Table 3.
Examples of Dietary Patterns With Evidence for Cardiovascular Health Benefits
| Dietary Pattern | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DASH (Higher Carbohydrate) | DASH (Higher Monounsaturated Fat) | DASH (Higher Protein) | Traditional Mediterranean (Greece)* | Traditional Mediterranean (Spain) | Mediterranean (US) | Vegetarian | Traditional Japanese | Traditional Okinawan | |
| Citation | Swain et al, 2008109 | Swain et al, 2008109 | Swain et al, 2008109 | Trichopoulou et al, 2003110 | Nunez-Cordoba et al, 2009110a | Fung et al, 2009”110b | Craig et al, 2009110c | Willcox et al, 2007111and 2009111a | Willcox et al, 2007111 and 2009111a |
| Emphasizes | Nutrient-dense vegetables, fruits, whole grains, fish, and low-fat dairy products | Nutrient-dense vegetables, fruits, whole grains, fish, and low-fat dairy products | Nutrient-dense vegetables, fruits, whole grains, fish, and low-fat dairy products | Vegetables, beans, fruits, nuts and seeds, fish and seafood, cereals, olive oil | Plant foods, vegetables, fruits, breads, other cereals potatoes, beans, nuts and seeds, olive oil, and fish | Plant foods, vegetables, fruits, whole grains, legumes, fish | Plant foods, including fruits, vegetables, legumes, nuts, grains | Rice, legumes, soy foods, vegetables, seaweed, and fish | Plant foods, primarily sweet potatoes, legumes, soy foods, seaweeds, other vegetables |
| Includes | Lean meat | Lean meat | Lean meat | Lean meat, red wine | Cheese, yogurt, red wine | Lean meat | Fish (pesco vegetarians); dairy and eggs (lacto-ovo-vegetarians) | Fruit, meat, and eggs | |
| Limits (small amounts) | Processed meats | Processed meats | Processed meats |
Meats, dairy | Red meats, sweets | Potatoes | Red meats, poultry | Milk products | Meats, eggs, dairy products |
| Nutrients/day† | |||||||||
| Calories, kcal | 2000 | 2000 | 2000 | 2000 | 2000 | 2000 | 2000 | 2000 | 2000 |
| Carbohydrates, % energy | 8 | 48 | 48 | ND | 47 | 39.1 | ‡ | 79 | 85 |
| Protein, % energy | 15 | 15 | 25 | ND | 18 | 15.1 | ‡ | 13 | 9 |
| Total fat, % energy | 27 | 37 | 27 | 42.9 | 33 | ND | ‡ | 8 | 6 |
| Saturated fat, % energy | 6 | 6 | 6 | 13.3 | 10 | 10 (Including trans) | ‡ | 2.0 | 1.9 |
| Monounsaturated fat, % energy | 13 | 21 | 13 | 22.7 | 15 | 9.5 | ‡ | 2.3 | 1.8 |
| Polyunsaturated fat, % energy | 8 | 10 | 8 | 6.9 | 5.1 | ND | ‡ | 3.5 | 2.4 |
| Cholesterol, mg | 150 | 150 | 150 | ND | ND | ND | ‡ | ND | ND |
| Dietary fiber, g | 29 | 29 | 29 | ND | 29 | 20 | ‡ | 22 | 26 |
| Potassium, mg | 4450 | 4450 | 4450 | ND | 4589 | ND | ‡ | 2623 | 5826 |
| Calcium, mg | 1181 | 1181 | 1181 | ND | 1028 | ND | ‡ | 315 | 566 |
| Magnesium, mg | 473 | 473 | 473 | ND | 396 | ND | ‡ | 317 | 444 |
| Sodium, mg | 2190 | 2190 | 2190 | ND | 2532 | ND | ‡ | 2370 | 1269 |
| Foods/day† | |||||||||
| Vegetables, total, | 4.4 | 6.3 | 5.4 | 7.5 | 2.8 | 4.4 | ‡ | ND | ND |
| servings | |||||||||
| Dark green | ND | ND | ND | ND | ND | ND | ‡ | <0.1 (seaweed) | <0.1 (seaweed) |
