GUIDES
How to choose a diet
Five questions, your health, your daily life: a practical way to find a diet you’ll keep
Five questions to ask yourself
Five questions
- What’s your goal? Weight loss, lower blood pressure, heart health or better blood sugar each point to different diets. Most people have more than one goal; start with the one that matters most to you.
- Which foods do you enjoy? A diet that removes your favorite foods is hard to keep. If you love bread and pasta, keto will be a struggle; if you love meat and cheese, a vegan diet may be.
- How do you live? Long workdays, shift work, family meals, travel and eating out favor flexible diets with simple rules.
- How much do you cook? Some diets, such as DASH and plant-based, work best with home cooking; calorie counting and intermittent fasting work with any food.
- What does your health need? Medication, diabetes, kidney disease, pregnancy or a history of eating disorders can rule some diets out.
Match the diet to your health
If you have a health condition, the evidence points more clearly in some directions. These are the strongest findings:
- High blood pressure: DASH lowered blood pressure by 11.4/5.5 mmHg in people with hypertension within weeks, and eating less salt lowered it further 2,3.
- Heart disease, or a high risk of it: the Mediterranean diet has the strongest trial evidence for preventing heart attacks and strokes, both before and after a first heart problem 4,5.
- Type 2 diabetes: low-carb diets helped more people reach remission at 6 months 6, and keto and Mediterranean diets lowered blood sugar similarly 7. Plan any change with your doctor, as medication may need adjusting.
- High LDL cholesterol: be careful with keto, which raises LDL in some people 8; the Mediterranean diet lowers it 9.
- Kidney disease: avoid high-protein diets unless your doctor agrees.
- Pregnancy, breastfeeding or a history of eating disorders: don’t diet or fast without medical advice.
If you want…
| If you want | Try |
|---|---|
| Lower blood pressure | DASH |
| Better heart health | Mediterranean or plant-based |
| To lose weight and feel full | High-protein or low-carb |
| Freedom to eat anything | Calorie counting or intermittent fasting |
| No counting at all | Intermittent fasting or Mediterranean |
| A strict, structured plan | Keto, with medical advice |
Match the diet to your daily life
| Your situation | Diets that tend to fit | Why |
|---|---|---|
| You rarely cook | Calorie counting, intermittent fasting | They work with any food, including ready meals |
| You cook for a family | Mediterranean, DASH | Everyone can eat the same meals |
| You often eat out | Intermittent fasting, calorie counting | Simple rules travel well |
| Your budget is tight | Plant-based built on beans and grains | Legumes, oats and rice are among the cheapest foods |
| You train hard | High-protein | Protein supports muscle repair and growth 10 |
| You get very hungry on diets | High-protein, low-carb | Protein is the most filling nutrient 11 |
Test it for a month
Signs a diet isn’t right for you
- You’re hungry most of the day, or thinking about food constantly.
- You feel tired, dizzy or cold for more than the first week or two.
- You’re skipping social events to stay on plan.
- You binge after days of strict eating.
- Your mood or sleep has got worse.
Myths and facts
Myth The diet that worked for my friend will work for me.
Fact Results vary a lot from person to person on every diet, and tests of genes and insulin didn’t predict who does better on which 12. Try what suits your tastes.
Myth A diet has to be hard to work.
Fact The strictest diets had the most dropouts in a year-long trial, and the people who stuck with any diet did best 1.
Myth You have to pick just one diet.
Fact Diets combine well: Mediterranean with high protein, DASH with an eating window, low-carb with calorie counting.
Questions
Can I combine two diets?
Yes. Mediterranean and DASH overlap a lot, high-protein fits with most diets, and an eating window fits with all of them.
How long should I try a diet?
At least four weeks. Early changes on the scale are often water, so judge by your trend over a month and how you feel.
Should I see a dietitian?
If you have a health condition, take medication or have struggled with eating, a registered dietitian or your doctor can tailor a plan to you.
