Mediterranean Diet Tops Annual List for Fourth Consecutive Year

The U.S. News and World Report named the Mediterranean diet as the best overall diet for 2021. The eating plan was also recognized as the best plant-based diet and a top option for heart health and diabetes.

The Mediterranean diet has been declared the best diet for 2021, making it the fourth year in a row that it has been recognized as the best overall eating plan by the U.S. News and World Report.

In addition to being ranked as the best overall regimen, the Mediterranean diet was hailed as the world’s best plant-based diet and tied with DASH for the title of best for healthy eating.

The Mediterranean diet also topped the charts as the easiest eating plan to follow, tied with the DASH and Ornish diets in the best heart health category and drew even with the Flexitarian diet as the most effective diet for diabetes.

See Also: 40 Years of the Mediterranean Diet: What's Next for the World's Healthiest Eating Plan

The diets were judged by a panel of 24 whose expertise ranged from food psychology, diet and nutrition, heart disease, diabetes and obesity, following extensive research.

Diets were scored on a number of factors including how healthy and safe they were. The judges also took into account how easy they were to follow and their success in aiding with long-term weight loss as well as their ability to prevent or reduce conditions, including diabetes and heart disease.

The highest rated diets were those which focused on the consumption of fresh fruit, vegetables, whole grains and healthy fats, such as olive oil, whilst restricting calorie-rich processed foods and refined sugars.

In 2020, the Mediterranean diet which is rich in olive oil, fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts and seeds was found to be the most effective diet for reducing the risk of heart disease and in 2018 was found to be beneficial for reducing the risk of frailty in aging adults.