In a recent look into the healthiest diets run by the US News and World Report, the DASH diet was ranked first among all the categories.

They asked for the expert opinion and feedback of a panel of nutritionists, dieticians, and doctors specializing in diabetes, heart function, and weight loss who ran over 38 separate diet plans and ranked them on various categories. The categories included how easy the diets were to stay on, weight loss, heart function, long-term and short term results and the abillity to fight off heart diseases and diabetes.

For the seventh time in a row, the plant-based eating plan has been named as the best choice overall. It is followed by the Mediterranean diet, which came up from fourth place last year.

DASH stands for Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension. However, it is clear that its benefits go beyond combating high blood pressure, the US News says.

DASH includes the Mediterranean diets plus most recommended diets such as focusing on whole grains, fruit, vegetables, low- or no-fat diet, lean meat cuts, chicken, and fish. It also includes daily consumption of nuts, seeds, and legumes or beans to better round out the diet.