Sources
- Dansinger ML, Gleason JA, Griffith JL, et al. Comparison of the Atkins, Ornish, Weight Watchers, and Zone Diets for Weight Loss and Heart Disease Risk Reduction: A Randomized Trial. JAMA. 2005;293(1):43-53. doi.org/10.1001/jama.293.1.43
- Appel LJ, Moore TJ, Obarzanek E, et al. A Clinical Trial of the Effects of Dietary Patterns on Blood Pressure. N Engl J Med. 1997;336(16):1117-1124. doi.org/10.1056/NEJM199704173361601
- Sacks FM, Svetkey LP, Vollmer WM, et al. Effects on Blood Pressure of Reduced Dietary Sodium and the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) Diet. N Engl J Med. 2001;344(1):3-10. doi.org/10.1056/NEJM200101043440101
- Estruch R, Ros E, Salas-Salvadó J, et al. Primary Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease with a Mediterranean Diet Supplemented with Extra-Virgin Olive Oil or Nuts. N Engl J Med. 2018;378(25):e34. doi.org/10.1056/NEJMoa1800389
- Delgado-Lista J, Alcala-Diaz JF, Torres-Peña JD, et al. Long-term secondary prevention of cardiovascular disease with a Mediterranean diet and a low-fat diet (CORDIOPREV): a randomised controlled trial. Lancet. 2022;399(10338):1876-1885. doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(22)00122-2
- Goldenberg JZ, Day A, Brinkworth GD, et al. Efficacy and safety of low and very low carbohydrate diets for type 2 diabetes remission: systematic review and meta-analysis of published and unpublished randomized trial data. BMJ. 2021;372:m4743. doi.org/10.1136/bmj.m4743
- Gardner CD, Landry MJ, Perelman D, et al. Effect of a ketogenic diet versus Mediterranean diet on glycated hemoglobin in individuals with prediabetes and type 2 diabetes mellitus: The interventional Keto-Med randomized crossover trial. Am J Clin Nutr. 2022;116(3):640-652. doi.org/10.1093/ajcn/nqac154
- Bueno NB, de Melo ISV, de Oliveira SL, et al. Very-low-carbohydrate ketogenic diet v. low-fat diet for long-term weight loss: a meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials. Br J Nutr. 2013;110(7):1178-1187. doi.org/10.1017/S0007114513000548
- Ge L, Sadeghirad B, Ball GDC, et al. Comparison of dietary macronutrient patterns of 14 popular named dietary programmes for weight and cardiovascular risk factor reduction in adults: systematic review and network meta-analysis of randomised trials. BMJ. 2020;369:m696. doi.org/10.1136/bmj.m696
- Morton RW, Murphy KT, McKellar SR, et al. A systematic review, meta-analysis and meta-regression of the effect of protein supplementation on resistance training-induced gains in muscle mass and strength in healthy adults. Br J Sports Med. 2018;52(6):376-384. doi.org/10.1136/bjsports-2017-097608
- Weigle DS, Breen PA, Matthys CC, et al. A high-protein diet induces sustained reductions in appetite, ad libitum caloric intake, and body weight despite compensatory changes in diurnal plasma leptin and ghrelin concentrations. Am J Clin Nutr. 2005;82(1):41-48. doi.org/10.1093/ajcn/82.1.41
- Gardner CD, Trepanowski JF, Del Gobbo LC, et al. Effect of Low-Fat vs Low-Carbohydrate Diet on 12-Month Weight Loss in Overweight Adults and the Association With Genotype Pattern or Insulin Secretion: The DIETFITS Randomized Clinical Trial. JAMA. 2018;319(7):667-679. doi.org/10.1001/jama.2018.0245
MAKE IT A HABIT
Any diet.
Your eating window.
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dieting.app is general information, not medical advice. If you are pregnant or breastfeeding, have diabetes, kidney disease or a history of eating disorders, or take medication, talk to your doctor before changing how you eat.