U.S. News and World Report released its ranking of 38 popular diets on Friday, with the Mediterranean Diet coming in ranked as the No. 1 overall diet for 2024 for another year.
It's the eighth consecutive year the Mediterranean Diet tops the list.
The Mediterranean Diet is followed by the DASH diet and the Flexitarian diet as the top overall diets.
“Best Diets’ updated rating evaluation system reflects the diverse needs and goals of individuals, considering factors beyond weight loss,” said Gretel Schueller, managing editor of health at U.S. News. “By moving away from a ranked list of diets and nearly doubling our number of evaluated health and lifestyle categories, U.S. News aims to provide consumers with a more personalized experience as they consider their health priorities and eating goals.”
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The list had 13 new additions this year: Acid Reflux, AIP, Alkaline, Body Reset, BRAT, Cleveland Clinic, GAPS, Gluten-Free, Gout, Low FODMAP, Low-Residue, Meopause and Whole30 Diets.
The Body Rest Diet, followed by the SlimFast and Atkins Diets were named as the worst overall diets for 2025.
U.S. News and World Report had 21 different categories to help people decide the diet for them. The Mediterranean Diet is considered the easiest diet to follow and the best diet for gut health, inflammation, gut health and mental health.
The WeightWatchers Diet ranked as the No. 1 weight-loss diet. The diet uses a point scale that allows dieters to eat any type of food, but foods higher in calories tend to be higher in points.
"We're really showing the very deep and clear connection between diet and nutrition and, and various health conditions," Schueller said. "There are overarching themes that you'll find across all 21 categories in terms of the top-rated diets, and those are they emphasize whole foods, they like fruit and vegetables, whole grains, nuts and seeds, plant-based proteins, and those are some of the elements most of our top-rated diets seem to have in common."
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She said recommendations don't completely eliminate entire food groups, but says the highest-rated diets tend to deemphasize processed and higher-calorie foods.
U.S. News and World Report used a 69-person panel to analyze the 38 diets under consideration.
These are the top 10 overall diets, according to the ranking:
- Mediterranean Diet
- DASH Diet
- Flexitarian Diet
- MIND Diet
- Mayo Clinic Diet
- TLC Diet
- Menopause Diet
- Dr. Weil's Anti-Inflammatory Diet
- Volumetrics Diet
- Cleveland Clinic Diet
The full list is available online.
