The Healthy Eating Index

Abstract

T he role of nutrition and diet in reducing the risk of certain chronic diseases, such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes mellitus, and some forms of cancer, has been well documented. The Dietary Guidelines and Food Guide Pyramid recommend the selection of foods from a variety of food groups, the choice of a diet that is low in fat, saturated fat, and cholesterol, and moderate use of salt and sodium. The average American diet does not meet these recommendations. The American diet is high in total fat and saturated fat and low in fiber and complex carbohydrates. In addition, there has been no regular reporting of how well Americans have been doing in improving consumption patterns. Thus, USDA developed the Healthy Eating Index to provide a single summary measure of dietary quality. Prior to this, some instruments had been developed which evaluated specific diet components such as fat and cholesterol. Few instruments have been developed, however, which assess overall dietary quality