The #1 Best Diet to Follow Right Now, Says New Report

It's a new year, which means people are setting goals and making plans for how they'll achieve them. Maybe you're wanting to shed some pounds, build better immunity, or just incorporate healthier foods into your daily life. Whatever your new goal may be, you might find the new U.S. News & World Report of Best Diets to be a helpful set of guidelines for your new year.

This report is released every year with over 40 different diet plans ranked in different categories, such as Best Diet for Weight Loss, Best Heart-Healthy Diet, and Best Overall Diet. This year, the winner of "Best Overall Diet" for a fifth year in a row is none other than the Mediterranean Diet.

According to the report results, the Mediterranean Diet not only ranked first in Best Overall Diet, but it also won for other categories such as Best Heart-Healthy (tied with the Ornish Diet), Best Plant-Based, Best Diabetics Diet, and The Easiest Diet to Follow.

This diet's high rankings come as no surprise when you learn of its long list of potential health benefits. U.S. News says that following this way of eating can lead to better heart health, brain health, better control and prevention of diabetes, and even the prevention of some cancers.

With that being said, it also depends on your personal health goals. While the Mediterranean Diet may be a great choice for maintaining healthy body weight, it did rank #12 in Best Weight-Loss Diet and #25 in Best Fast Weight-Loss Diet.

Following the Mediterranean Diet

If this report has piqued your interest and you're now curious about starting the Mediterranean Diet, here are some helpful tips to know before getting started.

The Mediterranean Diet limits your consumption of ultra-processed foods and added sugar. If you're looking at it as a diet pyramid, things like added sugar and red meat are at the very small triangle at the top, with foods like fruits, vegetables, beans, olive oil, fish, yogurt, and chicken toward the middle and bottom.

As if the list of benefits wasn't already long enough, wine-lovers may rejoice when they learn that a glass of red wine is considered completely fine as part of this diet plan. However, it's important to keep your consumption at a moderate amount and talk with a doctor if you have any concerns.

So, if you're now on board with trying this diet in 2022, start by checking out some of the 15 Best Mediterranean Diet Recipes.

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