Should you try keto, flexible or full-on vegetarianism, or some other plan? Dieting isn’t for everyone, but if you want to give one a try, some are easier to maintain, not to mention healthier, than others.

Is losing weight or eating better on your mind these days? There's no shortage of weight-loss diets grappling for your attention. And the reality is that most diets — the good and bad — will help you shed pounds in the short term. The difference is in whether they'll help you keep them off, and that requires a doable plan that you can stick with for life. Usually, that means diets that cut out entire food groups (sorry, keto) or impose strict rules for eating (looking at you, Whole30) are likely out, unless they've been recommended to you for medical reasons by your healthcare team.

Here, a few registered dietitians share details on the healthy, sustainable, and effective weight loss diets they want to see stay — and those they’d be happy to see take a hike in the new year.

1. Mediterranean Diet

U.S. News & World Report ranked this mostly plant-based eating approach its No. 1 overall diet in 2022, and registered dietitians such as Amy Gorin, RDN, the owner of Amy Gorin Nutrition in Stamford, Connecticut, stand by that choice.

Gorin applauds the Mediterranean diet — which is rich in whole vegetables, fresh fruit, whole grains, fatty fish, olive oil, nuts, legumes, and some red wine and dairy — because it’s a balanced way of eating. The Mediterranean diet’s focus on whole, plant-based foods over highly processed junk foods or fast foods may make you more likely to stick with it.

“By default, if you’re eating healthier foods that are higher in fiber and protein and are eating less saturated fat and sugar, you will likely eat fewer calories and lose weight,” says Amy Goodson, RD, who is based in Dallas-Fort Worth.

Beyond weight loss, there are the health benefits associated with eating like Italians, Greeks, and other people who live on the Mediterranean Sea (the diet’s namesake). This approach, Gorin says, also supports heart and brain health. For example, a previous review published in the journal Metabolic Syndrome and Related Disorders suggested that a Mediterranean diet, especially when combined with exercise and followed for longer than six months, was associated with reduced weight gain. The review involved 16 randomized controlled trials, which represented 1,848 people who followed a Mediterranean diet and 1,588 people who acted as the controls.

Weight loss and a healthier body? Win-win!

2. WW (Formerly Weight Watchers)

You know this popular weight loss plan by its previous name, Weight Watchers. In 2018, the company rebranded to make the program more about wellness, per an explainer on the WW website.

“This program is one of the most effective weight loss programs out there, promoting long-lasting, sustainable changes with many studies to back this up,” says Gorin, who previously wrote a nutrition blog for WW called The Eat List.

The newest version of WW, Gorin says, offers a customized program that the company touts as a holistic approach to weight loss.

One word of caution, says Goodson, concerns the ZeroPoint foods. The number and type of foods that count as zero points differ depending on your color level (Green, Blue, or Purple) in the system. For everyone, fruit and nonstarchy veggies are zero points, which is great, as it encourages consumption of these fiber-rich foods that can make you feel fuller at meals and snacks (and are tasty, too). But if you are on Purple, the ZeroPoint foods include bananas, eggs, beans, legumes, and whole-wheat pasta (and more) — a detail that gives Goodson pause. “Bananas have 100 calories, and eggs have 70. I love both foods, but it can add up. Someone shouldn’t have the belief that they haven’t eaten anything by consuming these foods. Portion control is still necessary,” she says.

3. Vegetarian Diet

There are so many reasons for going vegetarian, including environmental and ethical considerations.

Weight loss, though, is another potential benefit of opting to eat plants instead of meat, according to a previous review of 12 randomized controlled trials representing about 1,150 people. Indeed, the Mayo Clinic notes that when you pay attention to portion size and food quality, a vegetarian diet can help with weight loss because the foods you'll eat (including whole ones like fruit, veggies, whole grains, and plant-based protein) contain fewer calories and fat but are more filling than foods found in a standard American diet, or SAD. The SAD is high in processed and packaged food that tends to be loaded with salt, sugar, and saturated fat.

Boosting your health may be another reason to adopt a vegetarian diet, and there’s science behind this choice. When carefully planned, “a vegetarian diet is a wonderful diet,” as it is high in nutrient-rich plant foods and low in saturated fat, says Jeanne Tiberio, a registered dietitian based in Salem, Massachusetts. In a meta-analysis published in November 2017 in the journal Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition, a vegetarian diet was associated with a 25 percent lower risk of heart disease and 8 percent reduced odds of cancer.

A word of caution: If you have a personal history of eating disorders, you may want to sidestep this approach (and any other restrictive plan, for that matter). A previous study published in the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics noted that some people use a vegetarian diet to legitimize food restriction to aid weight loss. There can be many perks to going veg — but play it safe and ask yourself where your motivations lie before you make this choice.

4. Flexitarian or Semi-Vegetarian Diet

Whereas vegetarians eschew meat, a flexitarian diet allows you to add small amounts of animal products, like meat, poultry, or fish, for additional protein and satisfaction. And U.S. News & World Report ranks this sustainable approach No. 1 on its list of weight loss diets. If you’re looking to burn calories in a balanced way, this flexible approach may be a good match for you. “I like to think about following a plant-focused diet. Only 1 in 10 people are eating the recommended amount of fruit and vegetables in the U.S. By focusing on eating more plant-based foods along with high-fiber whole grains and lean proteins and dairy, you can reach the number of fruits and veggies you need,” says Goodson.

Reducing but not necessarily eliminating how much meat you eat is generally positive. For instance, a review of 25 studies published in January 2017 in Frontiers in Nutrition found that semi-vegetarian diets were associated not only with weight loss but also with health benefits such as lower blood pressure and a reduced risk of type 2 diabetes. The authors concluded that although it’s a popular eating approach with women, men, too, may benefit — especially because guys generally consume more meat.

Reference: Article originally appeared on:https://www.everydayhealth.com/diet-nutrition/diet/best-worst-fad-diets/.