Food variety as a quantitative descriptor of food intake

Abstract

A dietary guideline, which has been assumed by several countries, is to achieve the inclusion of a variety of foods in the diet. The major reason for inclusion of food variety as a dietary guideline is the generally accepted concept that eating a wider variety of foods improves nutrient adequacy. There may also be other reasons why food variety relates to health status. An approach for the development and use of food variety scores is presented together with a basis and logic for scoring food variety. Food variety scores quantify the number of different foods (individual foods, food mixtures, food categories, or a combination of these) consumed, and are expressed over a time period or base which may be a day, a week, a month, or a year. The ultimate approach used to calculate food variety may reflect the method by which food intake is assessed, the culture within which the score is to be applied, the definition of a distinct food, and the hypotheses and objectives of the study. If a food is consumed, a score of “one” is given. There are no assumptions about quantity, or frequency of consumption. No additional score is given for larger serving sizes, or if foods are eaten more than once over the time base. Foods which score are added together to obtain a final food variety score. A major test of the usefulness of food variety scores is their predictiveness of health outcomes, and whether relationships observed are consistent with biological explanations. Food variety, or dietary diversity scores have been used previously to demonstrate that greater dietary diversity is associated with better nutritional adequacy. A greater food variety has also been associated with improved health status.