A study has found that less than one in 100 Britons have a healthy diet, preferring high sugar, salt, and fatty foods.
The study found that just eight in 1000 adults – or 0.8 percent – met all five targets for levels of saturated fats, total fats, fruit and vegetables, salt and sugar recommended by the World Health Organisation.
Women were better overall, with 1.2 percent meeting all five targets, compared with 0.4 percent of men.
The analysis of the figures collected by the Office for National Statistics and the Medical Research Centre are to be published in the journal proceedings of the Nutrition Society.
Dr Joanne Lunn, of the British Nutrition Foundation, said: “The consequences of a poor diet are chronic diseases in later life.
“Bad habits are often ingrained in families. They can be changed but it often takes the efforts of the entire family. We need to change some people’s preconceptions, such as that healthy food is more expensive.”
The WHO recommends salt intake should be under a teaspoon a day. Consumption of fruit and vegetables should exceed 14oz.
