It’s the best diet for losing weight and controlling cholesterol, according to science

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Healthy vegetable bowl herbal tomatoes avocado carrots brown rice cucumbers leafy vegetables

If you are trying to adopt healthier eating habits, it can be difficult to know where to start. Maybe one of your friends has been trying to get you to cut out added sugars for years, while another swears that going gluten free has changed their life. Fortunately, emerging research is there to make your choice easier.

A new study published in the Journal of the American College of Nutrition compared two of the most popular diets today, the vegan diet and the Mediterranean diet, to see how they affected participants’ weight as well as other risk factors for heart disease. The results? Sticking to a low fat vegan diet is better for your health than following the Mediterranean diet. (Related: 108 most popular sodas ranked by toxicity).

“It’s clear that a plant-based diet is a great way to manage weight and all of the side effects are good – from boosting heart health and improving cholesterol to lowering your risk of diabetes. “Corresponding author Hana Kahleova, MD, PhD, MBA, director of clinical research at the Physicians’ Committee for Responsible Medicine said Eat this, not that! in an interview.

Specifically, the study found that the a vegan diet can lower levels of “bad” cholesterol known as LDL, improve insulin sensitivity, and lead to increased weight loss. The only advantage of the Mediterranean diet is that it led to an even greater drop in blood pressure than the low-fat vegan diet, although both diets had positive effects. It’s also worth noting that the study did not require participants to count calories or track nutrients.

“We weren’t surprised to see that people saw improvements on the herbal diet,” Kahleova said. “But, because the Mediterranean diet is often touted for weight loss, it was surprising to see that participants experienced very small changes – if at all – in their weight.”

“We hope this study inspires people to see that a vegan diet can benefit them in many ways and decide to try it,” she adds.

Still not convinced? To learn more about other ways to cut animal products off to help you feel better, check out our top 28 health reasons for going vegan.

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