With so many diet plans out there, each promising their own version of better health, weight loss, or both, it’s difficult to know which ones will actually help you reach your goals. The winning diet, which was originally developed to help people lower their blood pressure, focuses on a combination of low-fat, low-sodium, and plant-based meals. And the winner is DASH; The plan has years of scientific research on its side as well.

This diet was named No. 1 after identifying 38 popular diet plans and having a panel of nationally recognized nutrition and health experts rate each diet in seven categories: how easy it is to follow, its ability to produce short-term and long-term weight loss, its nutritional completeness, its safety, and its potential for preventing and managing diabetes and heart disease.

Once each had expert rated the diets on a scale of 5 (highest) to 1 (lowest), the scores were tallied to create a ranked list for "Best Overall," as well as a more focused list for various categories, like the "Best Heart-Healthy Diets," "Best Plant-Based Diets," and "Easiest Diets to Follow."

The rankings put hard numbers on the belief that no one diet is ideal for everybody, but the best food plans overall are sustainable. Besides the rankings and data, each diet has a detailed profile that includes how it works, evidence that supports or refutes its claims and a nutritional snapshot tools that, along with the advice of a physician or nutritionist, can help consumers invest in diets that suit their lifestyles and further their health and wellness goals.

Before you jump on the latest diet bandwagon, check out the full list below, ranked from best to worst. Your waistline will thank you!

The Take-Away.

Think about this. Lean people are NEVER on a diet. They have learned how to eat, have mastered their macros and understand when and what to consume. Education is the key to success. FOOD IS EVERYTHING.

Best Diets Overall

1. DASH Diet

What to eat. Both versions of the DASH diet include lots of whole grains, fruits, vegetables and low-fat dairy products. The DASH diet also includes some fish, poultry and legumes, and encourages a small number of nuts and seeds a few times a week. You can eat red meat, sweets and fats in small amounts.

2. MIND Diet

The MIND diet is a hybrid of the Mediterranean and DASH diets with its goal to reduce dementia and the decline in brain health that usually occurs as we age. Foods emphasized on the MIND diet include whole grains, berries, green, leafy vegetables, other vegetables, olive oil, poultry and fish.

3. TLC Diet

The TLC (Therapeutic Lifestyle Changes) diet is one of several heart-healthy diets that can lower cholesterol and help lower your risk of heart disease or stroke. When you follow this diet, you eat less fat and change the types of fats you eat. You also eat fewer foods that have cholesterol.

Think about this. Lean people are NEVER on a diet. They have learned how to eat, have mastered their macros and understand when and what to consume. Education is the key to success. FOOD IS EVERYTHING.

4. Weight Watchers

This is a subscription service. 200+ ZeroPoint foods including fruits, non-starchy vegetables, eggs, chicken breast, turkey breast, fish, shellfish, beans, legumes, tofu, tempeh, and non-fat plain yogurt.

5. Mayo Clinic

In addition, the healthy habits and kinds of foods recommended on the Mayo Clinic Diet — including lots of vegetables, fruits, whole grains, nuts, beans, fish and healthy fats — can further reduce your risk of certain health conditions.

6. Fertility

The true fertility foods are whole grains, healthy fats, excellent protein packages, and even the occasional bowl of ice cream. This isn't just wishful thinking. Instead, it comes from the first comprehensive examination of diet and fertility, an eight-year study of more than 18,000 women that uncovered ten evidence-based suggestions for improving fertility. This work, from the landmark Nurses' Health Study, fills a critical information gap on diet and fertility.

7. Mediterranean

The foundation of the Mediterranean diet is vegetables, fruits, herbs, nuts, beans and whole grains. Meals are built around these plant-based foods. Moderate amounts of dairy, poultry and eggs are also central to the Mediterranean Diet, as is seafood. In contrast, red meat is eaten only occasionally.

8. Volumetrics

Volumetrics was designed to promote satiety, the satisfied feeling that you've had enough. You shouldn't feel hungry on the diet, provided you adhere to it.

