.  Focused on the nutrition needs of the US population, the guidance has evolved over the years adapting to changing health concerns and advancements in nutrition science. The food pyramids of the late 90s and early 2000s have grown into MyPlate, a visual tool to help people understand how to build a healthier plate.

As we consider the foundations of a healthy diet, food pyramids and healthy eating plates are important tools to highlight the cornerstones of a healthy, balanced diet.  However, MyPlate is just one of many tools to encourage healthy eating.

Around the world, cultures have flourished following traditional eating patterns that focus on the resources available to them.  While fad diets restrict whole food groups and can be hard to sustain over time, traditional diets have sustained populations for generations.  Oldways, an organization that looks to the past to explore how food has nourished people over generations, has documented several heritage diets with long-practiced health-promoting dietary practices. 

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

African Diaspora is the dispersion of African peoples to various parts of the world, largely due to the Transatlantic Slave Trade.  As staple crops, agricultural knowledge and cooking techniques traditional to these African cultures combined with local influences of the Caribbean, South America and the American South, the African Heritage Diet emerged. With a focus vegetables, especially leafy greens, beans, starchy tubers and whole grains, the pattern also incorporates spice and flavor, from peppers, coconut, herbs, garlic, citrus and curries.

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 an amalgam 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 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

·         Share meals together to build social connections and remain active

Incorporating what is shared across these heritage diets can serve as a guide as we look to create our own healthy eating patterns.