Whether you’re more focused on heart health, weight loss or simply a more balanced eating plan, choosing the best diet can be a crucial piece of the puzzle in meeting your health and wellness goals. Food is fuel, and it’s important to provide your body with the necessary nutrients. But with the wide variety of diets out there, which ones are the best out there?

As in previous years, in 2023 the Mediterranean diet beat out the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) diet on the overall list. (In 2018, the two tied for the top slot.) Here’s why the panel of nutritionists, dietary consultants, and physicians awarded the Mediterranean diet highest honors: It gets points (an overall score of 4.6 out of 5) for its health benefits. Indeed, the Mediterranean diet won in other categories, too, including Best Diets for Healthy Eating, Best Plant-Based Diets, Best Family-Friendly Diets (tied), and Best Diets for Bone & Joint Health (tied).

The Mediterranean diet emphasizes whole grains, fruits and vegetables, legumes, nuts and seeds, olive oil, and some lean meat and fish. Similarly, the second-place DASH diet is a plan designed to lower blood pressure, and it incorporates vegetables, fruits, and low-fat dairy along with whole grains, lean meats, and nuts. It also sticks to sodium guidelines in an effort to reduce hypertension (high blood pressure), though you can certainly still benefit from this eating style if you have normal blood pressure.

DASH is tied with the flexitarian diet, another plant-based eating plan that’s often called “semi-vegetarian.” Whatever plan you choose to follow, one thing is clear: A focus on plant-based foods is one of the best things for your health. According to a study published in the May 2017 Journal of Geriatric Cardiology, a plant-based diet is associated with a lower risk of type 2 diabetes and heart disease. More recently, a study in the August 2019 Journal of the American Heart Association concluded that people who closely adhered to plant-based diets had up to a 25 percent lower risk of death from any cause than those who didn’t follow the eating pattern.

That said, the overall rankings didn’t shift that much in 2022. The top three diets remain in the top three spots. “I’m not at all surprised to see the Mediterranean diet once again top the list of best diets,” says Kelly Kennedy, RDN, the staff nutritionist at Everyday Health. “As a more plant-focused diet, the Mediterranean diet decreases the risk of many chronic diseases, including heart disease and certain cancers. Plus, there’s a lot of scientific research to back these benefits, unlike with many of the fad diets of the moment.” Kennedy likes that the Mediterranean diet focuses on fruits, veggies, and whole grains, and that it doesn’t eliminate whole food groups or vilify specific foods. “As a result,” she says, “this is a more maintainable lifestyle rather than a ‘quick fix’ diet.”

Best Family-Friendly Diets and Best Diets for Bone & Joint Health. “The pandemic made it especially clear how important it is for people to be able to prepare meals at home and enjoy those meals together with their loved ones,” says Gretel Schueller, the managing editor of health at U.S. News & World Report. (The term “family-friendly,” she points out, can include meals enjoyed socially with friends and other nonrelatives, and accommodates those with varying cultural, religious, dietary preferences, or nutritional needs.)

When it comes to bone and joint health, a new category was warranted, because diet influences the health of your bones and joints, says Schueller. What’s more, she says, calcium and vitamin D have been named as dietary components of public health concern, according to the most recent U.S. Dietary Guidelines; many people are falling short on these nutrients, which are essential for good bone health. “A diet that is ranked as ‘good for bone and joint health’ will provide adequate calcium, vitamin D, and vitamin K, as well as promote physical activity,” she explains.

Kennedy is excited about both new categories, particularly Family-Friendly Diets, as she often sees families struggle to prepare multiple meals to cater to everyone’s individual needs and diets. “It’s great that there is now a list to help people select a plan that’s healthy and realistic, not only for themselves, but for their entire family,” she says.