This headline is no surprise to readers of this blog. Almost all of us can improve our nutritional habits.MedPage Today reports that according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, “Americans are still falling short of national dietary recommendations, eating too many sweets and not enough vegetables and whole grains.”
On the Healthy Eating Index (HEI-2005), “a national … index that measured compliance with US dietary guidelines from 2005, the average overall diet score was only about 60 points out of 100 – ‘indicating Americans’ diets need improvement,’ Bethene Ervin, PhD, RD, wrote in a National Health Statistics Report.”
MedPage Today explains that the HEI-2005 “assesses specific intake of various nutritional categories, including whole fruits, dark green and orange vegetables, whole grains, milk, meat and beans, oils, fats, sodium, alcohol, and added sugar.”