Developing the Healthy Eating Index - 2005
The 2005 Dietary Guidelines for Americans differed from earlier editions by increasing
the emphasis on several important aspects of diet quality, including whole grains,
various types of vegetables, and specific types of fat. The 2005 Guidelines also
introduced the concept of “discretionary calories.” As a result, the 1995 HEI
needed to be revised and updated.
Staff at NCI's ARP and USDA's Center for Nutrition
Policy and Promotion (CNPP) collaborated to revise the HEI, and a new version, the
HEI-2005, was published in November 2007. This revision also provided an opportunity for
USDA and NCI to evaluate the psychometric properties of the new index.
The HEI-2005 is based on MyPyramid, USDA’s revised food guidance system, which
translates recommendations in the 2005 Dietary Guidelines into specific, quantified
dietary recommendations. All of the food groups contained in MyPyramid are represented in
HEI-2005 components.
The HEI-2005 uses a scoring system, as did the original HEI. However, because
MyPyramid recommendations for amounts of food groups, oils, and discretionary calories
are couched in terms of absolute amounts that vary according to energy level, the USDA
and NCI team developed the HEI-2005 scores using standards that are expressed as either
a percent of calories or per 1,000 calories. The HEI-2005 components and scoring
standards are shown in the table below.
Healthy Eating Index-2005 components and standards for scoring1
| Component |
Maximum points |
Standard for maximum score |
Standard for minimum score of zero |
| 5 |
≥0.8 cup equiv. per 1,000 kcal |
No Fruit |
| 5 |
≥0.4 cup equiv. per 1,000 kcal |
No Whole Fruit |
| 5 |
≥1.1 cup equiv. per 1,000 kcal |
No Vegetables |
| 5 |
≥0.4 cup equiv. per 1,000 kcal |
No Dark Green or Orange Vegetables or Legumes |
| 5 |
≥3.0 oz equiv. per 1,000 kcal |
No Grains |
| 5 |
≥1.5 oz equiv. per 1,000 kcal |
No Whole Grains |
| 10 |
≥1.3 cup equiv. per 1,000 kcal |
No Milk |
| 10 |
≥2.5 oz equiv. per 1,000 kcal |
No Meat or Beans |
| 10 |
≥12 grams per 1,000 kcal |
No Oil |
| 10 |
≤7% of energy5 |
≥15% of energy |
| 10 |
≤0.7 gram per 1,000 kcal5 |
≥2.0 grams per 1,000 kcal |
| 20 |
≤20% of energy |
≥50% of energy |
1 Intakes between the minimum and maximum levels are scored proportionately, except for Saturated Fat and Sodium (see note 5).
2 Legumes counted as vegetables only after Meat and Beans standard is met.
3 Includes all milk products, such as fluid milk, yogurt, and cheese.
4 Includes nonhydrogenated vegetable oils and oils in fish, nuts, and seeds.
5 Saturated Fat and Sodium get a score of 8 for the intake levels that reflect the 2005 Dietary Guidelines,
<10% of calories from saturated fat and 1.1 grams of sodium/1,000 kcal, respectively.
Source: Taken from USDA. Healthy Eating Index--2005. (PDF)
Additional details are available in the
Development
and Evaluation of the Healthy Eating Index-2005 Technical Report (PDF).
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