Application of a Modified Healthy Eating Index (HEI-Flex) to Compare the Diet Quality of Flexitarians, Vegans and Omnivores in Germany

• Published in: Nutrients 2022-07, Vol.14 (15), p.3038
• Main Authors: Bruns, Anja, Mueller, Mattea, Schneider, Inga, Hahn, Andreas
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Blood pressure; Body mass index; Diet; Dietary guidelines; Eating; Energy; Food intake; Meat; Meat products; Metabolism; Nutrition; Nutrition research; Nutritionists; Omnivores; Plant-based foods; Questionnaires; Veganism; Vegetarianism
• ISSN: 2072-6643; 2072-6643
• DOI: 10.3390/nu14153038

Interest in plant-based nutrition has steadily increased in the western world in the recent years. The number of people following a meat-reduced, flexitarian diet is growing continuously. However, little is known about the diet quality of flexitarians compared to vegans or omnivores. Therefore, in this cross-sectional study, the food intake of 94 participants aged between 25–45 years was recorded via a validated food frequency questionnaire and 28 self-designed questions about the consumption of plant-based alternatives. An adapted Healthy Eating Index, HEI-flex, was developed to evaluate the diet quality of flexitarians, vegans and omnivores. Higher score points (SP) of the HEI-flex are associated with higher compliance with the official diet recommendations (Vmax = 100 SP). Finally, flexitarians scored significantly more highly when compared to omnivores (54 ± 8 vs. 47 ± 9 SP; p = 0.008) but lower than vegans (54 ± 8 vs. 61 ± 10 SP; p = 0.010). The results showed that the HEI-flex is a useful tool for assessing and comparing the diet quality of flexitarians, vegans and omnivores. Despite the consumption of highly processed plant-based alternatives, reduction in meat and meat products seems to be accompanied by increased overall diet quality.