What is the best diet for overall health? This diet tops the charts year after year

Brenda Braslow, MS, RDN, LDN, CDCES - Registered Dietitian Nutritionist and Certified Diabetes Care and Education Specialist (CDCES)

So, what is the best diet for overall health? Year after year, experts tell us to look to the Mediterranean lifestyle and way of eating.

What is the best diet for overall health? The Mediterranean diet is #1

More a style of eating than an official diet, the Mediterranean diet spotlights locally sourced plant foods as mainstays: nuts, olives, legumes, fruits, greens and vegetables, and herbs and spices. You can also enjoy dairy foods, fish, and lamb in small amounts. Sugary desserts are uncommon in the diet, although honey is used as a sweetener.

Why adopt the Mediterranean diet?

The Mediterranean diet is the most widely studied. The research consistently links it to a lower risk of chronic diseases, like heart disease and cancer, as well as helping with weight management. In fact, year after year, the Mediterranean diet is celebrated as the best diet for overall health by U.S. News & World Report. It is especially beneficial for various health conditions, including diabetes, arthritis, and inflammation, and promotes brain and heart health.

Since the Mediterranean diet is more of a lifestyle, plus a calorie-counting plan, it does not always check all the weight-loss boxes. Still, it can aid in weight loss and positive changes to body composition, especially when coupled with a calorie deficit and exercise. Just shifting your eating patterns from processed foods to whole and plant-heavy choices may lead to weight loss and better health outcomes.

To get the most out of the Mediterranean diet, use it as the foundation of your eating style and build in calorie tracking if you're aiming for weight loss. The Mediterranean diet checks all the boxes for overall health and fitness, and many people, including registered dietitians, find it both healthy and enjoyable.

What the best diet for overall health looks like

The Mediterranean diet is more flexible with fat intake than low-fat diets, including the American Heart Association diet. Top-billing for fat sources are olive oil, nuts, seeds, avocados, fish oil, and olives, rather than processed meats, fatty meats, trans fats, and butter.

Can't miss foods

Vegetables
Fruit
Whole grains
Olive oil
Nuts
Legumes
Fish
Herbs and spices

Options to enjoy in moderation

Cheese
Milk
Yogurt
Eggs
Poultry and lean meat

Occasional treats

Sweets
Animal fats, like butter
Processed meats

"Mediterranean diet" doesn't mean your foods and recipes must be from the Mediterranean region–you can create a similar plant-based diet using ingredients from around the globe, like Central America or Asia!

For a taste of this beloved diet, sample this daily menu from the MyNetDiary Premium collection:

Breakfast: Avocado and Hummus Toast
Lunch: Arugula White Bean Salad and Barley Lentil Soup
Snack: Citrus Marinated Olives and Crispy Zucchini Chips
Dinner: Pan-seared Scallops with Spinach, Simple Greek Island Salad, crusty bread with olive oil and balsamic vinegar

Pros of the Mediterranean diet

It's filling! Thanks to whole-plant foods, there's little room for empty-calorie foods or big servings. You stay satisfied.
It's enjoyable! It's a pleasure to eat because of the endless, delicious possibilities and a higher, satisfying fat content.
It's versatile! You don't have to stick to just Mediterranean ingredients. You can easily incorporate regional options from various cuisines, such as Southeast Asian ingredients.
It's highly nutritious! Plentiful plant foods provide loads of fiber, vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. This type of diet is friendly to healthy gut bacteria.
Its health benefits are astounding! The Mediterranean diet is long associated with a lower risk for heart disease, diabetes, cancer, and Alzheimer’s; improved gut and brain health; healthier vitamin D levels; and better lung function to boot. Wow!

Cons of the Mediterranean diet

Rules a little fuzzy? People who prefer strict dieting rules might find this diet too open-ended.
Missing favorite foods? If you are a red- and processed-meat lover or have a sweet tooth, this diet may be challenging.
Not a fan of olive oil? Not necessarily a deal-killer because you could use canola, walnut, or avocado oils. Simply emphasize plant-sourced oils rather than fats from meats or dairy products.

Mediterranean diet and lifestyle resources

Thinking of diving into a Mediterranean diet? Here’s how to follow one of the world’s healthiest diets using the MyNetDiary app.
The MyNetDiary Premium Recipe collection includes over 400 Mediterranean-style recipes. Cooking for will be a breeze when you select the Mediterranean tag.
With the MyNetDiary recipe import feature, you can import recipes from Mediterranean recipe websites into your MyNetDiary account.
You can also rework your favorite recipes with a Mediterranean twist by increasing the vegetables, switching to olive oil, or adding beans or other plant-based protein sources. MyNetDiary will update your new recipe profile in a click!

Enjoy the Mediterranean lifestyle long-term for lifelong benefits

Now that you know what the best diet for overall health is, why not see if the Mediterranean diet fits your plan for better health and weight management? The Mediterranean diet isn't something you go on for a few weeks and then abandon. It's a lifestyle and is undoubtedly weight-loss-friendly when blended with calorie tracking! It's been the way of life for millions of healthy people living in this beautiful region of Europe for centuries, and their health and longevity are no longer secrets!

What is the best diet for overall health? This diet tops the charts year after year

What is the best diet for overall health? The Mediterranean diet is #1

Why adopt the Mediterranean diet?