94 per cent of Australians aren't getting their recommended daily intake of fruit and vegetables, according to the latest data on dietary behaviours released by the Australia Bureau of Statistics this morning.
On average, “treats'' or extra foods such as chips, biscuits, pastries, soft drinks and alcohol contributed 36 per cent of the energy intake for adults and 40 per cent for children. One quarter of adults and one in 12 children aged between five and 12 years in Australia are obese.
In fact, 45 per cent (%) of Aussies are aware of the long-term benefits of eating fruit and veggies. However, the average adult gets 2.4 serves of veggies per day, while just over half eats the advised two serves of fruit.
Australia has strict biosecurity controls to help minimise the risk of pests and diseases entering the country.
Experts believe time constraints and cost are factors why some people are ditching their healthy eating habits. Floods and prolonged wet weather across eastern Australia have seen the cost of some vegetables such as iceberg lettuce skyrocket.
According to government data, young people aged between 18-24 and families with young children are the biggest wasters of food.
How bad are Australian diets? Unhealthy diets and obesity are the leading contributors to poor health in Australia. Less than 7% of people in Australia consume a healthy diet consistent with the Australian Dietary Guidelines. Nearly 65% of Australian adults, and 25% of Australian children are overweight or obese.
The country's wealth hides a serious failure of national strategy. Unlike most wealthy countries, Australia's economy lacks both diversification and sophistication. Australia's primary exports are in low complexity categories such as mining and agriculture.
For example, about 23% of all Australians have Vitamin D deficiencies, and one in every five (18.3%) women of childbearing age have an iodine deficiency.
The most hated food in the US is Olives, being named the worst by 13 states. Anchovies are also unpopular, with 12 states saying it's the worst food. There are only 10 foods collectively despised by different states: olives, anchovies, eggplant, beets, turkey bacon, bologna, sushi, well-done steak, carrots and pickles.
The traditional Australian breakfast is very similar, unsurprisingly, to a typical British or American breakfast, with a whole fry-up made up of smokey bacon, eggs in various ways, grilled mushrooms, and tomatoes, with the optional addition of hash browns, beans, pork or beef sausages.
In Australia, chips are known as crisps. This can be confusing for Americans who are used to calling them chips. Crisps are a type of fried potato that is usually thin and crispy. Chips are thickly cut chips of potato, deep fried. French fries (or more properly, “frites”) are thin, long cut potato, deep fried.
With recent findings by the CSIRO's Healthy Diet Score survey confirming that nearly 80% of Australians are consuming junk food on a daily basis, a new online tool developed by the Australian Government scientific research hopes "to provide the community with a greater understanding of their discretionary food intake ...
Food waste produced annually in selected countries worldwide 2020. China and India produce more household food waste than any other country worldwide at an estimated 92 million and 69 million metric tons every year, respectively.
The Foodbank Hunger Report 2022 revealed that 2 million households in Australia have run out of food in the last year due to limited finances. This has meant 1.3 million children lived in food insecure households during that time.
37% do not meet the recommendations for daily fruit consumption. 90% do not meet the recommendations for daily vegetable consumption. 91% do not meet the recommendations for daily fruit and vegetable consumption. 5.3% do not eat any fruits and 4.1% do not eat any vegetables.
Most Australians eat only about half the recommended quantity of fruit. However many of us drink far too much fruit juice. Fruit juices can be high in energy (kilojoules) and low in dietary fibre, and can even damage your teeth. Whole fruits are a much better choice, and are more filling.