2024’s best diets revealed
Which diet is best for weight loss, and can you follow a successful diet but still eat healthily? Our team of expert nutritionists have looked into the most popular recent diets to find those that have performed most strongly in studies while still supporting healthy eating
Last year over 40 per cent of Britons set a New Year resolution to lose weight, so – if that’s something you’re looking to do in 2024 – keep reading to find out which diets are most likely to bring about success.
We’ve asked our experts to look at the most popular diets of last year, and analyse which they believe are best – and best for you. Our nutritionists have looked at the science behind how different diets work, hunted down research into how much weight people typically lose (and how likely it is to stay off once the diet ends), and provided their expertise on the nutritional qualities (or otherwise) of each eating plan.
Read on to find your best new year diet…
Visit our ‘All you need to know about diets’ page for recipes and more expert advice on weight loss, or read more about how many calories you should be eating and 50 easy ways to lose weight.
The 5:2 diet
Diets based on intermittent fasting have some supportive studies behind them. Many people will also find diets that allow you plenty of opportunity to eat ‘normally’ easier to follow long-term. This diet finds greater favour with our nutritionist than the follow-up diet from the same author, Dr Michael Mosley, the Fast 800 as it’s less restrictive in terms of both what and how much you can eat. If this diet appeals, read more about it and check out some of our recipes.
The Mediterranean diet
This one has been around for a while, but is still viewed as one of the healthiest ways of eating and receives our nutritionist’s seal of approval. It’s not intended as a weight-loss diet, but it does have good credentials for reducing and managing weight over time – the aspect where other diet regimes often fall down. If you enjoy fresh, tasty food, this could well be the diet for you. Perhaps, give some of our recipes a go?
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Keto diets
This type of diet won’t be going anywhere in 2024! Ketogenic diets focus on cutting carbs to send the body into a state of ‘ketosis’, where it burns fat for energy instead of carbs. The Atkins, Banting and Dukan diets are all variations of keto.
Our analysis shows that keto can be effective for weight loss but it can be a hard one to maintain after the initial weight has come off. Our nutritionists also have concerns about the impact on health from following the diet long-term, and that – even short term – it’s not possible to eat in a balanced way.
There’s a wealth more info, and plenty of recipes to help you.
Flexitarian diet
This way of eating has become more popular across Europe, with around a quarter to a third of people in the UK identifying as flexitarian. There are several different motivations: health, sustainability and cost being the most commonly quoted. With all these likely to stay top of the agenda, we believe a flexitarian diet will remain one of the year’s most-followed diets.
Whether or not you’ll lose weight, and how nutritious it is, will depend mostly on your individual food choices.
The bottom line…
If you’re trying to lose weight, there are hundreds of diets to choose from. Some are more faddy – and worse for you – than others. And none of them are worth following if you’re just going to revert to unhealthy eating habits which will cause you to put any weight lost back on again.
Flexitarian and Mediterranean diets are likely to be popular throughout the coming year as they’re adaptable to your individual tastes and lifestyle, making them more convenient and easier to stick to. They may not be guaranteed approaches for weight loss, but the Mediterranean diet in particular finds favour with our nutritionists, thanks to its many health benefits.
If it’s weight loss you’re after, our experts suggest the 5:2 diet or keto – but do bear in mind that these are restrictive plans that take a bit of effort to stick to and may not suit your lifestyle. Nutrition experts would also warn about the difficulties of meeting healthy eating guidelines while following either of these plans.
