We’ve been bombarded over the past few years with reasons why the vaunted Mediterranean Diet is just about the best thing you can do for your body. But recently, challengers have surfaced. Now, it’s something called the AHEI…
A Galacian/Atlantic Diet smorgasbord: At least as effective as the vaunted
Mediterranean Diet in promoting health, wellness, and longevity. But
one step behind the new Alternative Healthy Eating Index?
It’s not so much a specific eating regime as it is, “a science-backed scoring system developed by leading universities to evaluate diet quality based on its ability to reduce chronic disease risk and promote healthy aging.”
30 years in the making
The Alternative Healthy Eating Index (AHEI) is a set of rules and guidelines – principles – designed to let you evaluate what you’re eating (or planning to eat) against the latest ‘best practices’ for ‘support-ing longevity and disease prevention’.
According to a Food & Wine digest of the study report, “A 30-year study of 105,000 adults found that only 1 in 10 people aged in a ‘healthy’ way—maintaining cognitive function, mental health, and phy-sical mobility into their 70s — and all followed a diet aligned with AHEI principles.
Many similarities
“The AHEI is a scoring system developed by Harvard University, the University of Copenhagen, and the University of Montreal to assess diet quality based on foods and nutrients predictive of chronic disease risk,” the F&W abstract explains.”It emphasizes whole grains, fruits, vegetables, nuts, legumes, and healthy fats, while minimizing red and processed meats, sugar-sweetened beverages, and trans fats”
Sure does sound similar to the Med Diet and the vast majority of official ‘Food Guides’ and ‘Daily Recomendations’ from governments across the Western ‘developed’ world…
Different approach
But it differs markedly in its approach: “Compared to the Mediterranean and other popular diets, the AHEI is more structured and predictive, emphasizing whole, plant-based foods, healthy fats, and reduced intake of processed meats and sugary foods to support longevity and disease prevention.”
“The AHEI is a shift from ‘are you eating enough fruits?’ to ‘are you eating in a way that predicts better health outcomes?’” says Kristen Lorenz, RD, a registered dietitian who specializes in longevity and metabolic health. “Think of it as a precision tool for diet quality, rather than just a checklist.”
What it is
Above all, the AEHI is more specific than other Med-like eating regimes you’re used to seeing. Sarah Rueven, RDN, a registered dietitian and founder of Rooted Wellness, explains it’s ‘an index that assigns ratings to foods linked to lowering your risk of chronic diseases such as cancer, heart disease, and diabetes’.
The AHEI Diet emphasizes four central tenets:
- A high intake of vegetables, fruits, whole grains (like oatmeal, brown rice, and quinoa), nuts, and legumes (like beans and peas),
- A high intake of healthy fats, particularly from unsaturated sources (like avocado, olive oil, seeds, and fish),
- Moderate alcohol consumption… And,
- Limited intake of red and processed meat, sugar-sweetened beverages (like soda and flavored coffee), sodium, and trans fat (like baked goods, fried foods, and vegetable oils)
Also unlike other contemporary eating regimes, the AEHI concentrates more on quanity and proportions as it does on quality.
The AHEI, “suggests aiming for five servings of vegetables a day, four servings of fruit, five to six servings of whole grains, and at least one serving each day of nuts, legumes, and vegetable protein (such as edamame, lentils, asparagus, and sweet corn),” Lauren Benser, RD, a registered dietitian and founder of Lauren Benser Nutrition points out.
My take
The AEHI will deliver exactly what folks who thrive on detailed instructions rather than ‘recommendations’ or ‘guidelines’ are looking in a set of rules and its checklist-like structure. Whatever floats your boat. For the rest of us, it may represent the next level of insights about why eating regimes such the Med, the Blue Zones and the recently spotlighted African Diet work the way they do…
~ Maggie J.