title: Diet quality on meatless days: National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), 2007-2012.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To compare diet quality scores between adult non-meat eaters and meat eaters, and to compare the consumption of diet components across quintiles of diet quality.
  
  
  METHODS
  Cross-sectional analysis. The Healthy Eating Index-2010 (HEI-2010) and Alternative Healthy Eating Index-2010 (AHEI-2010) were used to assess mean diet quality. Differences in consumption of diet components between quintiles of diet quality were tested using post hoc Wald tests and z tests.
  
  
  METHODS
  The National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), 2007-2012.
  
  
  METHODS
  The sample consisted of 16810 respondents aged≥18 years, including 280 individuals who reported not consuming meat, poultry, game birds or seafood on two non-consecutive days of dietary recall. Dietary data were obtained from one dietary recall per individual.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Non-meat eaters had substantially greater HEI-2010 and AHEI-2010 scores than meat eaters (P<0·05). Among non-meat eaters, mean consumption across HEI-2010 quintiles demonstrated different (P<0·05) amounts of empty calories and unsaturated:saturated fatty acids. Mean consumption across AHEI-2010 quintiles demonstrated different (P<0·05) amounts of nuts and legumes, vegetables and PUFA.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Public health messages targeted at vegetarians and others who may choose to eat meat-free on certain days should emphasize decreased consumption of empty calories, and increased consumption of nuts and legumes, PUFA and vegetables, as a way to improve overall dietary quality.
authors.affiliation: 1US Department of Agriculture,Agricultural Research Service,Grand Forks Human Nutrition Research Center,2420 2nd Ave. N.,Grand Forks,ND 58203,USA.
authors.forename: Zach
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Conrad
authors.affiliation: 2Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy,Tufts University,Boston,MA,USA.
authors.forename: Micaela
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Karlsen
authors.affiliation: 3School of Medicine,Tufts University,Boston,MA,USA.
authors.forename: Kenneth
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Chui
authors.affiliation: 1US Department of Agriculture,Agricultural Research Service,Grand Forks Human Nutrition Research Center,2420 2nd Ave. N.,Grand Forks,ND 58203,USA.
authors.forename: Lisa
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Jahns
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D015992:Body Mass Index; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D000072001:Diet, Healthy; D014676:Diet, Vegetarian; D007887:Fabaceae; D005231:Fatty Acids, Unsaturated / Q000008:administration & dosage; D005260:Female; D063427:Food Quality; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008460:Meat; D011939:Mental Recall; D008875:Middle Aged; D009749:Nutrition Surveys; D009754:Nuts; D011634:Public Health; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D014675:Vegetables; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D005231:Fatty Acids, Unsaturated
keywords: Diet quality; Healthy Eating Index; Meat; Vegetarian