DASH Named Best Diet 2012

US News and World Report has just released its annual list of best diets to follow in the new year, depending on what your health goal is. Whether you have diabetes, want to lose weight or lower your cholesterol, the Best Diets 2012 chart promises answers for all your questions.

However, a special mention goes to DASH (which stands for Dietary Approach to Stop Hypertension), which has just been named the Best Diet for 2012.

DASH doesn't aim to help you lose weight first and foremost, but to improve heart health by lowering cholesterol. Weight loss is just a direct consequence of cutting out all high fat foods and refined sugars.

So, if your New Year's resolution is to lose weight or lead a healthier life, DASH is just the thing for you.

Not only does it not limit your food intake, but it actually encourages you to eat more of the healthy foods. Thus, you're to replace sugar and fats with fruits, vegetables and fibers.

You're also encouraged to eat more whole grains, low-fat dairy, fish and nuts. Fatty foods, salt and sweets and red meat should be banished from your diet once you go on DASH or, at the very least, reduced to a minimum.

If you want to know more of the diet, you can purchase the book called “The DASH Diet Action Plan,” or simply follow this link for free PDF guides offered by the National Institute of Health.

As you can see, the diet places emphasis on eating the right foods instead of cutting out entire food groups for calorie control, like fad diets do.

This is why it was named Best Diet 2012 and Best Diet for Healthy Living 2012.

Other diets like Weight Watchers, Jenny (Graig), Biggest Loser and TLC were also considered in the ranking, with Weight Watchers taking the top prize for Best Commercial Diet Plan.

The ranking has been done in collaboration with 22 experts, from nutritionists to specialists in weight loss, heart health, diabetes and human behavior.

More details on the diets considered are available here.