Table 1.
Components of the Diet Quality Index (DQI-C) and scoring criteria
| Component | Canada’s food guide recommendation (servings/d) | Requirements for a maximum score of 1 (g/d)* | Requirements for a minimum score of 0 (g/d)† |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vegetables and fruit | 4 | >348·4 | 0 |
| Grain products | 3 | >197·5 | 0 |
| Milk and alternatives | 2 | >392·7 | 0 |
| Meat and alternatives | 1 | >86·0 | 0 |
| Candy and snacks‡ | N/A | 0 | >20 |
| Sugar-sweetened beverages§ | N/A | 0 | >100 |
N/A: not applicable.
*
Grams per day based on Canada’s Food Guide servings converted into weights using the Canadian Nutrient File database.
†
Grams per day for Candy and Snacks and Sugar-Sweetened Beverages adapted from Voortman et al.(19).
‡
Candy and Snacks included salty snacks (e.g. chips, French fries, pretzels and popcorn) and sugary snacks (e.g. cookies, cake, chocolate bars, ice cream and pudding).
§
Sugar-Sweetened Beverages included soft drinks, fruit drinks, 100 % fruit juice, milkshakes and flavoured milk.