Aussies Urged To "Halve Junk Food Consumption And Double Vegetable Intake"

Australian diets are well below benchmark, and things only seem to be getting worse.

The 2016 CSIRO Healthy Diet Score report surveyed more than 86,500 adults across the country, over a 12 month period. Out of a possible score of 100, most respondents ended up with a score of 59.

Professor Manny Noakes, CSIRO research director - and co-author of the report - warns that despite our image of being fit and healthy, a collective diet score of 59 out of 100 means that image could change very quickly, unless action is taken now.

The greatest concern is (yup, you guessed it) junk food.

Only one per cent of respondents indicated they were abstaining from junk food, and more than one-third admitted to eating more than the recommended maximum allowance.

"We find that there is often a tendency to under-report on certain types of food, so in all likelihood that figure is even higher," Professor Noakes said.

Uh oh, the scientists are on to us.

The report also highlighted differences in nutritional levels across various professions. Public servants, real estate agents and health industry workers had the healthiest eating patterns, while construction workers were among those with the poorest diets.

CSIRO Research Dietitian Dr Jane Bowen attributed their poorer diets to their work environment.

"They physically work very hard so are very hungry, but there is not always easy access to healthy food and problems with storage," she said.

Fear not, for it isn't all doom and gloom!

If we can raise our collective score by just over ten points, Professor Noakes says we could "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."

Okay, but how can we achieve this?

“All people need to do is halve the bad and double the good," according to Noakes, "halve the amount of discretionary food you eat and double your vegetable intake.”

Next time, don't pass on the greens.

Photo: Giphy