I'm sure you've come across a lot of information about diets. Moreover, I am sure that some of you have already tried following a diet and could share a very interesting experience.
In this regard, I wondered: how can a person choose from among the many diets those that are really effective? those that are not harmful, but truly help to improve health?
There are many nutritional recommendations, but not all of them are scientifically proven. In a large-scale study, researchers used data from 75230 women and 44085 men collected over 36 years. At the beginning of the study, participants had no heart disease or cancer. They each filled out dietary questionnaires every 4 years.
Thus, experts identified that only these 4 eating models can reduce the risk of early death:
- Healthy Eating Index (HEI) is a tool developed by the United States Department of Agriculture and the National Cancer Institute to measure the diet quality based on how often different food groups are consumed. HEI at its core contains 13 food components divided into two categories: adequacy components, which are highly recommended, and moderation components, which should be limited.
To get a high score on this diet model, you should eat the following foods more often:
- fruits;
- vegetables;
- legumes;
- whole grains;
- dairy;
- seafood or vegetable protein;
- healthy fats (e.g., avocados, olive oil, walnuts).
Eating foods high in saturated fats, salt and sugar, and refined grains (e.g., white flour products) makes your score lower.
- Alternative Mediterranean Diet (aMED) measures the adaptation to the principles of the Mediterranean diet. This type of diet encourages with high score the frequent consumption of the following foods:
- whole-grain foods;
- vegetables;
- fruits;
- legumes;
- nuts;
- fish;
- monounsaturated fats.
The diet also involves limited consumption of red meat and moderate consumption of alcohol.
The Mediterranean diet is known for almost halving the risk of cardiovascular disease, the leading cause of death worldwide.
- Alternative Healthy Eating Index (AHEI) focuses on foods that will help us avoid chronic disease.
To get a higher score on this diet, you must use more:
- Polyunsaturated fats (especially omega-3 fats such as salmon)
- Nuts
- Legumes
- Whole-grain foods
- Fruits
- Vegetables.
What stands out about the Alternative Healthy Eating Index is that it specifically recommends avoiding potatoes (all potatoes, but especially French fries), fruit juices and refined grains. In addition, this dietary model recommends reducing consumption of red and processed meats, as well as sugary drinks, while allowing moderate consumption of alcohol.
- Healthy Plant Diet Index (hPDI), which compares healthy plant foods (such as vegetables and whole grains) to unhealthy plant foods (such as refined grains and foods high in sugar) as well as animal products. This diet also excludes alcohol in any form.
Following this eating pattern, you will earn higher scores if your diet contains large amounts of the following:
- whole grain products;
- fruits;
- vegetables;
- nuts;
- legumes;
- vegetable oils;
- tea;
- coffee.
Remember: Plant-based eaters need to be diligent about avoiding artificial ingredients and added sugar, which can sneak into many plant-based foods.
Several key conclusions can be drawn from this study.
First, the higher your diet score, the better your chances of living longer.
Secondly, each person can make up their own diet by choosing from the four diets what suits them or what they like to eat the most, since it has been proven that the various diets can be adapted to any national or personal preference.
The most important conclusion drawn from the study is that following at least one of these dietary principles is beneficial to health, reducing the risk of premature death from any cause, including cardiovascular disease, cancer, and respiratory disease.