Table 3.

Key components of the Mediterranean, DASH (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension), and Alternative Healthy Eating dietary pattern scores

Food	Mediterranean diet26 32	DASH29 30	Alternative Healthy Eating Index28
Cereals*	Encouraged	Encouraged (whole grain)	Encouraged (whole grain)
Vegetables	Encouraged	Encouraged	Encouraged
Fruits	Encouraged	Encouraged	Encouraged
Nuts, legumes	Encouraged	Encouraged	Encouraged
Fish	Encouraged	Encouraged	Encouraged
Meat†	Discouraged	Fatty meat discouraged	Red and processed meat discouraged
Dairy products	Discouraged	Encouraged (low fat)	-
Fats	Olive oil	Discouraged	Fat sources high in long chain omega3 and total polyunsaturated fatty acids, low in trans fatty acids
Sweets/sweetened beverages	Discouraged	Discouraged	Discouraged
Alcohol	In moderation	-	In moderation
Sodium¶	-	Restricted	Restricted

^*Related to total cereals or whole grain cereals, depending on score. †Related to total meats or red and processed meats, depending on score. ¶Considered in some scores