Are you eating too much junk food?

The CSIRO Healthy Diet Score survey  has some new results. It is showing that junk or discretionary foods are the number one issue impacting Australian diets. This is resulting in higher rates of obesity, poor nutrition and the inevitable higherlifestyle disease risk.

The survey is showing that we are eating as much as 5.1 serves of junk foods (or around 3000kJ) each day, which is twice what is recommended by the Australian Dietary Guidelines.

Alcohol is the biggest contributor at 21 percent of the discretionary food intake, followed by cakes and biscuits at 19 percent, sugar sweetened beverages at 12 percent and then savoury pies and pastries at nine percent.

A new free online tool has now been launched by the CSIRO to assist people recognise what the impact of junk food is to their diets and to suggest ways to reduce that intake.

“Launching just in time for those who may have overindulged this Easter, the new Junk Food Analyser provides individuals with specific advice on which categories of discretionary foods they are consuming the most, with the interactive tool providing strategies and tips on where kilojoules can be reduced, which is essential for weight loss,” CSIRO research scientist Dr Gilly Hendrie said.

“While the elimination strategy is common in diet programs and can reduce kilojoules the most, the interactive Junk Food Analyser lets users explore a combination of strategies to reduce discretionary food intake, without cutting their favourite foods altogether. That might include choosing to eliminate alcohol, take a break from cakes and biscuits and halve confectionery consumption,” Dr Hendrie said.

To do the Junk Food quiz go to www.junkfoodanalyser.com