Table 1.
Diet quality index based on the 2013 Danish food-based dietary guidelines
| Dietary guideline | Index component | Criteria for minimum score (0) | Criteria for maximum score (1) | Proportion of study population with maximum score |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eat a variety of foods, but not too much, and be physically active | (not included) | – | – | – |
| Eat fruits and lots of vegetables (6 portions, approx. 600 g, per day, at least half of these should be vegetables) | Minimum 600 g fruits and vegetables/d including up to 100 ml juice and minimum 300 g vegetables/d (excluding mushrooms) | 0 g fruit and vegetables/d | ≥600 g fruit and vegetables/d including ≥300 g vegetables/d | 6·0 % |
| Eat more fish (minimum 350 g per week, including approx. 200 g fatty fish) | Minimum 350 g/week including minimum 200 g fatty fish/week | 0 g fish/week | ≥350 g fish/week including ≥200 g fatty fish/week | 14·8 % |
| Choose whole grains (minimum 75 g whole grains per day) | Minimum 75 g whole grains/d | 0 g whole grains/d | ≥75 g whole grains/d | 8·1 % |
| Choose lean meats and cold meats (maximum 10 % fat; maximum 500 g red and processed meat per week) | Maximum 500 g red and processed meat/week | ≥1000 g red or processed meat/week | ≤500 g red or processed meat/week | 21·3 % |
| Choose low-fat dairy products (cheese maximum 17 % fat, approx. 25 g per day; milk and other dairy products maximum 0·7 % fat, ¼–½ litre dairy products per day) | (not included) | – | – | – |
| Eat less saturated fat | Maximum 10 E% from SFA | ≥20 E% from SFA | <10 E% from SFA | 10·1 % |
| Eat foods with less salt | (not included) | – | – | – |
| Eat less sugar | Maximum 10 E% from added sugar | ≥20 E% from added sugar | <10 E% from added sugar | 84·2 % |
| Drink water | (not included) | – | – | – |
E%, energy percentage.