The Mediterranean diet also ranked first in the categories of easiest diet to follow, best family-friendly diet, best diet for healthy eating and best diet for diabetes, bone and joint and heart-healthy eating, the report said.
The DASH diet (dietary approaches to stop hypertension) won second place for best diet, with the MIND diet (Mediterranean-DASH intervention for neuro-degenerative delay) capturing third in the list of 30 diets. All three top diets are plant-based, focused on fruits and vegetables, whole grains, beans and seeds.
The award committee of 43 nutritional experts evaluated the vegan diet for the first time, which won third place in best plant-based diets. Other newly evaluated diets for 2024 included the Dukan diet (28 of 30 best overall diets); the Herbalife Nutrition diet (29 of 30 diets); the HMR (Health Management Resources) (21 of 30 diets) and its sister brand, the Profile Plan (19 of 30 diets); and the Plantstrong (formerly Engine 2) diet, which ranked 15th in the best overall diet category.
