Table 1. Components of each category included in the Mediterranean diet score.

Category	Traditional Med-Diet score	Differences between the alternative^a and the traditional Med-Diet score
Vegetables	Broccoli, sauerkraut, coleslaw, cooked cabbage, cauliflower, brussels sprouts, raw and cooked carrots, corn, mixed vegetables, alfalfa sprouts, celery, mushrooms, yellow and dark squash, eggplants/zucchini/other squash, yams/sweet potatoes, raw and cooked spinach, kale, romaine and iceberg lettuce, green pepper, garlic, beets, onions, salsa, tomatoes, tomato juice, and tomato sauce; potatoes were excluded	Excludes corn and garlic
Fruits and nuts	Raisins, prunes, prune juice, avocados, bananas, cantaloupe, watermelon, apples, applesauce, apple juice, oranges, orange juice with or without calcium fortification, grapefruit, grapefruit juice, other juices, strawberries, blueberries, peaches, apricots, peanut butter, peanuts, walnuts, and other nuts	Separates fruits and nuts into separate components
Legumes	String beans, peas/lima beans, beans/lentils, tofu, soymilk	–
Cereals	Cooked oatmeal and other cooked breakfast cereal, cold breakfast cereal, English muffin or bagel, white, dark, rye, and whole grain bread, white and brown rice, pasta, other grains, tortillas, bran, oat bran, wheat germ, and light or regular popcorn	Includes only whole grains. English muffin or bagel, white bread, white rice, pasta, tortillas, and non–whole grain cereals are excluded
Fish and seafood	Canned tuna, breaded and dark-meat fish, other fish, and shrimp	Excludes store-bought breaded fish
Fat	Ratio of polyunsaturated fat to saturated fat	Ratio of monounsaturated fat to saturated fat
Alcohol	Beer, light beer, red wine, white wine, liquor	–
Red and processed meat products	Bacon, hot dogs, hamburgers, beef, pork, lamb, salami, bologna and other processed meats, chicken or turkey dogs	–
Dairy products	Skim milk, 2% milk, whole milk, sherbet, ice cream, yogurts, cottage cheese, cream cheese, other cheeses, and butter, cream and sour cream	Dairy component excluded from score

Med-Diet = Mediterranean diet.

The alternative score includes foods similar to the traditional Med-Diet score, unless specified.