9. Flexitarian

Eat mostly fruits, vegetables, legumes and whole grains. Focus on protein from plants instead of animals. Be flexible and incorporate meat and animal products from time to time. Eat the least processed, most natural form of foods. Limit added sugar and sweets.

10. Jenny Craig

No Meal Prep or Trips to the Store. Satisfying & Smart Portions Delivered to your Door.

11. Biggest Loser

How the Biggest Loser diet works. Like many other weight loss diets, the Biggest Loser diet is a low-calorie eating program. It also stresses regular exercise. Its meal plans provide 1,200–1,500 calories per day and include 3 meals, plus 2–3 snacks from whole foods.

12. Ornish

Fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes, and soy foods are key components of the Ornish Diet and should comprise the majority of your meals. Egg whites are also permitted, and up to two daily servings of non-fat dairy products like milk and yogurt can be enjoyed as well.

13. Vegetarian

Tofu. Tofu is the classic meat alternative and has been one of the basic sources of nutrition in Asia for centuries. ... Soya protein. Soya chunks and mince are very inexpensive ingredients that are easy to prepare. Tempeh. Seitan/wheat protein. Lupin protein. Green spelt. Oat flakes. Black beans.

14. Traditional Asian

The traditional Asian diet pattern features many healthful plant components, including green leafy and other vegetables, whole fruits, beans and soy, nuts (including peanuts) and seeds, herbs and spices as well as low-calorie beverages such as green and red tea.

15. Slim Fast

With the Slimfast plan, you eat two Slimfast meal replacements, three 100-calorie snacks (Slimfast snack bars, fruits, veggies, or even nuts), and one 500-calorie meal that you provide. With this plan you can eat 6 times per day. The program says you can lose a safe 1 to 2 pounds per week with this strategy.

16. Anti-Inflammatory In a nutshell, anti-inflammatory foods are those that any mainstream nutrition expert would encourage you to eat. They include lots of fruits and vegetables, whole grains, plant-based proteins (like beans and nuts), fatty fish, and fresh herbs and spices. Fruits and veggies: Go for variety and lots of color.

17. HMR

The HMR Diet replaces regular foods in your diet with pre-packaged entrees, shakes and snacks to cut calories and support weight loss. The plan is divided into two phases — a weight loss phase followed by a weight maintenance phase.

18. Flat Belly

“The flat belly diet says to eat avocados, olive oil, nuts, seeds, and fish and to avoid meat and saturated fat, very much like a Mediterranean diet,” says Lona Sandon, RD, American Dietetic Association spokesperson. “It says to eat monounsaturated fats, which are healthy for the heart.”

19. Nutrisystem

The Nutrisystem diet plan provides between 1,200 to 1,500 calories per day, which puts you in the range to lose a healthy, sustainable avg 1 to 2 pounds per week. But we do all the counting for you—so you can lose weight without the worry of tracking calories, carbs or points.

20. Vegan

On a vegan diet, you can eat foods made from plants, including: Fruits and vegetables. Legumes such as peas, beans, and lentils. Nuts and seeds. Breads, rice, and pasta. Dairy alternatives such as soymilk, coconut milk, and almond milk. Vegetable oils.

21. Engine 2

The Engine 2 diet focuses on predominantly unprocessed plant-based foods. In addition to eliminating animal products, the Engine 2 diet is low-fat and free of vegetable oils. Followers of the diet consume whole foods like legumes, grains, fruits, vegetables, nuts, and seeds.

22. South Beach

You can't drink fruit juice or any alcohol. You focus on eating lean protein, such as seafood, skinless poultry, lean beef and soy products. You can also eat high-fiber vegetables, low-fat dairy and foods with healthy, unsaturated fats, including avocados, nuts and seeds.

23. Abs

The Abs Diet is a six-week plan. You eat six times a day and don't count calories, because portion control is built into the program. Dieters alternate larger meals with small snacks; typically, you'll have a snack two hours before lunch, another one two hours before dinner and one more two hours after dinner.

