Why we rank plant-based diets
Your neighbor gave up meat, your cousin’s gone vegetarian and now your doctor’s suggesting you follow suit to lower your weight and blood pressure and to possibly prevent chronic diseases. Clearly, plant-based diets are soaring in popularity among Americans. That’s why U.S. News devotes an entire category of our Best Diets rankings just to them. What follows are the top five plant-based diets ranked in descending order.
4 (tie). Vegetarian Diet
This approach certainly impressed our panel of experts, who awarded it strong scores for short-term weight loss, heart health and nutritional completeness. Vegetarians can vary on which kind of eating plan they follow. Most are lacto-ovo, in that they give up meat, fish and poultry, but still eat dairy products and eggs.
What will I eat on a vegetarian diet?
Stock up on tofu. Other meat substitutes, like soy, will also become a staple. While fruits and vegetables will make up much of your diet, it should be more nutritionally sound than daily salads. Work dairy, protein-rich legumes and whole grains into meals. So instead of a lunch of vegetable soup, consider vegetable-bean chili with a breadstick and glass of milk.
4 (tie). Traditional Asian Diet
This diet received high marks for safety and nutritional completeness. While this is more of an eating plan than a structured diet, folks can follow the Asian Food Pyramid for guidance. It stacks whole grains, such as rice and noodles, toward the bottom, with fruits, veggies, legumes, seeds and nuts directly above, and eventually meat at the very tip.
What will I eat on the Traditional Asian Diet?
You may have to explore specialty Asian markets for the unique veggies and legumes you’ll be eating, such as bok choy (Chinese cabbage) and edamame (soybean pods). You’ll also eat plenty of rice and noodles, but be careful to opt for the whole-grain variety, and to go easy on sodium-loaded soy sauce.
3. Ornish Diet
One of the reasons folks go for a plant-based diet is that there’s evidence it can ward off chronic diseases. The Ornish Diet, in particular, sticks out for ranking No. 1 among all diets for heart health, and No. 3 for diabetes prevention. For guidance, dieters follow Dean Ornish’s book “The Spectrum,” which covers nutrition, exercise, stress management and emotional support.
What will I eat on the Ornish Diet?
If you’re on the Ornish Diet plan geared toward reversing heart disease, say goodbye to saturated fats and nearly all animal products, save for egg whites and one cup per day of nonfat milk or yogurt. You’ll be chowing down on fiber and complex carbs, which means fruits, vegetables, salmon and whole-wheat bread products.
2. Flexitarian Diet
Overall, the expert panelists thought this was a great option for a plant-based approach, and gave Flexitarian particularly high marks in nutritional completeness, safety and heart health. They also deemed the diet as easy to follow because it emphasizes adding foods, rather than extreme restrictions. Dieters don’t ditch meat completely because — as the name suggests — they’re essentially flexible vegetarians.
What will I eat on the Flexitarian Diet?
Get ready to add “new meat” to your diet, including tofu, beans, lentils, peas, nuts and seeds, and eggs. You’ll also eat lots of fruits and vegetables, whole grains, diary and even sugar and spice. A dessert that fits this diet’s guidelines, for example, is Mexican hot chocolate: skim or soy milk, unsweetened cocoa, honey and cinnamon.
1. Mediterranean Diet
The Mediterranean Diet is the No. 1 plant-based diet and the No. 3 diet overall. Expert panelists believe this is a heart-healthy diet that’s also easy to follow. The diet, which emphasizes produce and nuts and limits red meat, sugar and saturated fats, is also considered ideal for healthy eating, in that it’s both safe and nutritionally sound.
What will I eat on the Mediterranean Diet?
This diet is more of an eating plan, and followers can get guidance from the Mediterranean Food Pyramid. According to the pyramid, you’ll load up on fruits, veggies, whole grains, nuts and legumes. You’ll also indulge in fish and seafood, and eat a bit of poultry, eggs, cheese and yogurt. You’ll likely say goodbye to most red meat and sweets.
More about plant-based diets:
Why Choose a Plant-based Diet?
Quiz: How Much Do You Know About Plant-Based Diets?
More from U.S. News
Tasty, Healthy Ways to Use Raw Cacao
Top 5 Plant-Based Diets originally appeared on usnews.com
Update 01/06/15: This slideshow was originally published on December 31, 2012.
