Foundation Diets from Around the World

Since 1980, the US Department of Agriculture and the US Department of Health and Human Services have published the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, which is meant to be used as a guide for health professionals and individuals to promote health and combat diet-related chronic diseases. The guidance provided—which is updated and republished every five years—has evolved over the years by adapting to changing health concerns and advancements in nutrition science. The food pyramids of the late 1990s and early 2000s, which served as a visual of the Dietary Guidelines recommendations, have grown into MyPlate, a tool to help people understand how to build a healthier plate at every meal.

While these guidelines are helpful for taking control of one’s health, these are just some of the many guides that can be used to form the foundation of one’s own healthy lifestyle.

Around the world, cultures have flourished following traditional eating patterns that focus on the resources available to them. While ‘fad diets’ can restrict whole food groups and be difficult to maintain over time, traditional eating patterns have sustained populations for generations. Oldways, an organization that looks to the past to explore nourishing food traditions, has documented several “heritage diets” that have demonstrated long-practiced health-promoting dietary patterns. 

Mediterranean Diet

Often heralded as an optimal eating pattern for overall health and longevity, the Mediterranean Diet focuses on the traditional eating patterns of those that live around the Mediterranean Sea. The diet relies heavily on vegetables, beans and legumes, olive oil, whole grains and seafood, with smaller amounts of fermented dairy and red meat. Fruit may end a meal rather than a heavy dessert and, beyond food, social connections and staying active are prioritized.

African Heritage Diet

The African Diaspora refers to the world-wide community of people of African descent. As staple crops, agricultural knowledge and cooking techniques traditional to various African cultures combined with local influences of the Caribbean, South America and the American South, the African Heritage Diet emerged. This eating pattern focuses on vegetables—especially leafy greens and starchy tubers—as well as beans and whole grains, while also incorporating spice and flavor from peppers, coconut, herbs, garlic, citrus, curries, and more.

Asian Heritage Diet

While dietary patterns, ingredients, and flavors vary across the countries of Asia, there are common practices that set the foundation for a balanced diet. Vegetables play a role in every meal, and soy features prominently as a plant-based protein in East Asian countries. Rice and noodles are common starches, and meat is eaten in smaller portions. Mindfulness and staying active are seen as priorities for overall health.

Latin American Heritage Diet

The Latin American Heritage diet is a blend of the traditions of indigenous South and Central American peoples with Spanish, Portuguese, and African influences. Known as the three sisters for their agricultural interdependence, corn, beans, and squash can be important staples in this diet. Whole grain, quinoa, and potatoes—along with taro and cassava—are prominent starches. Vegetables and tropical fruits are emphasized along with bold flavors from chili peppers and citrus. 

Health-Promoting Common Ground

While ingredients and cooking techniques differ, common ground is easy to identify across these long-practiced dietary patterns:

• Focus on whole foods, whether fruits, vegetables, legumes, or grains
• Prioritize vegetables and whole grains with smaller portions of meat, especially red meat
• Add legumes, nuts, and seeds for additional nutrient diversity, healthy fats, protein, and complex carbohydrates
• Use herbs and spices to impart flavors
• Sharing meals together to build social connections, as well as an importance in remaining active

When forming the foundation of one’s own eating patterns and health goals, the ingredients and practices shared across these heritage diets—in addition to the Dietary Guidelines provided for Americans to combat our most common diet-related health conditions—can act as building blocks to solidify that foundation.

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