Diet Risk Score Calculator

What Is the Diet Risk Score?

The diet risk score estimates diet-related mortality risk from eating patterns linked to high sodium and processed food intake. You rate how often you consume nine food categories on a frequency scale from daily to never. Higher total scores reflect more frequent consumption of salt-heavy, ultra-processed items and less protective whole-food intake such as vegetables, fruit, nuts, and fish.

Nine Food Frequency Categories

Risk-increasing groups include fast food and frozen meals, bread and sandwiches, salty snacks, processed meats (hot dogs, sausage, deli meats), and sweet drinks. Protective groups include nuts and seeds, fish or shellfish, vegetables, and fruit. Processed meats score points even at weekly frequency because of sodium and preservative content. Vegetables and fruit score lowest when eaten daily or several times per week.

Sodium and Processed Food Risk

Total scores range from 0 to 27. Scores below 12 indicate lower diet-related risk. Scores of 12 to 17 suggest moderate risk with mixed habits. Scores of 18 or higher indicate higher risk from frequent processed and high-sodium foods, which may contribute to hypertension, cardiovascular disease, and metabolic disorders over time.