Oldways is a food and nutrition education nonprofit inspiring individuals and organizations to embrace the healthy, sustainable joys of the “old ways” of eating—heritage-based diets high in taste, nourishment, sustainability, and joy.
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From introducing the first Mediterranean Diet Pyramid in 1993 to launching the first nationwide African Heritage and Health cooking and nutrition curriculum in 2011, Oldways has been ahead of the curve in helping people rediscover the goodness of diverse cultural food traditions.
As food policy adapts to meet the changing needs of consumers, government and food industry experts turn to Oldways for guidance to protect culturally important foods like raw milk cheese and to ensure high standards of nutrition are clearly communicated to consumers.
With more than three decades of experience bringing travelers to under-the-radar Mediterranean and global destinations, Oldways is an expert source for information on regional cuisines and culinary tourism.
If you’ve ever cooked with olive oil or looked for the Whole Grain Stamp while shopping, you’ve likely felt the impact of Oldways’ work. Today, more than 13,000 products worldwide bear the Whole Grain Stamp, and thousands of people have improved their health through Oldways’ culturally-inspired cooking and nutrition curricula.
The Plant Forward Plates program offers a Plant Forward Toolkit for food service professionals, which helps them provide delicious, therapeutic, 100% plant-based meal options in hospital and healthcare food service settings.
“Oldways’ stated mission is to inspire people to embrace ‘the old ways of eating’ and has long offered trips that explore a region’s food, wine and culinary traditions… experiencing the destination the way the chefs do.” –Travel Weekly
“The new African heritage food pyramid is one of several diet pyramids that Oldways has designed to target specific cultural groups. The idea is that generally, people are more likely to adopt recommendations if they are put into the context of foods they actually eat. The heritage angle is also a way to encourage people to try new things their ancestors might have eaten, and avoid diseases their ancestors never had.” —NPR
“Oldways, a Boston-based organization, has been trying for decades. It first developed a Mediterranean food pyramid in 1993 and has since created charts for African, Latin American, and Asian diets, as well as ones for vegetarians and vegans. It also offers classes, such as a six-week Taste of African heritage program. ” —Kaiser Health News
