TABLE 1.

Food group factor loadings for 4 dietary patterns in the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA)¹

	High-fat and processed meats	Vegetables and fish	Beans, tomatoes, and refined grains	Whole grains and fruit
Fats and oils	0.65	—	—	0.18
High-fat and processed meats	0.64	—	—	−0.13
Fried potatoes	0.60	—	—	—
Salty snacks	0.50	—	—	—
Desserts	0.48	—	—	—
High-fat cheeses and cheese and cream sauces	0.42	—	0.57	—
Red meat	0.42	0.41	0.46	−0.13
Pizza	0.41	—	—	—
Pasta and potato salads	0.41	—	—	0.29
Sweet breads	0.41	—	—	—
Ice cream	0.40	—	—	—
Vegetables, potatoes	0.38	—	—	—
Poultry	0.36	0.38	0.33	—
Nondiet soft drinks	0.36	—	—	−0.16
Sweet extras	0.36	—	—	—
Eggs and omelets	0.34	—	—	—
Chicken, tuna, and egg salads	0.30	0.16	—	0.29
Coffee	0.29	−0.22	—	0.17
Cream soups and chowders	0.29	—	—	—
Refined-grain bread, rice, and pasta	0.28	0.30	0.60	−0.20
Coffee and tea creamer	0.23	—	—	—
Beer	0.19	—	—	—
Fish	—	0.60	—	—
Seeds, nuts, and peanut butter	—	—	—	0.46
Whole milk	—	—	0.21	—
Cottage and ricotta cheese	—	—	—	0.31
Wine and spirits	—	—	—	0.17
Tomatoes	—	—	0.73	0.25
Other soups	—	0.58	—	—
Diet soft drinks and mineral water	—	—	—	—
Hot chocolate	—	—	—	—
Fruit juices	—	—	0.16	0.23
High-fat Chinese dishes	—	0.41	0.23	−0.21
Vegetables, other	—	0.62	0.18	0.27
Meal-replacement drinks	—	—	—	—
Low-fat dairy desserts	—	—	—	0.28
Vegetables, green leafy	—	—	—	0.38
Yogurt	—	—	0.16	0.21
Low-fat milk	—	—	—	0.33
Whole-grain bread, rice, and pasta	—	—	—	0.59
Tea	—	0.25	−0.12	—
Beans	—	—	0.76
Vegetables, dark-yellow	−0.14	0.77	—	0.21
Soy foods and beverages	−0.15	0.37	−0.11	—
Avocados and guacamole	−0.15	—	0.52	—
Fruit	−0.16	0.21	—	0.55
Vegetables, cruciferous	−0.18	0.75	—	—

¹Positive loadings <0.15 and negative loadings > −0.10 were omitted for simplicity. The food groups are presented in descending order of loading values on the high-fat and processed meats dietary pattern.