These are the most popular and best diets

Every year there is a diet ranking published by US News that reveals the most popular and best diets. At #FITGIRLCODE we're not really a fan of 'diets', because when you want to undergo a truly healthy transformation it's best to choose a healthy lifestyle where you eat consciously and exercise regularly. But if you still want to go for a diet: choose a diet that is healthy and where you eat enough. Are you curious to know what are the most popular and best diets? Well, continue reading because you are about to find out!

Best diets for overall health

1. DASH diet. The aim of this diet is to prevent, and lower, high blood pressure. The idea is simple: Eat more protein, fibres, vegetables and fruit. And eat as little fatty food as possible. You also need to watch your carb and salt intake. This programme is quite pricey and it can be hard to follow if you already have trouble eating healthy.

2. TLC diet. This diet has the aim to lower your cholesterol. It claims to lower your bad cholesterol level by 8-10% within 6 weeks. In order to reach this you will need to lower your saturated fat intake. You also need to eat quite some amount of fibre. In order to succeed with this diet you will need to watch the nutritional values of all food. This can be quite a pain in the ass.

3. Mind diet. The goal of this diet is to prevent Alzheimer's disease. The emphasis is on eating a lot of healthy food like berries, green vegetables, fruit, fish and nuts. And importantly, avoid these foods: red meat, fried food, butter, cheese and candy.

Best diets for losing weight

1. Weight Watchers. This diet will probably sound familiar to all of you. Following this programme could lead to you losing 2 pounds a week. The emphasis lies on eating food which is good for you and not only counting calories. Weight Watchers works Smartpoints. With the help of these points you can find out how much you can eat a day. You also get support from a lot of people who have already lost weight with this programme. This means you don't have to do it all by yourself. A con of this diet is that it's quite pricey and the Smartpoint system won't be fun for everyone.

2. HMR programme. The goal of this diet is losing pounds by eating less calories. In order to do so, some meals are replaced by shakes, nutrition bars and hot cereal. The emphasis lies on eating a lot of fruit and vegetables. With this programme you will learn a lot about a healthy lifestyle and being active.

3. The Biggest Loser Diet. You probably already know this diet because of its successful TV show of the same name. Their theory is simple: We eat too unhealthy and this could absolutely be improved. You should eat regular, filling meals and start to be more active. There are quite some books available about this diet. It also has a 30 day bootcamp programme which gives you numerous workout videos, which you can follow at home. There are even Biggest Loser resorts in America. There you can rent accommodation which will cost you over 2000 dollars for one week. During your time at the resort you'll cut the pounds with the help of dietitians and personal coaches.

Here you will find a full description of the most popular and best diets. I love the fact that the diets that rank highest are actually healthy diets. Crash diets might be popular, but they are absolutely not healthy. Changing your lifestyle by making it more healthy, one step at a time, will always be a healthier choice. And of course this is a lot easier to stick to.

As you will probably know there isn't one 'perfect diet'. Everyone has their own preferences. One diet might work for one person while it won't do anything for somebody else. Some people don't even want to follow a diet at all. The most important thing is to find a healthy lifestyle that works for you. Unfortunately it can take quite a while to find that perfect formula.

Do you have a diet that has changed your life for the better? Please let us know in the comments!