Australians’ diets are worse than first thought, scoring only 59 out of 100 in the largest ever survey of its kind.  The 2016 CSIRO Healthy Diet Score canvassed the dietary habits of more than 86,500 adults across the country over a 12-month period, surveying more than double the amount of people as last year, when the nation scored 61 points.  “We have an image of being fit and healthy, but with a collective diet score of 59 out of 100, that image could be very different unless we act now,” CSIRO research director Manny Noakes said.  On the range of measures surveyed, Australians scored best on fruit consumption, with 49% meeting the recommended intake.  Of greatest concern was consumption of junk foods.  Just 1% of respondents ate none, while more than one in three reported eating more than the recommended maximum allowance.  “We find that there is often a tendency to underreport on certain types of food, so in all likelihood that figure is even higher,” Noakes said.  Women had better nutritional levels than men, scoring 60 out of 100 versus 56, and one in three adults actively avoid at least one of gluten, dairy or meat.  Construction workers are among those with the poorest diets, while public servants, real estate agents and health industry workers reported some of the healthiest eating patterns.  Noakes urged Australians to “halve the bad and double the good”.  “In other words, halve the amount of discretionary food you eat and double your vegetable intake,” she said.  “If we can raise our collective score by just over 10 points, we help Australia mitigate against the growing rates of obesity and lifestyle diseases such as heart disease, type 2 diabetes and a third of all cancers.”
Survey of 86,500 adults debunks nation’s image as ‘fit and healthy’, with Australians advised to double vegetable intake