U.S. News & World Report published their best diets of 2021 report and the most interesting thing about this report is the diet that made it to the top of various lists from best overall to best for health, easiest to follow and other important factors.  Also some of today’s most popular diets had dismal rankings.  But the real question is can a popular trendy diet  that doesn’t rank well for much other than quick weight loss help you?  The truth will surprise you…

Diets in general are quite a popular topic in client sessions.  Does this one work?  Is that one healthy?  Should I try this one or that one?  Should I just get off this diet if it’s not working? The questions are many and the answer is always the truth: Diets don’t work long term but if one helps you get into healthy habits then do it while learning to eat better. 

Everybody’s DNA Matches Best with Certain Macros BUT…

My focus with clients has always been on nutrition strategies and eating healthy foods that are a good match for your metabolic type and macros that are a good match for your DNA.  But I’m not anti-diet especially if a diet helps you transition to healthy habits.

The Mediterranean Diet for example made it to the top of six lists while the Keto diet that everybody from clients to my step daughters, even my 75 year old dad has talked to me about had dismal rankings. If you look at the diet macros in the chart above it’s pretty easy to see why. Keto is hardcore extreme while Mediterranean is more moderate but the truth is both diets can work.

The Mediterranean Diet ranks very high in all the categories listed below!  Pretty impressive considering the macros are so moderate.  They’re almost the same as AMDR macros which we will cover in another blog.

• Best Overall

• Best Healthy Eating

• Best Diabetes

• Best Heart Healthy

• Best Plant Based

• Easiest to Follow

Can Extreme Diets Work?

Let me play Devil's advocate for a minute.  Back in 2000 about 5 months after my son was born I was 150 lb, 32% body fat and desperate to get my pre pregnancy body back so I did Atkins which compared to Keto is a walk in the park.  I hated that diet so much but after a month I lost 8 lb and got super motivated to keep going with healthier eating plans. 

So did that diet work for me?  Yes BUT only because I was willing to transition out of it right away into something a lot healthier and then continued doing that along with consistent exercise that I’ve been doing since my teenage years. So for me a diet is just another tool that can work when used correctly.

Personally my progression was very quick from Atkins to South Beach to Paleo to Superfoods and that is the only way I see it working for successful clients as well. If you level up every few months to something better until you are no longer dieting but just making healthy choices then you can begin to focus on what really matters which is customized nutrition that boosts your health, fitness and well being.

Tired of Diets and Weight ReGain?

Get Started with the 3 Day Superfoods Detox download at my shop here

How Does Your Diet Stack Up?

So how does your diet stack up to the ones listed over at US News & World Report?  If you’re on Keto or Paleo diet macros how are those macros looking like now that you see them compared to a diet that is ranked best in 6 very important categories?  How does all this make you feel about your eating in general?  

Whether you need massive improvement or just a bit of a shift to get you to your healthiest eating, a customized nutrition is the best option at any stage of your journey.  Be sure to contact us if you’re ready to get started with custom nutrition.