CSIRO research reveals how many discretionary foods Australians are consuming.
Thatâs before we consider the effects of alcohol, which is our most popular discretionary food, accounting for 21 per cent of our total intake, followed by cakes and biscuits (19 per cent), sugar sweetened beverages (12 per cent) and savoury pies and pastries (9 per cent).
Discretionary foods make up about 40 per cent of our daily energy intake and, on average, Australian adults eat about twice the 0-3 serves recommended in the Australian Dietary Guidelines.
âThis category of foods is our number one diet issue, regardless of who we are,â said CSIRO research scientist, Dr Gilly Hendrie.