Dr. Jason Fung Says The Best Diet of 2026 Feels Good, Revs Health and Can Deliver ‘Stunning’ Weight Loss
New research shows the Mediterranean Diet plus gentle fasts helps us lose dangerous belly fat at double speed
Motivated to hit your happy weight in 2026 but not sure the best way to do it? We’ve got you! New research and top experts suggest pairing the Mediterranean diet with a gentle form of intermittent fasting. In fact, a new Spanish study found that older adults using the approach target dangerous belly fat and slim down at double speed. “It’s easy, and it’s a game-changer,” says obesity expert Jason Fung, MD, who calls the strategy the best diet of 2026. “The results are often stunning.”
Try this powerful diet using foods you already love
We often hear about the Mediterranean diet’s many amazing health benefits, but when we think about giving it a try, we’re not sure we want to eat only salmon, spinach and olive oil. But experts say the power of the diet isn’t specific ingredients, but rather eating patterns—patterns that can be easily replicated with foods you enjoy from your local supermarket.
The big ones: loading meals with produce, emphasizing protein from seafood and beans, choosing good fats and limiting hunger-inducing processed food and sugary drinks. The combo does amazing things for the body—it’s proven to boost mood, protect your heart and fight countless diseases. It’s delish, too. After the recent study in Spain, 100% of participants “were happy to keep following a Mediterranean diet,” says University of Zaragoza professor Sergio Couto, part of the research team.
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Yet many of us try a Mediterranean diet and simply don’t lose weight. Why? We usually take in too many calories out of habit. So Couto’s team tried adding short fasts to see if it might help. And did it ever.
How gentle fasts help the Mediterranean diet burn serious fat
Compared to a Mediterranean diet alone, adults who added a daily fast (eating in a 12-hour window, such as 7 AM to 7 PM and then fasting from 7 PM to 7 AM) ignited weight loss and shed far more ab fat. They ended with “smaller waist and hip measurements, better blood pressure and improved quality of life,” says Couto. A pretty perfect result!
The simple fasting technique Couto’s team used is called time-restricted eating, or TRE, and it limits calories to a set window each day. Outside the window, you have only water and unsweetened coffee or tea. A 12-hour window is typical for beginners; as a person’s body adapts, many shift to shorter windows. Dr. Fung says the idea is to find a sweet spot that feels comfortable and also keeps you moving toward your health goals. Once you do, benefits really start to pile up. Dr. Fung shares what you can expect.
You’ll automatically eat less without stressing about it
“People who limit the time they spend eating automatically take in fewer calories,” says Dr. Fung, author of the mega-seller The Obesity Code and the forthcoming The Hunger Code (out in March). A University of Illinois study found TRE led one group of test subjects to eat 550 fewer calories a day while still enjoying all their usual foods. No tracking or measuring. “It creates structure without the constant restriction of many diets,” says Dr. Fung. “And it becomes a habit, so you don’t have to think about it.”
You’ll activate a slimming and healing metabolic state
Longer periods without eating activate a metabolic state called autophagy, during which we burn cellular waste and damaged cell parts for fuel. Even entire malfunctioning cells are burned; then, once we eat again, they’re replaced with brand new cells, which do a better job at, well, everything. That includes appetite regulation, blood-sugar control and metabolism. We also experience more energy and overall wellbeing. It’s a head-to-toe rejuvenation, says Dr. Fung.
You bring down levels of the hormone that drives most weight problems
For those who don’t know, some of the protein and all carbs we eat turn to blood sugar, the body’s favorite fuel. The hormone insulin then decides if sugar goes to cells that burn it for energy or cells that’ll store it as fat. “You might eat 1,000 calories and insulin tells your body to store all of them as fat,” says Dr. Fung. “Then there’s no energy, so you’re tired and hungry.” High insulin also inhibits burning of stored fat.
The modern-day problem? A constant overload of sugar—usually courtesy of ultra-processed foods—can damage cells that burn sugar. We then make more and more insulin to get sugar into fuel-deprived cells; this usually worsens damage, and we may end up barely burning any sugar. This is how we develop prediabetes and type-2 diabetes. (Read more about early warning signs you shouldn’t ignore.) The best solution: Help cells heal, so they can handle blood sugar properly again and insulin comes down.
Mediterranean eating limits or eliminates foods that drive sugar spikes. It’s also full of nutrients like omega-3s and antioxidants proven to help the body repair itself. So it’s no wonder that in one Nutrients study, insulin levels were about half in people who ate Mediterranean-style compared to those who didn’t.
How a Mediterranean diet and intermittent fasting synergize
Going longer periods without eating gives the body time to repair. And autophagy helps you heal even more. Proof this has a big impact: Findings in the journal Nutrition & Metabolism showed that type 2 diabetics who ate in a 10-hour eating window improved insulin levels over 5 times more than those who didn’t fast.
Together, fasting plus a Mediterranean diet work to improve insulin levels in multiple ways. The end result? “You reduce your body’s chemical signal to store fat,” Dr. Fung says. You also enhance your ability to burn fat. And improving blood sugar helps reduce hunger and cravings too.
Now, there are other ways to bring down insulin. There are other ways to reduce calorie intake. But what makes a fast-enhanced Mediterranean diet 2026’s winner? Dr. Fung says there’s a good chance you’ll find it’s “the easiest, most sustainable way to lose weight, improve your health and maintain your results for good.”
Mediterranean + fasting success story: Debi Hunt, 61, lost 79 lbs
Debi Hunt, 61, spent decades alternating between harsh diets and baking jumbo batches of cookies she and her family devoured. Then one day at work, a section of vertebrae in her back suddenly collapsed. “I shrunk about 2 inches just standing there,” recalls the Ontario small business owner.
Diagnosed with a rare inflammatory arthritis, doctors said Debi needed to lose weight to take pressure off her spine. She heard about fasting on Facebook and picked up Dr. Fung’s The Complete Guide to Fasting. “I read it from cover to cover,” she recalls. As someone with type 2 diabetes who snacked mindlessly at night, she could see how much it might help her.
She dove in to the approach, using a free version of the Simple app to track her 8-hour window (usually 11 am until 7 pm) and aiming for mostly anti-inflammatory foods like fish, fresh veggies and nuts. “Within days, swelling was down in my joints and my pants fit looser,” shares Debi, who eventually found she could comfortably eat in a four-hour window.
She shed 79 pounds in 8 months. Doctors took her off three diabetes medications. Her pain is dramatically reduced. “My daughters say they’ve never seen me smile so much,” says Debi. “I didn’t know it was possible to feel so good!”
This story originally appeared in the January 12, 2026, issue of Woman’s World
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