Dietary surveys

-Automatic translation

The National Dietary Survey (Icelandic) was conducted by the Directorate of Health and the Nutritional Research Laboratory, University of Iceland.

The results showed that the national diet has changed since the last national survey in 2010-2011. Depending on the food categories and nutrients examined, it has both moved towards and away from dietary recommendations (Icelandic). Diet varies greatly between genders and age groups.

Positive trends, but other things can be improved

Positive changes can be seen in the new results of the national diet survey, where the consumption of added sugar, including from sugary soft drinks, has decreased, and the consumption of red meat has also reduced by 10%. However, a negative trend can also be seen as the consumption of fruits has decreased since 2010–2011, and the consumption of vegetables remains the same. Only 2% of participants managed to eat 500 grams of vegetables and fruits daily as recommended. Eating more whole fruits and vegetables and other plant-based products is essential to ensure enough fibre and vitamins. Iodine consumption has decreased by 20% on average since the last national survey, especially among the youngest age group of women, mainly due to a reduction in milk consumption and low fish consumption in this group. The results also suggest that the youngest age groups of men and women (18-39 years old) seem to receive less essential nutrients in sufficient quantity compared to the older age groups.

The Directorate of Health advises all citizens to take vitamin D and women of childbearing age to take folate as a supplement. About 55% of the population takes vitamin D regularly, and 12% of women of childbearing age take folate.

The Directorate of Health and the Nutritional Research Laboratory at the University of Iceland conducted the survey, including people aged 18–80.

A summary of the main results

• The average total consumption of vegetables and fruits is 213 grams daily, but eating at least 500 grams daily is recommended. Only about 2% of participants reached that level, which is lower than in the last survey.

• Over a quarter of the participants reached the criteria for consumption of whole grain products (70 grams per day) during the two days of the dietary review.

• A quarter of participants had a vegetarian main dish once a week or more, and a similar number (23%) ate nuts and/or seeds during the dietary review. Based on the recommendations, more people should consume these foods.

• Fish consumption remains the same between surveys, on average 315 grams per week, and is lowest in the youngest age group (18–39 years) as before. Fish consumption is deficient among the youngest age group of women. Only 1% of participants in this group followed the recommendation of 2–3 fish meals per week (375 grams per week).

• Consumption of red meat has been reduced by more than 60 grams per week on average, or 10%. The maximum intake of red meat, 500 grams per week, is exceeded by 60% of the participants.

• Dairy consumption has decreased since the last survey, but cheese consumption has increased. There has been a change in which type of milk is used, as the consumption of whole milk has increased since the last survey while the consumption of low-fat dairy products has decreased.

• The consumption of sugary soft drinks has decreased by 40% since the last survey, while the consumption of sugar-free soft drinks has increased by a quarter. The consumption of energy drinks has increased since the previous study.

• The total energy remains unchanged from the last survey, averaging 2044 kilocalories daily. About 16% of the total energy comes from sugary soft drinks, candy, cakes, and biscuits.

• Protein intake is high, accounting for 18% of total energy on average, and has not changed since the last survey. Proteins are recommended to provide 10–20% of total energy.

• The proportion of fat in total energy has increased on average since the last survey, from 36% to 41%. The same applies to the proportion of saturated fat, which is currently 16% of the total energy compared to 14% previously. However, it should be at most 10% of the total energy.

• The proportion of total energy from carbohydrates has decreased from 42% to 37% on average since the last survey. Carbohydrates are recommended to provide between 45-60% of total energy.

• Fibre consumption has decreased by 6% from the last survey and is now almost 16 grams per day on average. Getting at least 25 grams of fibre daily from whole grain products, fruits, vegetables, beans, lentils, nuts, and seeds is recommended.

• The proportion of energy from added sugar has decreased from 9% to 7% on average. The consumption of added sugar is highest in the youngest age group, with one-third in that group getting more than 10% of its energy from added sugar. It is recommended that added sugars provide less than 10% of the total energy.

• The consumption of most vitamins and minerals is above the recommended daily intake. An exception is the consumption of vitamin D, vitamin B folate, and iodine.

• The vitamin D intake of those who do not take fish oil or other vitamin D is far below the recommended daily intake (15–20 micrograms per day) or five micrograms on average. Over half of the participants (55%) say they take vitamin D supplements regularly (fish oil, pearls, or tablets) as recommended. The youngest age group of men and women gets the least amount of vitamin D.

• The average intake of folate is below recommendations, especially among women. Folate is an essential nutrient during pregnancy, and deficiency can increase the risk of severe damage to the fetus's central nervous system. Folate is mainly found in vegetables, nuts, beans, and some types of fruit. Only 12% of women of childbearing age take a supplement containing folate, but all women of childbearing age are advised to take folate supplements.

• The Average consumption of vitamin C has decreased by 23% since the last national dietary survey. About half of the participants did not reach the recommended daily dose of vitamin C from their diet, mainly due to the reduced consumption of fruits and berries. Vitamin C is essential for forming collagen and various hormones and neurotransmitters for the brain and nervous system.

• The iron intake has decreased from the last national dietary survey. No woman of childbearing age reached the recommended daily intake for iron, which is higher for that group (15 milligrams per day) than for other adults (9 milligrams per day). Iron is mainly found in meat, fish, beans, peas, lentils, tofu, other soy products, dark green vegetables, nuts, and whole grains.

• Iodine consumption has decreased by 20% since the last national dietary survey. It is the lowest in the youngest age group of women due to reduced milk consumption and low fish consumption. A sufficient amount of iodine must be ensured during pregnancy, as this nutrient is essential for fetal and child development after birth.

Related material

• What do Icelanders eat? Survey of the diet of Icelanders 2019-2021. Published in 2022. (Icelandic)

• What do Icelanders eat? (electronic report on the website of the University of Iceland) (Icelandic)

• Slides from the briefing on March 10, 2022 (Icelandic)

• Iodine intake of two-year-old children and adults in Iceland and evaluation of the effect of using iodised salt in bread production. The Icelandic Medical Journal. 2023. (Icelandic)