A survey of 51,703 adults from 1999 to 2020 found that diet quality in the U.S. improved a bit, at least in people who don’t struggle to get enough to eat.
Participants were surveyed on their typical dietary intake. Their responses were compared to the American Heart Association (AHA) 2020 continuous diet score (which is based on higher intake of vegetables, fruits, legumes, whole grains, nuts/seeds, and fish and shellfish). Less than 40 percent adherence to the AHA score was considered poor diet quality, 40 to 79.9 percent was intermediate, and at least 80 percent adherence was ideal.
The proportion of U.S. adults with poor diet quality decreased from 48.9 percent in 1999 to 37.4 percent in 2020. The proportion with intermediate quality diets increased from 50.6 to 61.1 percent. The proportion of U.S. adults reporting eating an ideal diet more than doubled (from 0.66 percent to 1.58 percent) but is still extremely low. Diet quality did not improve for people experiencing food insecurity.
We are headed in the right direction but have a long way to go. You can choose low or minimally processed plant foods and fish/shellfish in place of less healthy, more processed choices more often. Let’s keep those percentages improving!
A wide variety of healthy dishes can be made from foods in your pantry and freezer.