Each year, U.S. News & World Report releases a list of the best overall diets. Each diet is ranked by a panel of leading medical and nutrition experts. The 33 experts rate each diet in 11 categories including nutrition, short and long-term weight loss, ease of compliance, and safety. As a dietitian, the top diets of 2023 including the Mediterranean, DASH, and Flexitarian don’t surprise me at all. These are healthy diets in line with safe and well-balanced nutrition concepts. And unfortunately, the worst diets on the list don’t surprise me either.
In a solid weight loss plan, there are certainly markers I look for as a dietitian. This includes an all-inclusive diet with a variety of foods, including fruits, vegetables, starches, proteins, milk and dairy foods, and healthy fats. In addition, the rate of weight loss recommended is extremely important. According to the National Institute of Heath, a safe rate of weight loss is between one to two pounds per week. Losing weight too quickly can affect your health, including a drop of blood pressure, dehydration, and electrolyte imbalance.
The amount of calories taken in is also important for a weight loss diet. Anything less than 1,200 calories can be dangerous to your health. That is why the NIH recommends working with your doctor and registered dietitian if you choose to go on a very low-calorie diet under this amount. The lowest-ranked diets have numerous red flags that include some of the issues listed above, but also have numerous other counter indications that put them at the bottom of the list. Here’s why these 5 diets are the lowest ranking diets of 2023 according to U.S News.
The Keto diet
This means that most of your food comes from pure fat like olive oil or coconut oil, and some of your foods come from protein like eggs, chicken, and fish. Getting into ketosis takes anywhere from a few days to about a week, and dieters tend to have symptoms like fatigue, hunger, nausea, headaches, and overall fogginess (called the Keto Flu). Weight loss can occur, but how long can you really eat like this?
This diet made it to the bottom 5 because:
The Atkins diet tied at number 21 out of 24 for the lowest ranking diets of 2023. Dr. Atkins’ original diet eliminated refined sugars and most carbohydrates (including most fruits and vegetables), while focusing on eating animal proteins like chicken, cheese, red meat, and fish in order to lose weight and improve health. Atkins also has bars, shakes, snacks, cookies, and protein chips available for purchase on their website. Although the plan has been updated with several new options, the basic phases are similar. The four phases include:
The Atkins diet
This diet made it to the bottom 5 because:
The Optavia diet
Optavia tied at number 21 out of 24 in the best diet for weight loss. It is a newer version of the popular Medifast diet, which is a low-carb, low-calorie weight loss plan. Much of the plan has you buying pre-packaged foods called Fuelings. Dieters are matched with an independent coach to help them learn healthy habits. Most of these coaches tend to be former Optavia customers.
The three programs available:
Optavia is one of the lowest ranking diets of 2023 because:
The SlimFast diet tied with Optavia and Atkins for the 21st spot out of 24. This diet is a meal replacement plan where two meals per day are replaced with SlimFast shakes, smoothies, or bars. It is a plan that allows for up to three SlimFast-approved snacks in between meals. The updated version now has a mobile app that offers recipes and more, and the diet claims that you will notice results in as little as one week.
This diet made it to the bottom 5 because:
