Table 1.

Components and scoring methods of the Dietary Guideline Index (DGI) score

	Component scoring criteria*
DGI component	Minimum score (0)	Maximum score (10)
Diet variety
Proportion of foods from each core food group† consumed at least once per week	0 %	100 %
Fruit intake
Servings per day	0	≥2
Vegetable intake
Servings per day	0	≥5
Cereal intake
Servings per day
Male	0	≥6
Female	0	≥4
Wholegrain cereals
Proportion of wholegrain cereal relative to total cereal	0 %	100 %
Protein intake (lean meat and protein alternatives)
Servings per day	0	≥1
Lean protein source
Proportion of lean meats and alternatives relative to total meat and alternatives	0 %	100 %
Dairy intake
Servings per day	0
Reduced-fat dairy choices
Type of milk ‘usually’ consumed	Whole-fat milk	Low-fat milk
Alcohol intake
Servings per day
Male	≥4	≤2
Female	≥2	≤1
Saturated fat intake‡
Type of milk ‘usually’ consumed∥	Whole-fat milk	Low-fat milk
Trim fat from meat	Never/rarely	Usually
Added sugars
Intake of high-sugar foods§,∥
Servings per day
Male	>1·5	<1·5
Female	>1·25	<1·25
Added salt intake‡
Salt added in cooking	Never/rarely	Usually
Salt added the table	Never/rarely	Usually
Fluid intake‡
Beverage servings per day	≥8	0
Proportion of water consumed relative to total beverages	50 %	0 %
‘Extra’ food intake∥
Servings per day
Male	>3	<3
Female	>2·5	<2·5
Total DGI score
Sum of all components	0	150

*Intakes in between the maximum and minimum intake are assigned a score proportionately.

†Core food groups consist of fruit, vegetables, protein, cereal and dairy.

‡There are two indicators for these components; each is allocated 50 % of the component score.

§High-sugar foods include soft drink, cordial, fruit juice drink, jam, chocolate and confectionery.

∥‘Extra foods’ include foods not essential in providing nutrient requirements such as high-sugar foods, chips, hot chips, hamburgers, cakes, muffins, pastry and desserts.