Health experts serve up list of best, worst dieting methods

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Experts putting their faith in dieting methods that have been around for decades or even longer than that

Published Sep 21, 2025 • Last updated 3 minutes ago • 3 minute read

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A young woman holding a yoga mat and a bottle of water. Something new or tried and true? Well, guess no more if you are looking to get into shape or just want to shed a few pounds. Photo by Getty Images/iStockphotoArticle content

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Well, guess no more if you are looking to get into shape or just want to shed a few pounds.

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The U.K.’s Daily Mail recently talked to health experts to gauge their opinions on a variety of diets that have popped up over the last century and found the best ones put content and quality of food at the forefront, while completely ignoring calorie counting.

While weight-loss drugs like Ozempic or Wegovy and fad diets are all the rage right now, the experts put their faith in several dieting methods that have been around for decades or even longer than that.

Here is a roundup of the best diets:

The Mediterranean diet puts fruit, vegetables, whole grains, legumes, olive oil, fish and poultry at the forefront, while minimizing or eliminating added sugars, white bread, pasta and trans fats. Photo by PEXELSMediterranean diet

While the term was made popular in the 1960s by American biologist Ancel Keys, this way of eating has been around for centuries and has been touted as the “secret to a lengthy, healthy life,” the Daily Mail reported.

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The diet puts fruit, vegetables, whole grains, legumes, olive oil, fish and poultry at the forefront, while minimizing or eliminating added sugars, white bread, pasta and trans fats.

“The diet is a 10 out of 10 because it is more of an eating pattern rather than a prescriptive diet,” nutritionist Sophie Scott told the Daily Mail, “which makes it easier to follow consistently than other more restrictive diets.”

Fruit, vegetables and whole grains feature prominently in the DASH diet along with low-fat dairy, lean sources of protein and lean meats.Recommended video

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Surprise, surprise. Fruit, vegetables and whole grains – alongside low-fat dairy products — also feature prominently with this method introduced in 1997.

Lean sources of protein and lean meats also factor in greatly with this diet, which was designed to reduce high blood pressure.

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“The DASH-style eating pattern received a perfect score by meeting all of the association’s guidance,” American Heart Association experts said, via the Daily Mail. “These eating patterns are low in salt, added sugar, alcohol, tropical oils and processed foods and rich in non-starchy vegetables, fruits, whole grains and legumes.”

Introduced in the 1960s, Weight Watchers has become a household name thanks to celebrity backers like Oprah Winfrey and Kate Hudson. Photo by Weight WatchersWeight Watchers

Introduced in the 1960s, this dieting method has become a household name thanks to celebrity backers like Oprah Winfrey and Kate Hudson and does not count calories.

Instead, the system assigns points to foods based on their nutrients including fibre, added sugars, protein and fat. Foods with higher unhealthy components and not enough healthy ones are assigned a higher point total with dieters allotted a certain number of points every day and week.

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“Weight Watchers helps people to understand balance in so far that no food is off limits, helping it to be sustainable in the long run,” Toronto-based registered dietician Doug Cook told U.S. News and World Report, via the Daily Mail.

It may sound too good to be true, but health experts give eating a balanced diet a 10 out of 10 as a dieting method, according to the Daily Mail. Photo by Louis Hansel/UnsplashBalanced diet

It may sound too good to be true, but health experts gave this method a 10 out of 10, according to the Daily Mail.

The keys: Stocking up – again — on fruits and vegetables, lean proteins, whole grains and healthy fats, while curbing ultra-processed foods and added sugars.

“The one approach that never goes out of style is eating a variety of real, unprocessed foods, watching portions and moving your body,” Los Angeles-based Dr. Raj Dasgupta told the Daily Mail.

“It’s not flashy, but it’s reliable and backed by decades of solid research.”

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New York-based personal trainer Natalie Alex told the Daily Mail juice cleanses “leave people depleted with results that rarely last.” Photo by Getty Images/iStockphotoAs for the worst …

Juice cleanses: Despite being promoted as a quick-fix way to detoxify the body, lose weight and improve overall health, New York-based personal trainer Natalie Alex told the Daily Mail these diets “leave people depleted with results that rarely last.”

Keto diet: The Daily Mail said many of the experts they spoke to put this diet – introduced in the 1920s as a treatment for epilepsy — at the bottom of their list because of its long-term efficacy and high levels of fat, among other reasons.

South Beach diet: Originally meant to help patients with heart disease and diabetes, experts told the Daily Mail it is too restrictive and there is no research suggesting it leads to long-term success.

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