Identification of Top Food Sources of Various Dietary Components
Understanding what foods contribute to energy, nutrient, and food group intake enhances our ability to monitor diets relative to recommendations and gives context for dietary guidance. Examining the top sources of dietary constituents that should be reduced is especially helpful for identifying targets for changes in the marketplace and food environment.
The top food sources of the dietary components listed below have been identified using data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES). Both the percentage contribution (e.g., 5.3% of energy from soda) and mean contribution (e.g., 114 kcal from soda) of various foods to each dietary component are provided, with stratification by age group, gender, race/ethnicity, and family income. The methods used for our analysis and results are described in the following publication:
Reedy J, Krebs-Smith SM. Dietary sources of energy, solid fats, and added sugars among children and adolescents in the United States.J Am Diet Assoc 2010 Oct;110(10):1477-84.
MyPyramid Food groups
Macronutrients
- Fat
- Total fat
- Saturated fatty acids
- Other fatty acids
- Cholesterol
- Protein
- Carbohydrate
- Fiber