Specific Food Categories Research Articles

Food Sources of Added Sweeteners in the Diets of Americans

Objective To identify food sources of added sweeteners in the US diet. Design A descriptive study using data from the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) 1994-1996 Continuing Survey of Food Intakes by Individuals. Each subject provided one 24-hour dietary recall. Intake of added sweeteners was calculated using the USDA Food Guide Pyramid servings database. Subjects/setting A national sample of noninstitutionalized persons aged 2 years and older (N=15,010). Statistical analyses Mean intakes of added sweeteners from all food sources and from specific food categories; percentage contribution of added sweeteners to total energy intake; and percentage contribution of each food category to total intake of added sweeteners. All analyses were conducted for the total sample and for 12 age-gender groups. Results During 1994 to 1996, Americans aged 2 years and older consumed the equivalent of 82 g carbohydrate per day from added sweeteners, which accounted for 16% of total energy intake. In absolute terms, adolescent males consumed the most; as a percentage of energy, male and female adolescents had the highest intakes (averaging 20% of total energy from added sweeteners). The largest source of added sweeteners was regular soft drinks, which accounted for one third of intake. Other sources were table sugars, syrups, and sweets; sweetened grains; regular fruitades/drinks; and milk products. Applications/conclusions Intakes of added sweeteners exceed levels compatible with meeting current dietary recommendations. Knowing food sources of added sweeteners for the overall population and for specific age-gender groups can help dietitians provide appropriate nutrition education. JAm Diet Assoc. 2000;100:43-48,51.

ASSOCIATION OF PERCEPTUAL FEEL AND GENERAL DESCRIPTORS WITH FOOD CATEGORIES BY 8–11 YEAR OLDS AND ADULTS

ABSTRACTThis study assessed the association of perceptual feeling and general descriptors with food categories by Grade 3 (8–9 year olds), Grade 5 (10–11 year olds), and adults. Subjects judged whether 38 descriptors were appropriate for Bread and Cereals, Dairy Products, Fruit, Meat, Sweets, and Vegetables. The number of associations increased cumulatively with age. Three developmental trends were evident in this study in combination with an earlier one by Oram (1998). First, word‐category associations increased with age for words already in the food vocabulary. Second, words were associated with specific food categories before the superordinate label ‘Food'. Third, a few word‐category associations decreased from school‐age to adulthood. The first two trends may reflect increases with age in word comprehension, focussing on less salient attributes, and food category size. The third trend may be attributable to an agerelated shift in food typicality within individual categories. The present study also has several sensory evaluation implications. It shows an easy and quick way to estimate the vocabulary of children for food products, and the results of this study can be used to generate descriptor lists for 8–11 year olds.

Racial differences in mineral intake in ambulatory normotensives and hypertensives.

This study was designed to determine dietary mineral intake of black and white normotensives and hypertensives and to identify specific food categories which contribute to observed differences. Sixty-six subjects completed 4-day dietary intake records. Nutrient intake was estimated and patterns of food intake were determined. There were racial differences in dietary mineral intake with both white normotensives and hypertensives ingesting more potassium than their black counterparts and white normotensives consuming more calcium and magnesium than white hypertensives and both groups of blacks. White normotensives also used more high sodium chloride foods than did other groups. It appears that decreased intake of potassium and calcium in blacks may account, in part, for the increased tendency to salt sensitivity and hypertension in this population.

Dietary intake of cadmium in the United States: 1920–1975

Long-term changes in both per capita consumption rates of specific food categories and the concentration of cadmium in the foodstuffs were investigated for their effects on total dietary intake of cadmium. Results show that, under the assumption of historically constant levels of cadmium in foodstuffs, changes in dietary consumption patterns in the United States resulted in a decline in total cadmium intake of about 20% between 1945 and 1975. Even if historically increasing levels of cadmium in foodstuffs are assumed, the decline in consumption rates for food items with the highest concentrations resulted in an approximate steady state of cadmium intake from 1945 to 1975.