New Year's Resolution to Lose Weight? Try the DASH Diet

If weight loss is one of your New Year's resolutions, then the DASH diet, otherwise known as the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension diet, may be the best bet for you. According to U.S. News & World Report, it's been added to the new annual "best diets" list.

The diet, which was originally developed by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, works to prevent high blood pressure by stressing its users to eat less salts and more fruits, vegetables and whole grains.

According to the news organization, the DASH diet has also taken the top spot for the best dietary habits for diabetes.

"The diets topping the charts focus on health, nutritional needs, and palatability  factors that are essential to maintaining eating plans that will meet individual needs," said Connie Diekman, RD, director of university nutrition for Washington University in St. Louis, according to WebMD. She reviewed the report's findings and later approved those involved. 

Last year, a diet that also follows the low-fat approach, took the top spot, known as the Omish diet. For the best plant based diet, some might prefer the Mediterranean diet, which emphasizes eating more fruits and veggies.

All of the diets were rated by experts for both short and long-term weight loss based on how easy they were to follow. The authors also considered how well they would be in preventing and controlling certain health issues, such as diabetes and cardiovascular issues.