Key items Australians are missing in their diet for weight loss

New data has revealed what Australians have been eating and what they are missing to ensure they are losing more weight.

Fewer than one in 10 Aussies ate enough fruit and vegetables during the Covid-19 pandemic last year, adding to the nation's obesity crisis.

While at the same time, nearly four per cent of children and one in 10 adults consumed a sugary drink every day, new data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) shows.

The pandemic also turned us into couch potatoes with fewer than one in 10 (8.9 per cent) young people – and one in four adults – meeting the physical activity guidelines of at least 60 minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity every day,.

“It’s all going the wrong way,” Dietitians Australia CEO Robert Hunt said on Friday.

“It’s still 94 per cent of the population are not eating enough. Fruit and vegetables where they should get their main source of nutrients,” he said.

The consequences can be fatal with 27,500 Australians dying from an unhealthy diet through chronic diseases including cancer and heart disease, he said.

More than nine in ten children don’t eat enough fruit and vegetables. Picture supplied.

The new data came as Monash University research showed the poor diet and exercise regimes of our children could have other long lasting effects.

Children with the highest levels cardio and muscles fitness and lower waist sizes went on to perform better in cognitive tests and have had more brain power in middle age, the research found.

Aussies liked to indulge during the pandemic.

Australians have admitted they gained weight during the pandemic with a global Ipsos survey and a separate LiveLighter survey finding between 35 and 37 per cent of Australians stacked on kilos as they ate more junk food.

This was before recent food price rises saw the price of a lettuce reach $12 and broccoli $14 a kilo and beans $33 a kilo making a healthy diet even harder.

As well as avoiding healthy food Aussies got to boozing their way through the pandemic with ABS data released on Friday showing one in four adults drank either more than 10 drinks a week or more than five drinks a day at least monthly.

One in four Aussies drank alcohol at and unhealthy rate. Picture supplied.

The pandemic also impacted on mental health with one in five (or five million) people of all ages reporting they experienced a mental or behavioural condition in 2020-2021.

Nearly eight in 10 Australians reported having a long term health condition in 2020-2021.

And seven in 10 (71.1 per cent) people aged 18 years and over experienced bodily pain.

One in ten (or 2.7 million) Australians had asthma while one in 20 (1.3 million people)

had diabetes.

Smoking rates have declined but one in 10 aged 18 years and over were current daily smokers.

Of concern,, 21.7 per cent of people aged 18-24 years have used an e-cigarette or vaping device at least once and one in 12 (8.3 per cent) of people aged 18-24 years smoked daily.

Those aged 55-64 years had the highest smoking rate of 13.7 per cent.

Dietitians Australia warns if we keep eating the way we do, the most recent data available shows Australia is on track to foot an over $80 billion bill to deal with obesity related costs between 2025 to 2045.

If it were easier for Australians to enjoy healthy foods and drinks consistent with the Australian Dietary Guidelines the disease burden would be reduced by 62 per cent for coronary heart disease, 34-38 per cent for stroke, 41 per cent for type 2 diabetes, 22-29 per cent for bowel cancer, the Association said.

The association wants the new Albanese Government to fund a national nutrition strategy to guarantee our supply of healthy food and educate the public about the correct portion sizes.

Originally published as Key items Australians are missing in their diet for weight loss