She says the findings have important implications for shaping public health policies.
βTraditionally, dietary guidelines have focused on preventing chronic diseases like heart disease. Our study highlights the potential for dietary recommendations to consider not only disease prevention but also promoting healthy ageing as a long-term goal.β
Aussie diets on the decline
Despite a growing wellness industry worth $US1.3 trillion ($2.07 trillion) and long-term growth in Australian spending on health, dietary habits arenβt necessarily changing for the better.
New research from the CSIRO, published earlier this month, predicted Australian diets would worsen by 2030, with the intake of discretionary foods (ultra-processed foods and sugary drinks) to rise 18 per cent and the intake of fruit to decline 10 per cent. Vegetable intake remained steady, but was far below recommended levels.
Using predictive modelling techniques, researchers analysed nine years of self-reported data from more than 275,000 Australians to forecast dietary trends and compare them with national guidelines.
Their findings suggest drastic change is needed if we are to meet these targets in five years.
Australiaβs National Preventive Health Strategy outlines ambitious nutrition targets to reach by 2030: Two servings of fruit a day, five servings of vegetables a day, and reducing discretionary foods to less than 20 per cent of total energy intake.
βIt was concerning to see that Australian diet quality is declining, but weβre hoping that this could be an early warning system to help get us back on track,β says Dr Gilly Hendrie, a research scientist who co-authored the CSIRO study.
Interestingly, young adults (18 to 30) were the only age group to show an increase in vegetable consumption, though their intake of discretionary foods remained high.
Start young, and focus on prevention
So, what needs to change?
Professor Luigi Fontana, scientific director of the University of Sydneyβs Charles Perkins Centre, whose team has been working with schools in NSW, says education is key.
More than this, he says young people need to be taught the mechanisms behind healthy lifestyle choices.
βItβs not enough to tell them, βEat more fruits and vegetables and donβt drink soda or [eat] processed foodβ.β
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βThis topic is as important as math, as English, as chemistry,β he says.
βUnless students understand how different types of physical activity modulate some of these ageing and metabolic pathways, how different nutritional interventions change the risk of developing different diseases [for example], nothing will change.β
He thinks education programs should also give people the skills to put this new knowledge into action.
βMost people, even if they know that legumes are important, have no idea how to cook them; how to put together something that is healthy and tasty,β he says.
Fontana says more education also needs to go hand-in-hand with changes to our primary healthcare system to focus on prevention rather than managing chronic disease.
Accessibility is another important factor, Hendrie says.
βThe availability and price of fresh produce around the country will make it easier for people to eat well at a community level, making it easier and the norm to have healthy lunchboxes for kids at school or healthy snacks at sport on the weekend,β she says.
Itβs never too late
No matter your age, itβs never too late to make changes and reverse some of the damage caused by a poor diet.
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Experts say gradual changes are more likely to lead to lasting change. A large study from 2017 with participants mostly over the age of 60 found simple changes could result in at least an 8 per cent reduction in mortality during the study period and a 7 to 15 per cent drop in their likelihood of dying from heart disease
Hendrie suggests trying to βdouble the amount of fruit and veg that we eat, and halve the amount of discretionary foodβ.
Tessier says a diet geared towards healthy ageing neednβt be prohibitively costly.
βFrozen or canned fruits and vegetables can provide comparable health benefits to fresh produce, often at a lower cost and with a longer shelf life.β³
Trying to eat better for ageing? Here are some recipes from Good Food to get you started
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