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• The Mediterranean diet, which is associated with beneficial effects on cardiovascular health, comprises fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes, and healthy fats such as olive oil and nuts, contrasting with the highly processed foods found in the Western diet.
• The Paleolithic diet typically includes vegetables, fruits, nuts, roots, and meat, while excluding dairy products, grains, sugar, legumes, processed oils, salt, alcohol, and coffee.
• In low-income countries in South Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa, consumption of healthy components such as fruit, non-starchy vegetables, legumes/nuts, seafood omega-3 fat, and polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) remained far from optimal in 2018.
• There are large global shortfalls in the availability of fruits, vegetables, legumes, nuts, and seeds, as well as large disparities among regions regarding the use of animal source foods.
• Globally, between 1990 and 2018, AHEI scores increased for non-starchy vegetables (+1.1), legumes/nuts (+1.1), and fruit (+0.1); decreased for red/processed meat (−1.4), sugar-sweetened beverages (−0.6), and sodium (−0.4); and remained stable for whole grains (+0.1), PUFAs (0), and seafood omega-3 (0).
• Globally, more educated individuals had lower AHEI scores (less favorable consumption levels) for red/processed meat (-0.6), sugar-sweetened beverages (-0.6), and nuts and legumes (-0.1).
• Diets globally continue to lack sufficient amounts of fruits, vegetables, legumes, nuts, and whole grains, while including excessive and sometimes rising amounts of red meat, processed meat, and sugary drinks.
• The Healthy Diet Indicator (HDI) scores dietary intake based on eleven components: fruits and vegetables (≥ 400g), beans and other legumes (> 0g), nuts and seeds (> 0g), whole grains (> 0g), dietary fiber (> 25g), total fat (< 30% total energy), saturated fat (< 10% total energy), dietary sodium (< 2g), free sugars (< 10% total energy), processed meat (0g), and unprocessed red meat (≤ 71g).
• Ancient diets were composed of phytonutrients found in grains, native plants, mushrooms, fruits, legumes, nuts, honey, and seeds.
• Suboptimal diets are characterized by low intake of fibers, fruits, vegetables, legumes, whole grains, nuts, seeds, milk, seafood, calcium, and healthy fats (omega-3 fatty acids, polyunsaturated fatty acids) and high intake of trans-fatty acids, sodium, red or processed meat, and sugar-sweetened beverages, according to Afshin et al. (2019).
• In high-income countries, Central/Eastern Europe, Central Asia, the Middle East, and Northern Africa, improvements in dietary quality driven by increased intake of fruit, non-starchy vegetables, legumes/nuts, and whole grains have been offset by stable or only minor reductions in red/processed meats, sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs), and sodium.
• A study on global food systems found substantial but inconsistent progress toward alignment with dietary guidelines, characterized by large global shortfalls in fruits, vegetables, legumes, nuts, and seeds, alongside large regional disparities in the use of animal source foods.
• The 'paleo diet' recommends consuming meat, fish, fruits, vegetables, eggs, and nuts, while excluding cereal grains, dairy products, legumes, refined sugar, and processed foods.
• The Paleolithic diet includes vegetables (including root vegetables), fruit (including fruit oils like olive, coconut, and palm oil), nuts, fish, meat, and eggs, while excluding dairy, grain-based foods, legumes, extra sugar, and industrial nutritional products like refined fats and carbohydrates.
• Latin America and the Caribbean display lower diet diversity and higher sodium consumption, despite higher intakes of legumes and nuts.
• A healthy diet consists of plenty of fruits, vegetables, legumes, nuts, seeds, whole grains, and oils high in unsaturated fats, while containing little to no red and processed meat, sugar-sweetened beverages, refined grains, and oils high in saturated fats.
• Average dietary intake across the studied regions was lower than minimum recommendations for whole-grain cereal products, dairy, legumes, fish, cheese, and nuts.
• The planetary health diet prioritizes the consumption of vegetables, fruits, legumes, whole grains, nuts, and fish, while limiting the intake of red meat and tubers, and promoting moderate consumption of eggs, poultry, and dairy products.
• During the menstrual phase, consuming iron-rich foods such as red meat, seafood, iron-enriched cereals, dried fruits, nuts, legumes, beans, and green leafy vegetables is recommended to compensate for blood loss.
• Imbalanced diets low in fruits, vegetables, legumes, nuts, seeds, and whole grains, and high in red and processed meat are responsible for one of the greatest health burdens globally and in most regions.
• Animal-based protein sources include lean meats, fish, eggs, and dairy products like cheese and yogurt, while plant-based protein sources include soy products like tofu, legumes like peas and beans, and nuts.
• Globally, urban residents had higher AHEI scores for fruit (+0.2) and whole grains (+0.2), but lower scores for sugar-sweetened beverages (-0.5), red/processed meat (-0.4), and legumes/nuts (-0.1).
• The EAT-Lancet Commission on Healthy Diets from Sustainable Food Systems established specific dietary recommendations for minimum intake of health-promoting foods (fruits, vegetables, legumes, nuts, whole grains) and maximum intake of foods with detrimental health or environmental impacts (red meat, processed meat, dairy, fish).
• Replacing high-fat and sugar products in the Western diet with fruits, vegetables, legumes, nuts, and whole grains may reduce low-grade inflammation and prevent the development of cardiovascular disease (CVD).
• The Mediterranean-Style Dietary Pattern Score (MSDPS) assigns points based on daily or weekly servings of specific food groups, including whole grains (8 servings/day), fruits (3 servings/day), vegetables (6 servings/day), dairy (2 servings/day), wine (1.5 servings/day for women, 3 servings/day for men), fish/seafood (6 servings/week), poultry (4 servings/week), olives/legumes/nuts (4 servings/week), potatoes/starchy roots (3 servings/week), eggs (3 servings/week), sweets (3 servings/week), and meat (1 serving/week).
• Neanderthals across Eurasia consumed a range of plant foods and fungi, including fruits, nuts, wild grass seeds, legumes, underground storage organs (USOs), and mushrooms, as evidenced by microfossils and eukaryotic aDNA preserved in dental calculus.
• The applicability of the Mediterranean Diet Score (MDS) is not established in regions where distinctive components like olive oil, red wine, nuts, legumes, or fish are unavailable or not part of cultural dietary patterns.
• Plant-based diets are characterized by a high intake of vegetables, fruits, whole grains, legumes, and nuts, while minimizing or excluding animal products like red meat, fish, and dairy. This dietary pattern is high in fiber and nutrients and may support heart health, blood sugar management, and overall well-being.
• The Mediterranean Diet Score (MDS) ranges from 0 (minimal adherence) to 9 (maximal adherence) and is calculated based on nine components: vegetables, legumes, fruits and nuts, cereal, fish, the ratio of monounsaturated to saturated lipids, meat, dairy products, and alcohol.
• In 2018, the highest global AHEI component scores for healthier items were for legumes/nuts (5.0), followed by whole grains (4.7), seafood omega-3 fat (4.2), and non-starchy vegetables (3.9).
• Fruits, vegetables, legumes, nuts, and seeds have received minimal agricultural research and development funding over the last 50 years.
• The Global Nutrition Report 2021 analysis includes diet-disease associations for low intake of fruits, vegetables, legumes, nuts/seeds, and whole grains, as well as for high intake of red meat, processed meat, and sugary drinks.