ARS | Publication request: MyPyramid Equivalents Database, 2.0 for USDA Survey Foods, 2003-2004

Submitted to: Worldwide Web Site: Food Surveys Research Group
Publication Type: Other
Publication Acceptance Date: September 4, 2008
Publication Date: October 2, 2008
Repository URL: http://www.ars.usda.gov/ba/bhnrc/fsrg
Citation: Bowman, S.A., Friday, J.E., Moshfegh, A.J. 2008. MyPyramid Equivalents Database, 2.0 for USDA Survey Foods, 2003-2004 [Online]. Beltsville, MD: U.S. Department of Agriculture, ARS. Available: www.ars.usda.gov/ba/bhnrc/fsrg.

Interpretive Summary: The Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2005 make recommendations on the amounts of grains, fruits, vegetables, milk, meat, oils, fat, and added sugars persons 2 years and older are to eat for good health. To evaluate the American diet against the dietary recommendations, it is necessary to have data on the foods eaten by Americans. The MyPramid Equivalents Database, 2.0 for USDA Survey Foods, 2003-2004 (MPED 2.0) translates the amounts of foods eaten in What We Eat In America (WWEIA), the dietary intake component of the NHANES 2003-2004, into the number of equivalents of the 32 MyPyramid food groups and subgroups as defined by the MyPyramid Food Guidance System, developed based on the 2005 Dietary Guidelines for Americans. By using MPED 2.0, one can assess the food intakes and the percentage of sub-groups in the population meeting the recommendations. Such analysis will be useful to policymakers, nutrition educators, and researchers.

Technical Abstract: The MyPyramid Equivalents Database, 2.0 for USDA Survey Foods, 2003-2004 (MPED 2.0) translates the amounts of foods reported as eaten in the What We Eat in America (WWEIA), the dietary intake (survey) component of the NHANES 2003-2004, into the number of equivalents of the 32 MyPyramid food groups and subgroups as defined by the MyPyramid Food Guidance System. There are 7,751 foods and 811 food modifications in the MPED 2.0. The MPED 2.0 is based on the same principles used in the development of the MyPyramid Equivalents Database for USDA Survey Food Codes, 1994-2002, Version 1.0. The source data files used for developing the 100 grams database of MPED 2.0 are from the USDA Food and Nutrient Database for Dietary Studies, 2.0, used for the WWEIA, NHANES 2003-2004. The MPED 2.0 includes: (a) the number of MyPyramid equivalents for each of the 32 food groups that are present in 100 grams of each WWEIA, NHANES 2003-2004 survey food item, and SAS datasets containing the number of food group equivalents consumed for each of the 32 food and beverage groups as reported consumed for days 1 and 2 and the daily total in WWEIA, NHANES 2003-2004; (b) a set of sample SAS program files for data analysis and the documentation of the development of the database and SAS datasets; and (c) the descriptions of the survey food codes and food modification codes.