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Two sets of tables from ERS report food and nutrient intake and
compare American's diets to recommendations of the Food Guide Pyramid
and the 2000 Dietary Guidelines for Americans.
Food consumption tables provide
estimates of food consumption in relation to recommendations from
the Food Guide Pyramid.
Nutrient intake tables provide
estimates of nutrient intake in relation to recommendations from
the 2000 Dietary Guidelines for Americans.
For each set of tables, we first report average consumption/intake
and the proportion of consumers meeting the recommendation. Then
we look at consumption/intake by location, from which we can link
dietary deficiencies to locations where foods are prepared. In both
sets of tables, we report data for Americans ages 2 and older, children
ages 2-18, and seniors ages 60 and older.
About Our Estimates
USDA's Continuing
Survey of Food Intakes by Individuals (CSFII) measures foods actually
eaten by individuals. The survey records food intake over a specific
period of time (2 nonconsecutive days in 1994-96 using 24-hour dietary
recalls). The survey collects demographic information, such as household
size, income, race, age, and sex, and information on where a food
was purchased, how it was prepared, and where it was eaten, in addition
to food-intake data. The CSFII provides information for use in policy
formation, regulation, program planning and evaluation, education,
and research. For example, data from recent surveys have been used
to evaluate the impact of food fortification on nutrient intakes,
to estimate exposure to pesticide residues and other contaminants
from foods, and to target nutrition assistance and education programs
to those who need them most. The data are particularly valuable for
measuring the effect of socioeconomic and demographic characteristics
on food consumption.
Data for food consumption are available for CSFII 1994-96 only.
Intakes of total fat, calcium, and iron over time can be estimated
using data from Nationwide Food Consumption Survey (NFCS) 1977/78
and CSFII 1994-96. The CSFII 1994-96 data are also used to analyze
intake of saturated fat, cholesterol, sodium, and fiber. See The
Food Surveys Research Group website for for detailed information
on these data.
USDA's Food Guide Pyramid
provides general guidance to help Americans choose what and how much to
eat to get the nutrients they need without excess calories or fat. The
Pyramid specifies numbers of servings to eat from five major food groups
(grain, vegetable, fruit, dairy, and meat) and gives advice about intakes
of fats and added sugars. The recommended number of servings depends on
the individual's caloric need, which in turn depends on the individual's
age, sex, size, and activity level. CSFII 1994-96 data are the base for
food intake estimates. CSFII 1994-96 data are the only USDA survey data
that contain Pyramid servings data. In the analysis here, serving recommendations
are taken from Dietary Guidelines
for Americans, 2000 (Box 7, page 14).
There are important differences in interpreting the recommended
number of servings in relation to food energy. In the calculation
of the Healthy Eating Index, USDA's Center for Nutrition Policy
and Promotion (CNPP) uses the Recommended Energy Allowance (REA)
to come up with the recommended number of servings. However, USDA's
Agricultural Research Service (ARS) uses the reported caloric intake
to come up with the recommended number of servings. Another major
difference lies on the derivation of recommended servings for the
energy levels that are not specified. For example, the Pyramid recommends
9 and 11 servings of grain per day for those who consume, respectively,
2,200 and 2,800 calories or more per day. ARS uses 9 servings as
the recommendation for those consuming 2,200 to 2,800 calories,
while CNPP uses a linear interpolation to calculate recommended
servings (for example, 10 servings for 2,500 calories). In the analysis
here, we use the reported calories and linear interpolation for
recommended servings. Consequently, ERS's estimates of the proportion
of consumers meeting the recommendation are lower than ARS's estimates,
even though the estimated number of servings are identical. It is
also worth pointing out again that this study uses the recommendations
from Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2000.
We devise a benchmark food density for each individual by calculating
the number of recommended servings for each 1,000 calories consumed.
This benchmark is a useful measure to find out the source of deficiency
in food intake. For example, the benchmark food density is 4.3 servings
of grain per 1,000 calories for all consumers. The reported food
density is 3.4 servings for all foods, 3.5 servings for foods prepared
at home, 3.1 servings for restaurant foods, 3.8 servings for fast
foods, 3.2 servings for school meals, and 2.8 servings for foods
from other sources. To consume the recommended servings of grain,
consumers need to pay more attention to their food choices when
they eat out.
Go to the food consumption
tables 
Go to the nutrient intake tables
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