We’re nearing the end of the first month of 2014– how are those resolutions going? If one of your goals was to work off the extra pounds that you might have gained over those Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners, a few healthy diet plans could help.

U.S. News recently researched a collection of various diets and took these steps:

A panel of nationally recognized experts in diet, nutrition, obesity, food psychology, diabetes and heart disease reviewed our profiles, added their own fact-finding and rated each diet in seven categories: how easy it is to follow, its ability to produce short-term and long-term weight loss, its nutritional completeness, its safety and its potential for preventing and managing diabetes and heart disease.

to make a conclusive list of the best diets of 2014. The diets ranked best overall were also the best diets for healthy eating, which were the DASH and TLC Diet.

The Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) Diet was essentially designed to prevent and control high blood pressure, but researchers have found that the increased amount of fruits, vegetables, grains and lean protein and lessened sugar and salt intake also result in significant weight loss. Honing your plan with a concentration on low calorie food choices along with exercise seal the deal, all while ensuring a healthy heart.

The TLC Diet is government-endorsed and also concentrates on a healthy heart– two things many fad diets definitely can’t boast about. The Therapeutic Lifestyle Changes Diet focuses on dramatically cutting back on saturated fat to lower cholesterol. Add some exercise and up your fruit and vegetable intake and you can have a well-oiled, lean machine without traumatizing your body.

Remember: While the main goal of a diet is, of course, to lose weight, there are healthy and unhealthy ways to do accomplish this. A successful diet plan is one that introduces you to a comfortable new lifestyle– punishing your body with starvation tactics or depriving it of essential nutrients does not speak success at all.

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