Talk about la creme de la creme.
US News & World Report analyzed 38 diets for the new year, revealing on Friday which takes the cake for overall well-being and specific concerns like high blood pressure and menopause.
“There are overarching themes that you’ll find across all 21 categories in terms of the top-rated diets,” said Gretel Schueller, managing editor of health at US News. “They emphasize whole foods like fruit and vegetables, whole grains, nuts and seeds, plant-based proteins. Those are some of the elements most of
our top-rated diets seem to have in common.”
The Mediterranean diet was once again the most highly-rated diet across many categories, earning the spot of top banana in the 2025 edition of Best Diets.
The plant-based eating plan prioritizes vegetables, fruits, whole grains, healthy fats, nuts and seeds while limiting red meat and sugar. The Mediterranean diet has been shown to aid weight loss, improve blood sugar, blood pressure and cholesterol and reduce the risk of heart disease, stroke, dementia and certain types of cancer.
US News gave the Med diet a 4.8 rating, out of 5, for best overall diet and named it No. 1 in the arthritis, diabetes, diverticulitis, fatty liver, gut health, healthy eating, high cholesterol, inflammation, mental health, prediabetes and “easiest diets to follow” categories.
The eating programs were judged by US News’ panel of 69 experts, which included medical doctors, registered dietitians, nutritional epidemiologists, chefs and weight loss researchers.
The outlet assigned numerical ratings to the diets this year instead of simply ranking them so readers can “see the intensity of our experts’ opinion on one diet versus another,” Schueller said.
The 15th edition of Best Diets features 13 more meal plans — such as the BRAT diet for an upset stomach and the Menopause Diet for reducing symptoms — and 12 more health categories than last year.
“These are common health conditions that are closely aligned with diet choice and can either be prevented, managed, and in some cases, treated through diet,” Schueller said.
For weight loss, US News prefers WeightWatchers and its daily points system over the Mediterranean diet, the Volumetrics plan, which emphasizes low-calorie foods full of nutrients and water, and the Noom program, which encourages daily behavioral changes for better food choices.
US News’ best overall diets
- Mediterranean diet (4.8 rating)
- DASH diet (4.6 rating) stands for “dietary approaches to stop hypertension.” The plan focuses on preventing or managing high blood pressure via fruits, vegetables, whole grains, low-fat dairy and low-sodium foods rich in potassium, calcium and magnesium.
- Flexitarian diet (4.5 rating) is a semi-vegetarian eating program that allows for the occasional consumption of lean meats.
- MIND diet (4.4 rating) is a blend of the Mediterranean diet and the DASH diet that’s designed to promote brain health.
