Analysis of macrocomponents and fatty acids in the market basket of male adolescents in The Netherlands

During a period of 2 1/2 years, every 3 months 221 different food items forming a "market basket" were purchased, prepared, and classified into 23 food commodity groups. The "market basket" was based on a study of the dietary intake of 18-year-old men. In the (homogenized) food groups, the contents of protein, fat, and available carbohydrates were determined as well as the fatty acid composition. The mean daily amounts of the macrocomponents (as a percentage of the mean daily energy value of the total diet) were 14% for protein, 35% for fat, 47% for total available carbohydrates, and 4% for alcohol. The total diet contained 24 gm dietary fiber. The fatty acid composition of the Dutch male adolescents' diet resembles the fatty acid composition of the Dutch "national diet" and the typical American diet: approximately 15% of total calories as saturated fatty acids, 5% as polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA), and a polyunsaturated to saturated fatty acids ratio of 0.33. The results, as compared with the recommendations for a healthy diet, show that a decreased consumption of saturated fat, a higher consumption of PUFA, a higher dietary fiber intake, and a higher consumption of complex carbohydrates would be advisable for male Dutch adolescents.