| Red orange | ND | ND | ND | ND | ND | ND | ‡ | 0.5 (Asian sweet potatoes) | 6.6 (Asian sweet potatoes) |
| Other | ND | ND | ND | ND | ND | ND | ‡ | 1.3; plus 0.3 (pickled vegetables) | 0.9 (pickled vegetables) |
| Starchy | 0.2 | 0.4 | 0.3 | 0.9 | ND | No potatoes | ‡ | 0.3 (other potatoes) | <0.1 (other potatoes) |
| Fruits and juices, total, servings | 6.6 | 4.8 | 3.8 | 4.7 (fruits and nuts, excluding juices) | 3.5 (fruit and juice) plus 0.3 (dried fruit, nuts) | 3.2 | ‡ | 0.2 | <0.1 |
| Grains, total, oz | 5.3 | 4.3 | 5.0 | 5.3 | 2.5 | ND | ‡ | 2.4 plus 1.7 (rice) | 1.1 plus 0.9 (rice) |
| Whole grains, oz | 3.9 | ND | ND | ND | ND | 1.6 | ‡ | ND | ND |
| Dairy products, total (servings) | 2.0 | 1.9 | 2.3 | 1.0 | 2.1 | ND | ‡ | ND | ND |
| Whole-fat | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.2 | 1.0 | 0.8 | ND | ‡ | <0.1 | <0.1 |
| Low-fat | 1.9 | 1.8 | 2.1 | <0.1 | 1.3 | ND | ‡ | ND | ND |
| Other protein sources, oz | |||||||||
| Meat | 0.9 | 1.0 | 1.1 | 3.5 | 3.6 | 2.4 | 0 | 0.4 | 0.1 |
| Poultry | 1.6 | 1.8 | 2.6 | ND | ND | ND | 0 | ND | ND |
| Eggs | 0.4 | 0.2 | 1.9 | 0.6 | 1.9 | ND | ‡ | 0.3 | <0.1 |
| Fish/seafood | 1.3 | 1.3 | 1.5 | 0.8 | 2.4 | 1.5 | ‡ | 2.1 | 0.6 |
| Legumes | 1.8 | 1.0 | 3.0 | <0.1 | 0.4 | 0.3 | ‡ | 0.4 (Including soy) | 0.3 (Including soy) |
| Nuts and seeds | 1.1 | 1.1 | 1.1 | See fruit above | See fruit above | 0.5 | ‡ | <1 g | <0.1 |
| Soy products | 0.2 | 0.1 | 1.2 | ND | ND | ‡ | See legumes | See legumes | |
| Oils and solid fats, total, g | 46 | 70 | 31 | ND | ND | ND | ‡ | ND | ND |
| Margarines and spreads | 7 | 22 | 4 | ND | ND | ND | ‡ | ND | ND |
| Salad dressing, mayonnaise | 20 | 10 | 17 | ND | ND | ND | ‡ | ND | ND |
| Cooking oils, except olive oil | 11 | 13 | 2 | ND | ND | ND | ‡ | ND | ND |
| Olive oil | 8 | 25 | 8 | 40.3 | 19.0 | ND | ‡ | ND | ND |
| Added sugar, candy, g | 19 | 25 | 20 | 24.3 | ND | ND | ‡ | 7.7 | 3.4 |
| Alcohol, g | ND | ND | ND | 7.9 | 7.1 (Red wine) | 7.3 | ND | 30.0 (flavors and alcohol) | 7.8 (flavors and alcohol) |
This table was adapted, with several additions and modifications, from the 2010 Report of the Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee on the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, US Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, available at http://www.cnpp.usda.gov/DGAs2010-DGACReport.htm.10 DASH indicates Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension; ND, not described.
Values are based on the average (mean) consumption levels in the population, not on the optimal consumption levels for a traditional Mediterranean diet.
Adjusted to an average 2000 kcal/d diet.
Vegetarian diets are defined only by what is not consumed (ie, meats and, variably, dairy, eggs, and/or fish). Thus, although many vegetarians tend to be health-conscious and may consume higher amounts of fruits, vegetables, nuts, and legumes, what actually is consumed can vary considerably and no typical vegetarian diet can be reliably defined.