Table 1.
Components and scoring of the diet scores
| Diet scores and components | Scoring | |
|---|---|---|
| Minimum score | Maximum score | |
| Healthy diet indicator (HDI)a | 0 points | 1 point |
| Saturated fatty acids | ≥10% total energy | <10% total energy |
| Polyunsaturated fatty acids | <6 or >10% total energy | 6–10% total energy |
| Cholesterol | ≥300 mg/day | <300 mg/day |
| Protein | <10 or >15% total energy | 10–15% total energy |
| Fibre | <25 g/day | ≥25 g/day |
| Free sugars | ≥10 % total energy | <10% total energy |
| Fruits and vegetables | <400 g/day | ≥400 g/day |
| Dietary approaches to stop hypertension (DASH)b | 1 point | 5 points |
| Fruits | Quintile 1 | Quintile 5 |
| Vegetables | Quintile 1 | Quintile 5 |
| Legumes | Quintile 1 | Quintile 5 |
| Whole grains | Quintile 1 | Quintile 5 |
| Milk | Quintile 1 | Quintile 5 |
| Sodium | Quintile 5 | Quintile 1 |
| Red and processed meat | Quintile 5 | Quintile 1 |
| Sugar-sweetened beverages | Quintile 5 | Quintile 1 |
| Alternative Healthy Eating Index (AHEI-2010)c | 0 points | 10 points |
| Vegetables | No intake | ≥5 servings/day |
| Fruits | No intake | ≥4 servings/day |
| Whole grains | No intake | ≥6 servings/day |
| Legumes | No intake | ≥1 serving/day |
| Oily fish | No intake | ≥2 servings/week |
| Polyunsaturated fatty acids | ≤2% total energy | ≥10% total energy |
| Red and processed meat | ≥1.5 servings/day | No intake |
| Trans fatty acids | ≥4% total energy | ≤0.5% total energy |
| Sodium | Highest decile | Lowest decile |
| Sugar-sweetened beverages | ≥1 serving/day | No intake |
| Alcohol | ≥3.5 drinks/day | 0.5–2.0 drinks/day |
aScores for the components of the HDI on a dichotomous scale (0 or 1 point)
bComponents’ scoring (ranging from 1 to 5 points) depends on the quintiles (1, 2, 3, 4, or 5 points), with higher quintiles representing higher intakes
cScores for the components of the AHEI-2010 index on a continuous scale ranging from 0 to 10 points, with proportional scores for intermediate intakes (0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, or 10 points). Serving sizes are defined as follows: vegetables and fruits, 125 g; whole grains, 15 g; legumes, 100 g; oily fish, and red and processed meat, 115 g; sugar-sweetened beverages, 225 g; and alcohol, alcoholic drink containing 5 g pure ethanol