Table 1 Rotated factor loading in four major dietary patterns^a

1

Fresh fruits (cantaloupe, melon, watermelon, pear, apricot, cherry, apple, peach, nectarine, plum, fig, grape, kiwi, grapefruit, orange)

2

Fruit Juices (grapefruit juice, orange juice, apple juice, cantaloupe juice, canned fruit)

3

High fat dairy products (high fat milk, cocoa milk, strained yogurt, high fat yogurt, traditional ice cream, other ice creams)

4

Low fat dairy products (low fat milk, skim milk, low fat yogurt, doogh (traditional yogurt drink))

5

Creamy dairy products (creamy cheese, creamy yogurt, cream, butter)

6

Olive products (fresh olive, olive oil)

7

Raw vegetables (lettuce, tomato, cucumber, leek, parsley, scallion, basil, carrot, raw spinach, bell pepper)

8

Whole cereals (barley, oatmeal, corn (all types))

9

Nuts and seeds (peanuts, walnuts, almonds, pistachios, hazelnuts, sunflower seeds)

10

Onion, garlic and cabbage (raw onion, garlic, pepper (red and black), cabbage (all types)

11

Dried fruits (dried figs, raisins, dates, dried berries, dried apricots, dried peaches)

12

Red meats (beef, Lamb meat, minced lamb, sheep’s tongue, broth)

13

Legumes (lentil, pinto bean, pigeon pea, broad bean, mung bean, soybean)

14

Pickles and sauces (ketchup, traditional pickles, sour lemon juice)

15

Salt and salty snacks (salt, salty popcorn, chips)

16

Cakes and sweets (biscuit, cracker, tea cake, creamy cake, other cakes, sugar, tablet sugar, honey)

17

Organ Meats (tripe, sheep brain, leg of lamb, heart and liver of lamb, sausage)

18

Fats and oils (animal fat, mayonnaise, hydrogenated oil, cooking oils, margarine)

19

White meats (chicken, fish (all types), shrimp)

20

Traditional breads (Lavash, Barbari, Sangak, Taftoon)

21

Cooked vegetables (squash, stewed vegetables, eggplant, zucchini, celery, boiled carrot, fried onion, cooked spinach, mushroom, turnip)

22

Other cereals and starch sources (rice, pasta, potato, French fries, vermicelli, traditional vermicelli (Reshte))

23

White breads (baguette bread, toast, wheat flour)

24

Cheese and whey (cheese (all types), traditional whey (Kashk))

25

Tea and coffee (tea (all types), coffee (all types))

Variance explained (%)