DASH Diet Named Best Overall Diet of the Year

As busy women in the modern world, Google has become our best friend. With just a few keystrokes and the click of a mouse, anyone can find hundreds of diets claiming they will help you lose weight and keep it off. With that surplus of information, however, comes skepticism — and for good reason. You know that you shouldn't practice any old fad diet you come across in the depths of the internet, but you don't always have the time to wade through and evaluate each popular diet. Luckily for you, the U.S. News & World Report ranks diets for you! USA Today Health has the scoop below.

The DASH diet, rich in vegetables, whole grains and low-fat dairy, has been named the best overall diet for the fifth consecutive year, outpacing Weight Watchers and the Mediterranean diet, U.S. News & World Report said.

DASH, which was developed to lower blood pressure without medication, was also chosen by a panel of health experts as the top diabetes diet and the best plan for healthy eating.

Weight Watchers retained the No. 1 spot as the best diet for weight loss, followed by the HMR (Healthy Management Resources) low-calorie, meal-replacement plan; and Jenny Craig, which offers prepared meals to drop excess pounds.

"The DASH diet has been our top diet overall for five years now and this is the fifth year we are evaluating and ranking diets," said Angela Haupt, senior health and wellness editor at U.S. News & World Report.

"Our experts, who rate these diets for us, say it will end up being very good for your waistline, in addition to your high blood pressure, because it is such a common-sense, balanced diet," she added in an interview.

The TLC (Therapeutic Lifestyle Changes) diet, which is designed to lower levels of cholesterol, came in second in the best overall category, followed by the Mediterranean diet, Weight Watchers and the Mayo Clinic Diet, which each tied for third place.

At the opposite end of the scale is the Paleo Diet, which focuses on meat, fish and vegetables, and the four-phase Dukan Diet, tied for last place.

Want to read more? Click here to read the original article on USA Today Health.