“Although the majority of Americans consume sufficient amounts of most nutrients, some nutrients are consumed by many individuals in amounts below the Estimated Average Requirement or Adequate Intake levels. These include potassium, dietary fiber, choline, magnesium, calcium, and vitamins A, D, E, and C. Iron also is under consumed by adolescent girls and women ages 19 to 50 years.” 

“Of the under consumed nutrients, calcium, potassium, dietary fiber, and vitamin D are considered nutrients of public health concern because low intakes are associated with health concerns. For young children, women capable of becoming pregnant, and women who are pregnant, low intake of iron also is of public health concern.”

“With few exceptions, the U.S. population does not meet intake recommendations for any of the vegetable subgroups.”

“Average intake of fruits is below recommendations for almost all age-sex groups.”

“Added sugars account on average for almost 270 calories, or more than 13 percent of calories per day in the U.S. population.”

1. Recommended Dietary Intake (RDI) is based on consuming the bare minimum of a nutrient to prevent overt deficiency.  We need new RDI’s which address optimal intake for optimal health.  That science, that data, just does not exist yet.
2. Our food supply itself is less nutritious. Highly processed food is ubiquitous and processing destroys most of the nutritional value of the food. Unless it’s organic, the food in North America is generally grown on depleted soils, lacking micronutrients, picked green, long before it is ripe and ready to consume, before it has had the chance to take up additional nutrients (even those that exist in the soil). Hence, the smart trend to local, ripe, organically raised food. Unfortunately, this kind of high quality food is not available to everyone.
3. We generally don’t consume the quantity of food required to meet all our nutritional needs, even if the quality is high.  This is because our more sedentary lifestyles do not require us to take in as much fuel as our forebears.  Less food consumed – less nutrients consumed.