Huijbregts et al developed the Health Diet Indicator (HDI) to describe the quality of a patient's diet. This is based on dietary guidelines from the World Health Organization (WHO) for prevention of chronic disease.
Parameters:
(1) saturated fatty acids as percent of energy intake
(2) polyunsaturated fatty acids as percent of energy intake
(3) protein as percent of energy intake
(4) complex carbohydrates as percent of energy intake
(5) dietary fiber as percent of energy intake
(6) fruits and vegetables in grams per day
(7) pulses, nuts and seeds in grams per day
(8) mono and disaccharides as percent of energy intake
(9) cholesterol in mg per day
|
Parameter
|
Finding
|
Points
|
|
saturated fatty acids
|
> 10%
|
0
|
|
|
<= 10%
|
1
|
|
polyunsaturated fatty acids
|
< 3% OR > 7%
|
0
|
|
|
3 to 7%
|
1
|
|
protein
|
< 10% or > 50%
|
0
|
|
|
10 to 15%
|
1
|
|
complex carbohydrates
|
< 50% OR > 70%
|
0
|
|
|
50 to 70%
|
1
|
|
dietary fiber
|
< 27% OR > 40%
|
0
|
|
|
27 to 40%
|
1
|
|
fruits and vegetables
|
<= 400 g per day
|
0
|
|
|
> 400 g per day
|
1
|
|
pulses, nuts, seeds
|
<= 30 g per day
|
0
|
|
|
> 30 g per day
|
1
|
|
mono and disaccharides
|
> 10%
|
0
|
|
|
<= 10%
|
1
|
|
cholesterol
|
> 300 mg per day
|
0
|
|
|
<= 300 mg per day
|
1
|
where:
• The total energy intake should add up to 100%.
total score =
= SUM(points for all 9 parameters)
Interpretation:
• minimum score: 0
• maximum score: 9
• The higher the score the better the diet.
