Food habits of Canadians: food sources of nutrients for the adolescent sample.

Adolescents need good nutrition, both to grow to their full potential and to decrease their risk of obesity and chronic diseases in adolescence and later life. The Food Habits of Canadians study provides data on the important food sources of energy and nutrients in a sample of Canadian teenagers. One 24-hour recall was obtained for 178 teenagers living in households participating in a national survey of 1,543 adults. Foods were categorized into 51 groups, and ranked according to contribution of key nutrients, energy, and fibre. Top contributors to energy and other nutrients included foods of low nutrient density (cakes/cookies/pastries, carbonated beverages, sugars/jams/syrups, and salty snacks). A high intake of nutrient-poor foods, particularly high-sugar beverages, is a concern for this sample of Canadian teenagers.