Winter is a pivotal season. It’s often a turning point for those who’ve been dragging their feet about making healthier choices, like moving more and eating healthier. That’s why, each year, U.S. News & World Report evaluates the most popular diets, and ranks them by category. The folks create a sort of hierarchy of meal plans, delineating which are best for overall health and body-fat maintenance, which are best suited for quick weight loss, and more.
For 2022, the Mediterranean diet reigned supreme (as it has for many years), ranking no.1 in the best diets overall. If you’re trying to lose weight and optimize your health, check out the top nutrition plans—including what each entails—below.

Best Diets Overall

Mediterranean DietThe goal: Melt fat and avoid chronic diseases, like cancer and diabetes.Pros: You can enjoy poultry, eggs, cheese, and yogurt in moderation; eat sweets and red meat on special occasions; and have red wine with your fruits, veggies, whole grains, beans, nuts, legumes, olive oil, and seafood. There’s a plethora of research backing up this diet.Cons: You have to be accountable for figuring out calorie consumption to lose or maintain your weight, as well as your workouts.
DASH DietThe goal: The Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension eating plan does what its name suggests: helps lower high blood pressure and encourages weight loss.Pros: It’s straightforward. Eat more fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lean proteins, and low-fat dairy; eat less red meat, salt, and high-calorie sweets. Plus, The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute offers free guides.Cons: You might not lose as much weight as you would on other plans because it’s more catered to improving your health (not necessarily a bad thing).
Flexitarian DietThe goal: Cut fat and live longer with optimal health.Pros: It’s said “flexitarians” (flexible vegetarians) weigh 15 percent less than meat-eaters, live nearly 4 years longer, and can dodge heart disease, diabetes, and cancer.Cons: If you’re hell-bent on eating beef, this might be difficult to adhere to. You’ll also be cooking a lot of your own meals.

Best Weight-Loss Diets

Flexitarian Diet
Volumetrics DietThe goal: Drop 1-2 pounds per week.Pros: Created by a Penn State University nutrition professor, Volumetrics is more of an approach to healthy eating than a regimented diet. You’ll learn to identify and prioritize low-density foods, which are low in calories but high in volume (think: broth) to help you stay full. It’s also affordable, since you’re not purchasing a book, program, or special ingredients. You won’t feel hungry or starved either.Cons: This might be easier to stray from because you have more freedom.
Weight Watchers DietThe goal: Lose 2 pounds a week.Pros: The meal plan’s flexible; you have access to a support group; and there aren’t hard limits on what you can and can’t eat. You’ll simply opt for the most nutritionally dense foods that keep you fuller longer. (i.e. your meals will be lower in calories, saturated fat, and sugar, and higher in protein.)Cons: It can get a bit pricey, and tallying your meal points is a pain.

Best Fast Weight-Loss Diets

Atkins DietThe goal: The diet has four phases. You cut carbs, then eat progressively more until you hit your desired weight. Low-carb diets force your body to burn fat as an alternative source of fuel.Pros: Protein and fat take longer than carbs to digest, so you’ll stay full on the diet. You’ll see weight loss fairly quickly (even if it’s initially due to water loss).Cons: It’s difficult to maintain in the long run. People struggle with getting variety in meals and eating out is difficult.
Health Management Resources (HMR)The goal: Drop 1 to 2 pounds per week for an average of 23 pounds over the first 12 weeks; keeping the weight off is a main priority.Pros: The crux of this diet is meal replacement, which is said to help people cut 3x as much weight compared to traditional diets. You’ll have low-calorie shakes, meals, nutrition bars, multigrain hot cereal, and fruits and vegetables in place of other meals and snacks. You’ll also receive food for the first 3 weeks to drop weight as quickly as possible; then, you’ll transition to the second phase where the diet is less structured and you’ll receive food monthly, as well as weekly telephone coaching sessions.Cons: The first phase can be difficult to adhere to. It’s a tad expensive, especially if you’re not used to buying fruits and vegetables in bulk. The initial 3-week HMR starter kit costs $301 and the 2-week reorder kit costs $185.
OPTAVIA: The goal: Like most weight-loss diets, OPTAVIA relies on a low-carb, low-calorie approach to cut weight quickly with most of the vitamins, minerals, and fiber coming from fortified, pre-made meal replacements, coined “fuelings.” This calorie restriction diet also centers around six “Habits of Health Transformational System”: weight, eating and hydration, motion, sleep, mind, and surroundings.Pros: This is a variation of the Medifast diet. The “fuelings” meals have an identical macronutrient profile, only they’re void of artificial colors, flavors, and sweeteners. You’ll eat four to five prepackaged meals, then cook your own low-carb meal, prioritizing fatty fish twice a week. You’ll be matched with a coach who can provide support, too.Cons: You may feel hungry on the diet and won’t get the full micronutrients you’d receive from a whole-food diet.
Keto DietThe goal: Quickly lose weight by causing your body to burn fat versus carbs, entering a state of ketosis.Pros: You’ll eventually have fewer craving and boost mood and energy, though it’s a tough transition at first.Cons: You can experience headaches, fatigue, and mental fogginess during the first few weeks. This is difficult to sustain over a long period of time, too. It’s better for quick weight loss.

