What is the best diet? QUALITY counts.

It's a common misconception that calories don't matter, but the strongest evidence to date shows that they do. The difference between weight loss and weight gain is about calories—you can't eat as many calories as you want without gaining weight, and you can't eat fewer calories than you need to lose weight.

However, focusing on food quality is an equally important part of preventing weight gain and promoting weight loss. The best diet is one that focuses on eating high-quality foods in appropriately sized portions. This way, you'll get all the nutrients your body needs without consuming excess calories or sodium.

Quality, not just calories

We've all heard the phrase "a calorie is a calorie," but new research has shown that this isn't true: there are actually many different types of calories, and it's important to understand which ones are healthy and which aren't.

Instead of focusing on calories alone, it's important to look at what you're eating. The quality of your food matters just as much as its quantity.

High-quality foods include unrefined, minimally processed foods such as vegetables and fruits, whole grains, healthy fats and healthy sources of protein – the foods recommended in the Healthy Eating Plate.

Lower-quality foods include highly processed snack foods, sugar-sweetened beverages, refined (white) grains, refined sugar, fried foods, foods high in saturated and trans fats, and high-glycemic foods such as potatoes.

Managing Macronutrients

When it comes to diet, macronutrients are the big three: carbohydrates, proteins, and fats. And as the popularity of different diets has evolved over the past few decades, so has interest in how best to manage these macronutrients.

But how do you know which type of diet is right for you? Is there a better way than others? And if so, what is it?

Researchers have answered these questions with a resounding “not yet!” There is no clear evidence that one diet style outperforms another when it comes to managing macronutrients.

Did you know that the Atkins diet is actually pretty healthy?

I mean, sure, it's not the most balanced diet in the world. But it's definitely not as bad as you might think.

Here's why: One study, published in JAMA in 2007, compared four weight-loss diets ranging from low to high carbohydrate intake. This 12-month trial followed over 300 overweight and obese premenopausal women, randomly assigning them to either an Atkins (very low carbohydrate), Zone (low carbohydrate), LEARN (high carbohydrate), or Ornish (very high in carbohydrate) diet.

After one year, weight loss was greater for women in the Atkins diet group compared with the other diet groups. This study also examined secondary outcomes focused on metabolic effects (such as cholesterol, body fat percentage, glucose levels and blood pressure), and found that those for the Atkins group were comparable with or more favorable than the other diet groups. There was no significant difference in weight loss among the other three diets (Zone, LEARN, and Ornish).

The best diet for you is the one that works for your individual body.

A recent study showed that a macronutrient-based dietary approach can help with weight loss, but it isn’t a “one-size-fits-all” solution. In fact, researchers found that while an individual may lose weight on a specific diet, another person may not have the same success with the same diet because of their genetic makeup and their unique lifestyle.

This means that everyone can follow The Healthy Eating Plate guidelines and choose healthy foods to create a diet that works best for them!