt

                 b.       Foods to cut back on:  red meat, fried and fast food, butter, stick margarine (choose      tub margarine) and foods with added sugar like sweets and soft drinks.

So rather than going on some crazy diet plan in an effort to eat healthier in 2020, choose one of the above diets to begin modeling your own eating after.  Healthy eating doesn’t mean giving up all the foods you like to eat, but adding foods that promote good health like more fruits and vegetables, more whole grains, and more low-fat real dairy to your day.  Rather than focusing on foods to cut from your diet to eat healthier, focus on what healthy foods you can add to your day.  

Sources:  Whole30, Report,  US News & World Report,  Best Diets,   Mediterranean Diet,    mozzarella cheese,   DASH Diet ,    DASH Eating Plan,     Lowering Blood Pressure with DASH,   Flexitarian Diet,   Beginner’s Guide  Image Sources:  Best diets, Mediterranean Diet, DASH diet