Easiest Diets to Follow

Mediterranean Diet
Flexitarian Diet
MIND DietThe goal: The MIND marries the DASH and Mediterranean diets and focuses on foods that support brain health. It’s believed consuming leafy greens (7 1-cup servings weekly), nuts (snack most days), and berries (5 half-cup servings weekly) may lower a person’s risk of developing dementia or Alzheimer’s.The pros: It’s nutritionally robust with no need to count calories, plus the fiber-rich foods keep you full. The plan also has plenty of recipes to follow.The cons: Not a ton of guidance.

Get the full list here.

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To stoke your metabolism and prime your body to drop fat, you’ve got to go beyond the basics. Here are 100 tried-and-true methods to help you lose weight fast.1) Eat six small meals a day Stoking your body with food every three to four hours can rev your metabolism to the max. Not every one needs to be a sit-down affair.2) Run 10 100-yard sprints Sprinting can burn up to 500 calories.3) Wait 20 minutes before getting seconds Slow things down to avoid excessive food intake.4) Use a smaller dinner plate The smaller plate will limit how much you can pile on. Check out these other mind tricks for healthier eating.5) Use a blue dinner plate Studies show the color has an appetite-suppressing effect (as opposed to red and yellow plates).6) Sub in nonfat Greek yogurt for mayo and sour cream You’ll save 700 cals and 100 cals per half cup, respectively. See what other food swaps you can make to cut 500 calories a day.7) Eat peanuts from their shells You’ll nosh on 50% fewer nuts in a sitting just trying to peel before eating.8) Chew on sugar-free mint gum after a meal Mint flavors send signals to your brain that it’s time to stop eating.9) Snack on pistachios The nuts are much healthier than chips and pretzels.10) Take up power yoga You can burn up to 344 calories a class.11) Train fasted once a weekFasted workouts may help keep adrenaline high and blood sugar low.12) Run intervals to burn it up Turn your body into a fat-fighting furnace by alternating sprints with jogs. Here are 8 you can do on the treadmill.13) Replace your morning bagel Ditch the bread for a bowl of oatmeal and protein-packed eggs.14) Work out with your partner Couples who train together are 34% more likely to stick to their workouts.15) Eat at the kitchen table Don’t park on the couch when chowing down.16) Drink more water Being dehydrated can fool your body into feeling hungry.17) Poach (don’t fry) your proteinEggs, poultry, and fish are healthier when prepared this way.18) Hit the pool Swim laps or run in the water, if you can touch the bottom safely.19) Take a real “before” photo You’ll be more motivated knowing what you look like and where you want to go.20) Switch to skim milk for coffee Ditch the cream and sugar and save 105 calories. Try these other healthy add-ins, too.21) Bike to work Get pedaling to burn 500 calories an hour. More

Source: Wellness – mensjournal.com More

Want to give your gut health a boost? Take a page out of Homer Simpson’s book and grab a cold one. Beer and the gut microbiome might not seem like they’d have a symbiotic relationship, but drinking one brew every night for four weeks straight was found to increase the diversity of gut bacteria and improve intestinal function, according to a report in the Journal of Agriculture and Food Science.
Gut bacteria is big news these days, as research shows it’s associated with everything from greater immunity (good gut bacteria) to heart disease (bad gut bacteria).The current study, which split men into two groups, found both alcoholic and non-alcoholic lager yielded positive results for the microbiome. More important than alcohol content, it turns out, is the color of your beer.The darker the beer, the better it is for your microbiome. That’s due to a higher concentration of something called polyphenols—compounds researchers credit with giving beer its gut-enhancing, health-fortifying benefits.

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Source: Wellness – mensjournal.com More