By Donna V. Scaglione
These days various diet plans are making headlines. Some have been around for a while, like the heart-healthy DASH diet recently named the best overall diet by U.S. News and World Report. Others, like the restrictive Dukan and 17-Day, which work in phases, are new to the scene and getting a lot of buzz.
How can you tell what eating plan is right for you? Many nutrition experts say finding an eating and exercise plan that fits your lifestyle is critical, as is avoiding deprivation diets because they are a set-up for failure. Also, allowing yourself occasional splurges and not excluding entire food groups is vitally important for long-term success. With that advice in mind, consider some eating plans getting some attention right now.
1. DASH
Chances are that the DASH — Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension — diet sounds familiar to you, especially if you’ve been fighting heart disease. This eating plan, which U.S. News and World Report crowned best overall diet and best diabetes diet, reflects what medical experts have long considered heart healthy. It emphasizes eating lots of fruits and vegetables and little salt, sugar, and saturated fat as a way of getting the necessary nutrients like fiber, potassium, and calcium, which help fight high blood pressure. The DASH diet also has been shown to lower “bad” LDL cholesterol and raise “good” HDL cholesterol.
