National Survey on the British Diet

Mon 13th Aug, 2012 - 9:02am by Emma Cockrell

Nutrigold comments on the National Diet and Nutrition Survey:

A government national survey has shown that the British diet is still falling well below the minimum standard set to avoid illness. Bearing in mind that these results are based on government recommendations for dietary intake that are often well below optimum levels required for good health, the situation may be even worse than the Department of Health reports. The findings reveal:

• VEGETABLES: Only 1 in 10 children and a third of adults are getting their 5 a day
• OILS AND FATS: We are eating a third of the oily fish recommended for children and adults, while exceeding the recommended levels for saturated fat
• SUGAR: Our sugar intake is considerably higher than recommended, especially in 11-18 year olds
• VITAMINS: 13% of teenagers are severely deficient in vitamin A and 21% of teenagers are especially low in riboflavin
• Up to 20% of men, women and children all showed vitamin D deficiency below the government’s lower threshold for adequacy
• MINERALS: Teenagers are eating mineral-deficient diets
• Both women and teenage girls are lacking iron – in fact 23% of women aged 19-64 and 46% or girls aged 11-18 have severe deficiencies. As a result, 3.3% of women aged 19-64 and 5.6% of teenage girls have evidence of iron-deficient anaemia and low iron stores

We need good nutrition at any stage of life to prevent illness and keep us feeling full of beans. For children and teenagers, who are still developing, optimal nutrition is critical for their future health, fertility, vitality and sense of wellbeing. The fact that only 1 in 10 of them are eating 5 portions of fruit and vegetables a day, that their oily fish intake is well below par and their sugar intake far above recommendations is of concern. The levels of nutritional deficiency for children and adults alike goes a long way towards explaining the rising levels of cancer, heart disease, diabetes and other chronic diseases.

A Nutritionhelp protocol ensures that the diet is one that encourages rather than discourages good health. The pace of modern life may also mean that nutrient status needs further support with a tailor-made supplement programme, which is also included in a Nutritionhelp report.