HEALTHY EATING INDEX SHOWS ROOM FOR IMPROVEMENT

The Healthy Eating Index (HEI) measures the quality of Americans’ food choices. The USDA uses the HEI to see how closely we are following its Dietary Guidelines for Americans. The index assigns scores to diets on a scale in which the maximum score of 100 indicates that the diet meets all Dietary Guidelines recommendations. Nine of the index’s 12 components focus on the types of foods that Americans should eat more of, such as fruits, vegetables, dairy, and whole grains; 3 components focus on foods or nutrients that Americans should eat less of, including refined grains, sodium, and calories from solid fats and added sugars. HEI scores for 2007-08 averaged about 53.5 points. We seem to have room for improvement.

 

Source: USDA, 6/10/14, HEI