You want to keep eating out
Mediterranean eating or plain healthy eating leave room for family meals, restaurants and your own cultural foods.
Read more →Compare diets
Compare popular diets side by side
Most diets can help you lose weight or eat better. The real differences are what they ask you to give up, how strict they are, and whether they fit your week.
Quick answer
Mediterranean and DASH are the most flexible and have strong heart-health evidence. Low carb and keto suit people who like firm rules and don't miss bread. Intermittent fasting suits people who would rather skip a meal than count. Plant-based diets suit people who care about animals or the planet.
At a glance
| Diet | Main idea | How strict | Tends to suit | Main catch |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mediterranean | Vegetables, beans, fish, olive oil and nuts; little red meat | Low | People who want flexible rules for the long term | No built-in limit, so portions can creep up |
| DASH | Fruit, vegetables and low-fat dairy, sodium under 2,300 mg or 1,500 mg | Moderate | People with raised blood pressure | Counting servings and reading salt labels takes effort |
| Plant-based | Most or all food from plants | Low to high | People motivated by animals, the planet or more fibre | Vegans need B12 and a plan for iron, calcium and omega-3 |
| Low carb | Less bread, pasta, rice and sugar | Moderate | People who feel fuller on protein and fat | Quality depends on what replaces the carbs |
| Keto | Carbs under about 20-50 g a day to reach ketosis | High | People who like strict, clear rules | Keto flu, little fruit or fibre, medication risks |
| Intermittent fasting | Eat only in set hours or on set days | Timing only | People who prefer fewer, bigger meals | Can feed a binge-and-restrict cycle |
| Healthy eating | Balanced plate, no named rules | Low | People who don't want a diet at all | Loose, so it helps to set your own targets |
Choose by priority
You want clear rules
DASH gives you daily servings for each food group. Keto gives firmer limits but asks more of you.
Read more →You hate counting
The plate method needs no app: half vegetables, a quarter protein, a quarter whole grains.
Read more →Animals or the planet matter to you
A plant-based diet fits best, as long as you plan for B12 and protein.
Read more →You would rather skip breakfast
An eating window can cut snacking, but what you eat inside it still matters.
Read more →Your readings are creeping up
DASH was designed for this. Keep taking any medicine and check with your doctor.
Read more →Head to head
Keto vs low carb
Keto is the strictest version of low carb, usually under about 20-50 g of carbs a day, which means almost no bread, pasta, rice, beans or fruit. Low carb is looser, and you can still have berries, some beans and the odd slice of toast. Keto can bring faster early weight loss (much of it water) and a few days of keto flu. For most people, gentle low carb is easier to keep up. See net carbs if you count carbs from labels.
Mediterranean vs DASH
They overlap a lot: both fill your plate with vegetables, fruit, beans and whole grains. DASH adds low-fat dairy and firm sodium targets, and was built to lower blood pressure. Mediterranean leans on olive oil, fish and nuts, feels less like a plan, and has strong evidence for heart health. If blood pressure is your main worry, start with DASH. Otherwise pick whichever you would enjoy more.
Intermittent fasting vs calorie counting
In trials that compare them, weight loss is usually similar, though most studies are short. Fasting cuts calories by shrinking your eating hours, so you count nothing. Counting gives you more control over food choices but takes daily effort. Fasting is not a good fit if you take diabetes medicine, are pregnant or have a history of disordered eating. Read more on time-restricted eating and calorie deficits.
Vegan vs vegetarian vs flexitarian
Flexitarians eat mostly plants with some meat or fish. Vegetarians cut out meat and fish but keep eggs and dairy. Vegans cut out all animal foods. The stricter you go, the more planning you need: vegans need a B12 supplement or fortified foods, and should think about iron, calcium, iodine and omega-3. Flexitarian is the easiest starting point for most people.
A chart is not medical clearance
These comparisons are general. They can't account for your medicines, pregnancy, kidney health or eating-disorder history. If any of these apply, talk to your doctor or a dietitian before switching diets.
Common questions
Which diet is best for weight loss, keto or Mediterranean?
Keto often gives faster results in the first few weeks, mostly from water. Over a year, trials generally find similar weight loss on both. The Mediterranean diet is easier for most people to keep up and has stronger evidence for heart health.
Is the DASH diet the same as the Mediterranean diet?
No, but they are close cousins. Both are built on vegetables, fruit, whole grains and beans. DASH sets sodium limits and daily servings and includes low-fat dairy. Mediterranean relies more on olive oil, fish and nuts and has fewer set targets.
Can I combine intermittent fasting with another diet?
Yes. Fasting only changes when you eat, so you can eat Mediterranean, low-carb or plant-based meals inside your eating window. Many people find that pairing the two works well.
Which diet is easiest to stick to?
The one that changes the least about how you already eat. For many people that is a Mediterranean-style pattern, since nothing is banned.
Still not sure? The choose-a-diet guide and is there one best diet? can help you narrow it down.