24. Eco-Atkins

The Eco Atkins diet came about after researchers at St. ... They devised the Eco Atkins diet, keeping the same ratio of protein and carbs as the original Atkins diet but replacing the high-fat animal protein with vegetable protein (primarily from soy and gluten).

25. Zone

The Zone diet “includes protein such as meat and poultry at every meal, plus whole grains, fruits, and vegetables. It limits milk and many dairy products, fruit juices, and many grain foods such as pasta and rice.

26. Glycemic-Index

Purpose. The purpose of a glycemic index (GI) diet is to eat carbohydrate-containing foods that are less likely to cause large increases in blood sugar levels. The diet could be a means to lose weight and prevent chronic diseases related to obesity such as diabetes and cardiovascular disease.

27. Macrobiotic

Macrobiotic diets aim to avoid the "toxins" that come from eating dairy products, meats, and oily foods. A macrobiotic diet consists largely of whole grains, cereals, and cooked vegetables.

28. Medifast

The Medifast Diet meals include shakes, bars, scrambled eggs, and different flavors of oatmeal, pudding, and soup. For the meal you prepare yourself, dubbed the "Lean & Green" meal, you can have a lean source of protein plus three servings of certain vegetables.

29. Supercharged Hormone

The idea behind the Supercharged Hormone Diet is to remove allergenic and inflammatory food from your system, which includes all sources of caffeine, sugar and alcohol. You also cut out gluten, dairy, corn, potatoes, oils, peanut products, oranges, tangerines and grapefruit.

30. Acid Alkaline

Most fruits and vegetables, soybeans and tofu, and some nuts, seeds, and legumes are alkaline-promoting foods, so they're fair game. Dairy, eggs, meat, most grains, and processed foods, like canned and packaged snacks and convenience foods, fall on the acid side and are not allowed.

31. Fast

The Fast Diet encourages you to eat lean protein, vegetables, and fruit on fasting days, usually as two small meals plus a few snacks. A typical 500-calorie fasting day might include oatmeal with fresh blueberries for breakfast, a tangerine for a snack, and a chicken and vegetable stir-fry for dinner.

32. Body Reset

How does Body Reset Diet work? Replace your breakfast, lunch and dinner with white, red and green smoothies, respectively. Eat two 150- to 200-calorie crunchy snacks a day, like a quarter cup of edamame. Walk at least 10,000 steps daily.

33. Raw food

Similar to veganism, the raw food diet is usually plant-based, being made up mostly of fruits, vegetables, nuts and seeds. While most raw food diets are completely plant-based, some people also consume raw eggs and dairy. Less commonly, raw fish and meat may be included as well.

34. Atkins

Do not eat fruit, bread, pasta, grains, starchy vegetables, or dairy products other than cheese, cream or butter. And do not eat nuts or seeds in the first two weeks. Foods that combine protein and carbohydrates, such as chickpeas, kidney beans, and other legumes are also not permitted at this time. The atkins diet is very simialr to the Keto diet.

35. Dukan

The original Dukan diet is similar to a ketogenic diet as both emphasize the consumption of fat and protein but omit carbohydrates. ... Ketogenic diets essentially force the body to switch from burning carbohydrates for energy to burning fat.

36. Paleo

Meat: Beef, lamb, chicken, turkey, pork and others. Fish and seafood: Salmon, trout, haddock, shrimp, shellfish, etc. Eggs: Choose free-range, pastured or omega-3 enriched eggs. Vegetables: Broccoli, kale, peppers, onions, carrots, tomatoes, etc.

37. Whole 30

All vegetables, including potatoes. Fruit, including strawberries, watermelon, apples, oranges, and bananas. Seafood, such as fish, oysters, shrimp, and mussels. Unprocessed meats, including beef, chicken, and pork. Nuts and seeds. Eggs. Olive oil and coconut oil. Black coffee.