“Much of our food supply is plant-based, but it is usually highly processed and contains inferior ingredients like sugar or refined grains,” said senior author David R. Jacobs Jr., PhD.
“What we’re proposing is very similar to the US Nutrition Policy” and the Mediterranean Diet, but emphasizes “nutrient-dense” plant foods, says Jacobs, professor of public health in the Department of Epidemiology and Community Health at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis.
The group developed the APDQS score in 2007.
“Our results support the shift towards plant-centered eating patterns,” says Jacobs, repeating the authors of the “Portfolio Diet”.
“When you go to the supermarket and get your grocery bag, 70% of it should be high-nutrient plant foods like broccoli and frozen peas,” he advises.
“We really stress that it shouldn’t be a chore for people to eat this type of diet; it should be the type of diet they would choose.” [for taste] and even for convenience. “
This type of diet doesn’t focus on fat or carbohydrate intake, he notes.
“Rather, we emphasize the food and the combination of these foods into a tasty and healthy meal – that is our goal,” says Jacobs.
The APDQS’s top 20% group are those who made nutrient-dense plant-based foods a central part of their diet, but also ate some animal-based foods like uncooked poultry and low-fat dairy products, he says.
“In general, if you eat a lot of nutritious plant-based foods and those instead of meat are the center of your plate, you can have some of the more refined items,” and sugar and salt to taste, he says. But “there is so much salt in everything that industry and gastronomy prepare”, one has to be careful.
People should make nutritious plant-based foods a central part of their diet, adding small amounts of lean meat, fish, seafood, and dairy products from time to time, he says.
“We advise people against eating added sugar, sweet foods, soft drinks and high-fat meat, especially processed meat (e.g. ham, sausage, salami, etc.),” says Jacobs.
Comments are closed.