- The raw food diet was named the worst way to eat for 2023 by US News and World Report.
- A panel of experts said the diet was overly restrictive, not evidence-based, and could lack essential nutrients.
- Healthy diets are flexible and easy to maintain over time and emphasize whole foods and plants.
The raw food diet was named the worst overall eating plan for 2023, according to the annual diet rankings from US News & World Report.
The diet includes only foods that haven't been cooked, such as fruits and veggies, sprouted grains and beans, and sometimes animal products like raw fish or unprocessed dairy. It took over the bottom spot in several categories from ketogenic diet (keto for short), which moved up slightly in the rankings.
Every year, US News & World Report convenes a panel of health and nutrition experts to rank popular diets based on factors like overall healthiness, how easy they are to follow, and potential for weight loss and disease prevention.
The raw food diet ranked lowest overall because there's no evidence of benefits to cutting out cooked foods, it's extremely limiting, and may make you hungry, since raw foods tend to be lower in calories and protein than prepared food, according to experts.
As a result, it's tough to maintain over time. While short-term diets may get temporary results, often for weight loss, healthy diets in the long-term involve eating strategies you can actually maintain, according to Gretel Schueller, managing health editor at U.S. News.
"At the end of the day, it's about how long can I stay on this, can I do this in the long term," Schueller told Insider. "You may look good for a few months but will eventually return right back to where you started. "
Too much restriction can make a diet plan backfire, according to the experts
While diets that have strict rules or cut out certain food groups may seem effective, they can be hard to maintain, and the benefits won't last if you quit within a few weeks.
"The moment you're overly restrictive or feeling deprived you'll jump off and not stick to it long term," Schueller said.
The panel of experts noted that other low-ranking diets were also excessively strict, hard to follow long-term, or cut out potentially nutritious food groups.
Other poor performers were commercial diets including low-carb Atkins as well as SlimFast and Optavia, which involve highly-processed shakes, bars, and supplements used to replace whole foods.
In contrast, the top-ranking Mediterranean diet and other highly-rated plans involve variety, don't exclude entire food groups, and are easier to adjust to fit individual lifestyles.
"The diets that rise to the top are ones we've known for years use a common sense approach to healthy eating, incorporate whole foods, and are flexible," Schueller said.
The keto diet ranked slightly higher this year
Formerly ranked the worst diet for healthy eating several years in a row, the high-fat, low carb keto diet snagged first place for quick weight loss, and 20th overall (out of 24 diets).
Emerging evidence in the past few years suggests keto and low-carb diets have health benefits like managing weight and blood sugar, and can be structured in a way that includes more nutrient-dense foods and healthy fats.
"We're seeing it that it has the potential to be done in a healthy manner, when it's done properly," Schueller said. "Ask yourself what people are replacing carbs with. If it's a healthy answer, that makes all the difference."
The diet still placed last for heart health, and experts previously expressed concerns that the diet is high in saturated fat, which some research has linked to heart health concerns. Cutting out carbs can also mean eliminating nutrient-rich foods like fruit, some veggies, and whole grains —part of why keto was still ranked in the bottom five this year, per the expert panel.
But the diet doesn't have to be the stereotypical "dirty keto" full of butter, fast food burgers, and cheese, Dr. Mark Cucuzzella, a professor at West Virginia University's School of Medicine who studies low-carb diets, previously told Insider.
Examples of healthier keto-friendly foods include fat sources like olive oil, proteins like fish, low-carb fruit like berries, and plenty of leafy greens for nutrients, he said.