OBJECTIVE

This article looks at the food group choices by individuals grouped based on fat intake, saturated fat intake, and use of lowfat foods.

METHODS

Food consumption data from USDA's National Food Consumption Surveys (NFCS) and the Continuing Survey of Food Intakes by Individuals (CSFII) were used to look at changes in the mean energy, percent calories from fat and saturated-fat and total-fat intakes over time. USDA's 1995 CSFII data were used to evaluate the diets of individuals grouped based on percent calories from fat and use of low-fat foods. Individuals six to 50 years old who had complete food intake records were included and five age-gender classifications were used.

RESULTS

The percent of calories from total fat and saturated fat have steadily declined over the last 30 years, and the amount of fat in the diet has increased from 1989 to 1995. Those whose diets met the Dietary Guidelines Recommendations for fat and saturated fat had lower fat intakes. Except for adult males, those with low-fat diets had higher intakes of total-food amount. Also, lower saturated-fat intakes were associated with lower energy intakes. In general, high-fruit-and-grain-products consumption were seen in groups with low-fat intake. For those who included low-fat foods in their diets and also had low-fat intakes, rice and pasta were the major foods of choice for calories. Fried potatoes were one of the main sources of calories for high-fat groups.

CONCLUSION

The study showed individuals whose diets included low-fat foods are more likely to have a diet that meets the dietary guidelines recommendations for fat and saturated fat.