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Updated: Jul 13, 2026
04:46
'Boden Food Plate': Novel Interactive Web-based Method for the Assessment of Dietary Intake
Published on: September 18, 2018
Omnivorous and plant-based dietary patterns: a comparative analysis using data-driven and index-based approaches.
Eduardo Casas-Albertos1,2,3, Noelia María Rodríguez-Martín4, Ángela Alcalá-Santiago1,2,3
1Department of Nutrition and Food Science, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Granada, Campus Universitario de Cartuja s/n., 18071, Granada, Spain.
European Journal of Nutrition
|July 11, 2026
Summary
Plant-based diets (PBDs) feature higher intakes of legumes, vegetables, nuts, and whole grains compared to omnivorous diets. Some omnivores also adopt PBD characteristics, showing similar food choices.
Area of Science:
- Nutritional Science
- Dietary Pattern Analysis
Background:
- Plant-based diets (PBDs) are increasingly popular globally.
- Understanding the dietary profiles of PBD followers is crucial for public health and nutrition research.
Purpose of the Study:
- To characterize the dietary profile of plant-based diet (PBD) followers.
- To compare PBDs with the omnivorous (OMN) diet using various analytical methods.
Main Methods:
- Cross-sectional study of 760 participants (161 PBDs).
- Food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) assessing 175 foods, adjusted for energy intake.
- Comparison of 32 food groups using Kruskal-Wallis and post-hoc tests; adherence to a priori patterns (Pro-vegetarian, Mediterranean, EAT-Lancet); a posteriori pattern analysis using Principal Component Analysis (PCA) and clustering.
Main Results:
- PBD groups showed significantly higher intakes of legumes, vegetables/mushrooms, nuts, and whole grains per 1000 kcal compared to OMN (p < 0.001).
- A priori dietary indices were higher in PBD groups (p < 0.001).
- PCA identified PBD-like, unhealthy, and mixed animal-PBD patterns. A subgroup of PBD-like OMN individuals exhibited lower intakes of animal products and higher intakes of plant-based foods.
Conclusions:
- Dietary choices differ between PBDs and OMN diets beyond the mere exclusion of animal products.
- PBDs share common dietary characteristics despite their diversity.
- Some omnivorous individuals exhibit dietary patterns similar to PBDs.
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