American eating habits can be categorised into five distinct patterns strongly correlated with factors like age, race, gender, and region, according to researchers who presented their findings at an American Heart Association (AHA) meeting in San Diego this week.

The eating patterns or “food groups”, derived from a survey of more than 21 600 black and white adults aged 45 and older, revealed Americans’ tendency to eat one of the following: Southern fare, ethnic foods, healthy eats, sweets or alcohol.

Study author Suzanne Judd, PhD, says that unlike current nutritional guidelines, which are based on single foods and nutrients, these new food groups better represent how people eat, information she says will help researchers understand the role of diet in health and disease disparities.

One of the strongest associations they found was that blacks were more likely than whites to eat a “southern” diet, characterised by fried and processed meats, and sugar-sweetened drinks. Other groups found to be more likely to eat this kind of diet included men, those who lived in the south-eastern United States, and those with lower incomes and less education.

The other patterns were identified as “traditional”, which featured Chinese and Mexican foods, pasta dishes, pizza, soup and other mixed dishes including frozen or take-out meals; a “healthy” pattern was defined as a diet mostly based on grains, fruit and vegetables; “sweets” featured large amounts of sweet snacks and desserts; and “alcohol” included proteins, alcohol, and salads.

“We believe focusing research on dietary patterns better represents how people eat, compared to single foods or nutrients,” said Judd, assistant professor of biostatistics at the University of Alabama-Birmingham…..

FoodNavigator-USA.com: Read the full article