These are the healthiest diets you should try out in 2016

The flexitarian diet specializes in assisting with weight-loss by emphasizing the importance of eating more vegetables and less meat. It's a perfect fit for those of us who like the idea of being vegetarian but can't manage to completely slash meat from our diets.

Instead of entirely avoiding meat, most flexitarians try to go vegetarian for 3-5 days a week. The idea is that by replacing calorie-heavy meats with low-calorie fruits and vegetables, you'll shed some extra pounds.

Here's why US News & World Report says this is one of the best overall diets of the year:

Short-term weight loss: 3.4

Long-term weight loss: 3.3

Easy to follow: 3.3

Healthy: 4.2

One of the major pitfalls of diets is that they leave our stomachs grumbling at the end of the day. That's not the case with Volumetrics, which focuses on feeling full. But it's a slow process, so don't expect to drop 10 pounds in two weeks on this diet.

According to the diet's founder, Barbara Rolls, PhD, it's not the number of calories you consume that makes you feel full, but rather the amount and types of food you eat.

Volumetrics focuses on eating mostly fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lean proteins, legumes, and low-fat dairy. But you can still splurge on fatty meats and fried food occasionally.

Here's how this diet compares with the rest:

Short-term weight loss: 3.6

Long-term weight loss: 3.2

Easy to follow: 3.2

Healthy: 4.4

Health experts at the Mayo Clinic created this diet, which purportedly can help you lose up to 100 pounds in a year. This diet focuses on long-term weight loss by helping you develop a lifestyle designed to help you lose weight and keep it off.

To start, followers are supposed to break 5 unhealthy habits and add 5 new healthy habits. This diet is also heavy on the exercise and recommends that followers get at least 30 minutes of moderate physical exercise a day.

By following the diet's guidelines, which you can find on the Mayo Clinic's website, you could lose 6-10 pounds in the first two weeks. Not bad!

Here's what the experts thought:

Short-term weight loss: 3.3

Long-term weight loss: 2.9

Easy to follow: 3.1

Healthy: 4.5

The MIND diet focuses on eating foods that may help reduce your risk of neurological disorders, in particular, Alzheimer's. The name stands for Mediterranean-DASH Intervention for Neurodegenerative Delay. (You'll learn more about the DASH diet in the next slide.)

The diet has you eat foods that the medical literature suggests are good for the brain. These foods fall into 10 categories including: green leafy vegetables, nuts, berries, fish, beans, whole grains, and olive oil.

This is one of the easiest and healthiest diets to follow, which is why US News & World Report ranks it one of the top:

Short-term weight loss: 3.1

Long-term weight loss: 2.9

Easy to follow: 3.7

Healthy: 4.5

For the sixth year in a row, the DASH diet has taken first place for best overall diet of the year.

DASH stands for Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension, or high blood pressure. The diet tries to instill a lifelong habit of eating that either helps to treat or prevents hypertension. For those with hypertension, the DASH diet may help drop systolic blood pressure by as many as 7-12 points.

While salt affects everyone differently, doctors generally agree that reducing sodium intake can help with hypertension, which is exactly what the DASH diet does.

In addition to eating healthy foods like vegetables, fruits, and whole grains, you should limit sodium intake to 2,300 milligrams a day. For reference, one slice of frozen pizza has 370-730 mg!

Here's how the winner stacked up:

Short-term weight loss: 3.2

Long-term weight loss: 3.0

Easy to follow: 3.1

Healthy: 4.8