Key Findings From Food Records Of Teens

• Average energy intake – 3194 Calories for boys and 2209 Calories for girls

• Boys: milk 8.3%; refined bread 6.3%; carbonated beverages 6.0%; cakes and cookies 5.8%; sugars and jams 4.2%; low fibre cereals 4.1%; salty snacks 3.6%; hamburgers 3.0%; fruit drinks 2.9%; white pasta 2.8%
  
• Girls: refined bread 8.0%; milk 7.3%; fruit juice 6.6%; carbonated beverages 5.9%; cakes and cookies 5.2%; salty snacks 5.1%; fruit 4.1%; low fibre cereal 3.5%; white pasta 2.8%; cheese 2.7%
  
• Fat intake – 30.8% of Calories for boys and 27.2% of Calories for girlsSaturated fat intake – 10.2% of Calories for boys and 9.1% of Calories for girls
  
• Current nutritional recommendations for adults are 30% of Calories for total fat and 10% of Calories for saturated fat.
  
• Canada’s Food Guide to Healthy Eating recommends five to ten servings of Vegetables & Fruit daily -- 67% of the boys did not eat the minimum five portions.
  
• Canada’s Food Guide to Healthy Eating recommends three to four servings of Milk Products daily for teens – 66% of the girls did not achieve the minimum three servings.
  
• Canada’s Food Guide to Healthy Eating recommends two to three servings of Meat & Alternatives daily – 67% of girls did not achieve the minimum two servings
  
• Girls had low intakes of calcium and folate and borderline low iron and zinc intakes.

Interpretation/relevance to beef industry:

Comment from BIC registered dietitians -

• Although teens had adequate, or more than adequate, energy intakes, their selections could be improved to include more nutrient dense foods
  
• Choices from the four food groups of Canada’s Food Guide to Healthy Eating should be increased; extra foods from the Other Foods group should be reduced since they often provide fat, sugar and Calories with very few nutrients