DASH Diet May Lower Blood Pressure, Boost Heart Health – AARP

A healthy diet provides fluid, vitamins, minerals and food energy. It includes whole foods, such as fruits and vegetables, lean meats and fish, beans, nuts and unsalted seeds. Limit highly processed foods, which often contain added salt and sugar. Choose lower fat and non-fat dairy products and drink low-fat milk.

The 10 diets ranked

1. DASH-style — This diet pattern  emphasizes vegetables, fruits, whole grains, legumes, nuts and seeds, and low-fat dairy, and includes lean meats and poultry, fish and non-tropical oils. The Nordic and Baltic diets are other types of this eating pattern. [Score 100] 

2. Vegetarian-style/Pescatarian — A plant-based eating pattern that includes fish. [Score 92]

3. Mediterranean-style — The Mediterranean diet limits dairy; emphasizes vegetables, fruit, whole grains, legumes, nuts and seeds, fatty fish and extra-virgin olive oil; and includes moderate drinking of red wine. [Score 89]

4. Vegetarian-style/Ovo/Lacto — A plant-based eating pattern that includes eggs (ovo-vegetarian), dairy products (lacto-vegetarian) or both (ovo-lacto vegetarian). [Score 86]

5. Vegetarian-style/Vegan — A plant-based eating pattern that includes no animal products. [Score 78]

6. Low-fat — A diet that limits fat intake to less than 30 percent of total calories, including the Volumetrics eating plan and the Therapeutic Lifestyle Change (TLC) plan. [Score 78]

7. Very low-fat — A diet that limits fat intake to less than 10 percent of total calories, including Ornish, Esselstyn, Pritikin, McDougall and Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM) diets. Some may also be considered vegan. [Score 72]

8. Low-carbohydrate — A diet that limits carbohydrates to 30-40 percent of total calorie intake, and includes South Beach, Zone diet and low glycemic index diets. [Score 64]

9. Paleolithic — The Paleo diet excludes whole and refined grains, legumes, oils and dairy. [Score 53]

10. Very low-carbohydrate/ketogenic — The diet limits carbohydrate intake to less than 10 percent of daily calories. It includes Atkins, ketogenic and the Well-Formulated Ketogenic diets. [Score 31]

Source: American Heart Association

Source: aarp.org