It could also reveal areas of innovation for manufacturers looking to meet growing consumer demand for global flavors, culturally relevant and healthier yet convenient foods and beverages.
“The Mediterranean diet is a well-studied cultural pattern of healthy eating, but research on healthy patterns in other cultures and cuisines has been limited” — hampering the development of evidence-based, culturally appropriate dietary guidance that could help address health disparities across demographic groups, write the study’s researchers, led by Kelly LeBlanc, vice president of nutrition programming at the food and nutrition nonprofit Oldways.
She told FoodNavigator-USA that nutrition professionals intuitively understand that different cultures and cuisines have useful elements, and they want to honor and respect their clients’ cultural traditions by offering advice through these different lenses — but there is currently no common language or sufficient research evidence based on different cultural diets, as 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, the researchers wanted to show that diet-related diseases, which are currently more prevalent among demographic subgroups in the United States, are not inherent to their culture or heritage. Rather, 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 the wonderful choices available to us and, hopefully, to find something that inspires you and that you connect with,” LeBlanc said. said.
Cultural diets share common patterns with different specific ingredients and flavors
Looking at traditional diets from Latin America, Asia and Africa, the researchers found that each followed a “core-fringe-legume” pattern “consisting of unrefined carbohydrate foods, such as whole grains or tubers, as the base (core) of the meal, along with 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 Latin American diets, African diets or Asian diets, we see a strong emphasis on plant-based foods, and while each pattern looks similar across the globe, 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, are native to 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 found common eating patterns in 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, research suggests that high intakes of soy, fish, n-3 fatty acids, and green tea, as well as low intakes of red meat and saturated fats, are associated with lower risks of certain cancers, heart disease, and type 2 diabetes.
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 – particularly 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 of 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.
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