If you’re eating the way most people in America do these days, you’re probably falling short of the vital nutrients you need. Fewer than 10% of us meet the daily recommended intake for vegetables (2 to 3 cups a day), and only 20% of us eat enough fruit (1 1/2 to 2 cups daily). The situation is even worse with what the U.S. Department of Agriculture and Department of Health and Human Services call shortfall nutrients, which are important but underconsumed nutrients.

The current shortfall list includes vitamins A, D, E and C, along with folate, calcium, magnesium, fibre and potassium. For adolescent and premenopausal females, iron is also a shortfall nutrient. Of these, four have been classified as “nutrients of public health concern” because their underconsumption has been linked in scientific literature to adverse health outcomes. Those vital four are fiber, calcium, vitamin D and potassium.

It’s a downward trend that concerns nutrition experts. Registered dietitian nutritionist Sharon Palmer said: “Unfortunately, our diets are not as nutrient-rich as we wish they could be, for reasons that include access and affordability of healthful foods and reliance on overly processed foods over minimally processed foods. People aren’t cooking as much as they used to, and they’re snacking more instead of sitting down to meals. That adds up to more refined foods, and fewer nutrients, on the plate.”

The situation, for Palmer, has less to do with the sludge we’re currently consuming than with all the important things we aren’t eating: “We’re missing out on nutritious foods that are so rich in these nutrients, such as fruits, vegetables, whole grains and beans.”

We asked nutrition experts to tell us more about these “public health concern” nutrients — to find out why they’re so important and how to eat enough of them.

Public Health Concern No. 1: Fibre

Nearly every nutritionist interviewed for this story led off with a plea for us to eat more fibre, right now. They are really serious about this, explaining that it’s important for many more reasons than just avoiding constipation.

Registered dietitian Kara Landau said: “Dietary fibre is essential not only for a healthy digestive tract, but it also plays an important role in our metabolic health, such as protection from heart disease and improving blood glucose regulation.”

Eating more fibre comes with other benefits, too, said registered dietician nutritionist

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