It could also reveal areas ripe for innovation for manufacturers eager to meet growing consumer demand for global flavors, culturally relevant and better-for-you, yet still convenient, global flavors and foods and beverages.
“The Mediterranean diet is a well-studied cultural pattern of healthy eating, but research on healthy patterns from other cultures and cuisines has been limited”—hindering the development of evidence-based, culturally appropriate dietary guidance that could help reduce health disparities across demographics, write the study’s researchers, led by Kelly LeBlanc, vice president of nutrition programs at Oldways, a nonprofit organization dedicated to food and nutrition.
She told FoodNavigator-USA that nutrition professionals intuitively understand that different cultures and cuisines have useful components, and they want to honor and respect their clients’ cultural traditions by offering advice through these different perspectives — but there is currently no common language or sufficient evidence-based research on different cultural diets like there is for the Mediterranean diet.
Establishing a common language and basic framework around different traditional diets can help researchers systematically and scientifically document and measure their health impacts and create evidence-based recommendations that value cuisines and their benefits, she added.
In examining traditional Latin American, Asian and African diets as cultural models of healthy eating, LeBlanc stressed that the researchers were “not pitting one diet or group against another” and “not saying you have to eat a certain way because of your cultural or ethnic background.”
At the same time, she added, researchers wanted to show that diet-related illnesses, which are currently more prevalent among demographic subgroups in the United States, are not inherent to their culture or heritage. But rather that there are many healthy and tasty foods that are part of their heritage.
“The goal is really to signal that there are multiple pathways to good health and well-being” and to encourage people “to look at these wonderful choices that are available to us and hopefully find something that inspires them and that they connect with,” LeBlanc said.
Cultural diets share common patterns with different specific ingredients and flavors
Looking at the traditional diets of Latin America, Asia, and Africa, researchers found that each followed a “core-fringe-legumes” pattern “consisting of unrefined carbohydrate foods, such as whole grains or tubers, as the base (core) of the meal, as well as vegetables and small amounts of meats, sauces or fish (fringes) and legumes, which add flavor and variety,” according to the study.
“Whether we look at diets of Latin American origin, diets of African origin, or diets of Asian origin, we see a strong emphasis on plant-based foods and, although each pattern appears similar in one part of the globe to another, what seems different is the specific ingredients,” LeBlanc said.
She explained: “One place might have been more inclined to cook with black beans, while another place might have felt more inclined to cook with lentils than another place which might have been more inclined to cook with pigeon peas. So we look at similarities in patterns, but also differences in foods and flavors.
Source: Oldways, www.oldwayspt.org.
With this in mind and recognizing that there are substantial variations in diets within large geographic areas, researchers have found that traditional Latin American diets tend to be based on whole grains (primarily corn) and beans, as well as fruits and vegetables, including peppers and tomatoes. , avocado, potatoes, pineapple, passion fruit, carrots and zucchini, and sometimes seafood.
“Many ingredients now popularized as ‘superfoods,’ such as quinoa, amaranth, chia seeds, and acai berries, originated in Central and South America,” the researchers add. .
Higher intake of fiber from black beans is associated with better heart and metabolic health, while higher intake of fruits and whole grains and lower intake of added sugar and refined grains or added fats are associated with lower inflammation, the study reports.
Despite the differences between East, Southeast, and South Asian cultures, researchers have discovered common eating habits among traditional Asian diets, including high consumption of vegetables, vegetarian protein sources, such as tofu, legumes and nuts, and whole grains, such as millet and barley. . Fermented foods are also common in these cuisines.
Consumption of traditional Asian foods is associated with higher fiber intake, which may help prevent chronic diseases. Similarly, high intakes of soy, fish, n-3 fatty acids and green tea, and low intakes of red meat and saturated fats are associated with lower risks of certain cancers, heart disease and type 2 diabetes, the study found.
The African diet is found in four major regions—continental Africa, the southern United States, the Caribbean, and South America—and includes green vegetables, black-eyed peas, okra, yams, pepper sauces, and seafood; whole grains such as corn; and limited dairy products, meat, sweets, bread, and eggs. Teff, millet, and sorghum are also important grains.
These foods are associated with lower risks of hypertension, breast cancer – especially the more aggressive estrogen receptor-negative forms –, reduced colon inflammation, and increased diversity of gut bacteria. , according to the study.
Call to action: Keep an open mind and rely on research
The study provides a starting point for defining traditional diets across different geographic regions and cultures, but more research is needed to create evidence-based guidance, LeBlanc said.
“We need to continue to move this field forward. We would like to see more research into these different cultural traditions and more open-mindedness” in providing culturally appropriate nutrition programs and counseling, LeBlanc said.
Packaged food and beverage manufacturers can participate by creating foods and improving supply chains for ingredients that are culturally relevant and offer health benefits.
