Table 1.
Dichotomization of the frequency of dietary intake.
| Frequency of Dietary Intake | Score Given to Each Category * | Dichotomized Score |
|---|---|---|
| Meat | ||
| 1–2 times/week | 4 | Optimal |
| <1 time/week | 3 | |
| Never/rarely | 2 | Non-optimal |
| ≥3 times/week | 1 | |
| Fish and Seafood | ||
| 1–2 times/week | 4 | Optimal |
| ≥3 times/week | 3 | |
| <1 time/week | 2 | Non-optimal |
| Never/rarely | 1 | |
| Vegetables | ||
| Daily | 4 | Optimal |
| 3–5 times/week | 3 | |
| 1–2 times/week | 2 | Non-optimal |
| <1 time/week | 1 | |
| Cereals | ||
| Daily | 4 | Optimal |
| 3–5 times/week | 3 | |
| 1–2 times/week | 2 | Non-optimal |
| <1 time/week | 1 | |
| Fruits | ||
| Daily | 4 | Optimal |
| 3–5 times/week | 3 | |
| 1–2 times/week | 2 | Non-optimal |
| <1 time/week | 1 | |
| Legumes | ||
| 1–2 times/week | 4 | Optimal |
| <1 time/week | 3 | |
| Never/rarely | 2 | Non-optimal |
| ≥3 times/week | 1 | |
| Olive oil | ||
| Daily | 4 | Optimal |
| 3–5 times/week | 3 | |
| 1–2 times/week | 2 | Non-optimal |
| <1 time/week | 1 | |
| Alcohol | ||
| 0–2 glasses of wine/day | 4 | Optimal |
| No consumption | 3 | |
| 3–4 glasses of wine/day | 2 | Non-optimal |
| >4 glasses of wine/day | 1 | |
| Dairy | ||
| Nonfat milk/low-fat milk and low-fat cheese | 4 | Optimal |
| Nonfat milk and white or yellow cheese | 3 | |
| Full-fat milk and white or yellow cheese | 2 | Non-optimal |
| Low-fat milk and white or yellowcheese/full-fat milk and low-fatcheese | 1 | |
| Bread | ||
| Whole-grain bread | 4 | Optimal |
| Combination of white and whole-grain bread | 3 | |
| White bread | 2 | Non-optimal |
| No consumption | 1 | |
| Elderly Dietary Index (Total Score) | ||
| ≥32 points | 3 | Moderate-to-high |
| 29–31 points | 2 | |
| 10–28 points | 1 | Low |
*Higher score is associated with healthier dietary intake.