black and nearly 60% were women. Their health and diets were followed over 30 years.
People who made the greatest improvement in dietary quality from early to middle adulthood cut their odds of diabetes by almost two-thirds compared to those whose diet quality declined slightly, the study found.
What constitutes a quality diet? Researchers said it’s one that contains more “nutritionally rich, plant-centered” foods.
The study’s lead author, Yuni Choi, a doctoral candidate at the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities in St. Paul, said a plant-centered diet is high “in natural plant foods, low in highly processed plant foods and generally low in animal-based foods.”
So, vegetables, fruits and whole grains get a thumbs-up, but white bread and white rice get