We are no longer a spuds, bacon and soggy cabbage nation. The Irish diet has become much more varied in the past five years although the potato remains a favourite. And yes, we have been taking more of the good things such as fruit, vegetables, pasta and fish.
But lurking among the kiwi fruit, the mange-tout and lemon sole are danger signals. We are eating too much relative to the amount of exercise we take, and too much of the wrong kind of fats.
Increasing incidence of obesity, and of numerous conditions related to being overweight, such as non-insulin dependent diabetes, already warrant redirection of Department of Health advice on diet and lifestyle.
Awareness of what constitutes healthy eating has increased. But a European survey shows "only a third of people have actually changed or taken steps to change their diet due to a belief that it is unhealthy."
The Department of Health report issued a few days ago, which evaluated Irish advice on, and promotion of, good diet strategies since 1991, notes that a key part of modern nutrition education campaigns has been to stress that there are no bad foods as such, rather an imbalance in what we are eating, and in Western countries what we are over-eating.
This led to the generation of the famous "food pyramid", with substances such as oils, sweets and biscuits at the top (to be taken in moderation), and breads, vegetables and fibre-rich foods at the bottom (to be eaten in significant quantities).
But it coincides with a dramatic change in diet. For instance, consumption of snacks and frozen foods has grown by about 20 per cent a year. Factor in a more sedentary existence and it is not surprising that people are overweight or obese.
Latest estimates suggest that 23 per cent of older Irish males and 27 per cent of older females are obese.
On balance researchers suggest that to maintain weight loss and control hunger, low fat consumption is necessary in collaboration with a high carbohydrate intake, as opposed to a low fat, low carbohydrate diet, says Professor Cecily Kelleher of UCG Department of Health Promotion.
There are indications that female teenagers and people of both sexes from middle age on take little exercise, all of which undoes any move to improve their diet.