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Topical Area: Methods

Methods (Poster Session)

(P26-024-23) Novel Methodology To Evaluate the Diet Quality of Simulated Food Patterns With Reduced Animal Protein Content: Analysis of Meal Data From NHANES 2017–2018

Monday, July 24, 2023
12:45 PM – 1:45 PM ET
Location: Poster Board 380

    Presenting Author(s)

  • Maria F. Vasiloglou, Dr.

    Associate Specialist in Nutritional Epidemiology
    Nestlé Institute of Health Sciences, Nestlé Research
    Lausanne, Vaud, Switzerland

    • Co-Author(s)

  • PE

    Paloma Elortegui Pascual

    Nestlé Institute of Health Science, Nestlé Research

  • ES

    Eric Scuccimarra

    Nestlé Institute of Health Sciences, Nestlé Research

  • RP

    Roko Plestina

    Nestlé Institute of Health Sciences, Nestlé Research

  • FM

    Fabio Mainardi

    Nestlé Institute of Health Sciences, Nestlé Research

  • TM

    Tsz-Ning Mak, PhD

    Nutrition Epidemiology Specialist
    Nestlé Institute of Health Science Singapore Hub
    Lausanne, Vaud, Switzerland

  • FR

    Frédéric Ronga

    Nestlé Institute of Health Sciences, Nestlé Research

  • AD

    Adam Drewnowski

    Center for Public Health Nutrition, University of Washington

Disclosure(s):
Maria F. Vasiloglou, Dr.: No relevant financial relationship(s) with ineligible companies to disclose.


Objectives: The nutritional consequences of progressively replacing meat products with plant-based foods need to be systematically evaluated. Modeling analyses provides some insight into predicted food consumption and nutritional adequacy of plant-based diets. The objective was to develop a novel methodology to simulate flexitarian, pescatarian, and vegetarian food patterns and evaluate their diet quality.

Methods: Information on meals consumed by participants was obtained from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2017-2018 and used to create 100 7-day meal plans subject to various nutrient and food group optimization criteria. Omnivore (reference diet), flexitarian, pescatarian, and vegetarian diets were modeled using Mixed Integer Linear Programming. The flexitarian diet involved a gradual reduction of animal protein by 25%, 50%, and 75%. Further constraints ensured that modeled food patterns were within 25th and 75th percentiles of the usual dietary intakes, and energy levels were within specified ranges. The diet quality of the modeled food patterns was determined by the Healthy Eating Index 2015 (HEI-2015).

Results: Modeled vegetarian, pescatarian and flexitarian food patterns scored higher on the HEI-2015 compared to the modeled omnivore diet. The vegetarian modeled food pattern obtained the highest HEI-2015 score. The modeled flexitarian patterns, with 25 to 75% reduction in animal protein, are promising options for those seeking to reduce their animal protein intake while supporting the transition from omnivore to fully plant-based diets.

Conclusions: This modelling approach demonstrates improvements in diet quality with flexitarian food patterns, showing promise for consumers interested in reducing, but not eliminating, animal protein from their diets. This methodology could be applied to evaluate nutrient and diet quality of different dietary patterns with various constraints.

Funding Sources: This work was supported by Nestlé Research, Lausanne, Switzerland.