The Vegetarian, Asian, and Mediterranean diets emphasize whole foods, with grains, vegetables, fruits and legumes as the foundation of their nutrition pyramid. However, the Vegetarian diet excludes all animal protein, while the Asian and Mediterranean diets allow very small amounts of meat monthly, and both the Asian and Mediterranean diets consume fish several times per week. The Mediterranean diet includes more oil and dairy products than does the Asian diet. All of them allow, perhaps even recommend moderate amounts of alcohol. And, they all emphasize drinking water and regular exercise.

Harvard’s Healthy Eating Food Pyramid and “5 Quick Tips” seems to summarize these healthy nutrition strategies very well.

1. Start with exercise. A healthy diet is built on a base of regular exercise, which keeps calories in balance and weight in check.

2. Focus on food, not grams. The Healthy Eating Pyramid doesn’t worry about specific servings or grams of food, so neither should you. It’s a simple, general guide to how you should eat when you eat.

3. Go with plants. Eating a plant-based diet is healthiest. Choose plenty of vegetables, fruits, whole grains, and healthy fats, like olive and canola oil.

4. Cut way back on American staples. Red meat, refined grains, potatoes, sugary drinks, and salty snacks are part of American culture, but they’re also really unhealthy. Go for a plant-based diet rich in non-starchy vegetables, fruits, and whole grains. And if you eat meat, fish and poultry are the best choices.

5. Take a multivitamin, and maybe have a drink. Taking a multivitamin can be a good nutrition insurance policy. Moderate drinking for many people can have real health benefits, but it’s not for everyone. Those who don’t drink shouldn’t feel that they need to start…”

(source: – Harvard School of Public Health.)

(You can download a PDF file with the Harvard Healthy Eating Food Pyramid here.)