The purpose of this study was to examine the role of sandwiches in Americans' diets and their contribution to nutrient intakes. Sandwich intakes of 8,273 individuals 2 years of age and older were studied using dietary intakes collected by 24‐hour recall in What We Eat in America, the dietary component of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2003–2004. Data were weighted to be representative of the U. S. population. Over half of individuals 2 years and over included a sandwich in their daily intake. When sandwiches were categorized into 12 types, more than three‐quarters were meat sandwiches, with luncheon meat sandwiches and hamburgers predominating. Well over half of sandwiches were consumed at lunch, slightly more than half were eaten at home, and almost one‐fourth of sandwiches were from fast food restaurants. Preliminary analyses indicated that sandwiches contributed an average of 13% of total daily food energy and 14 – 20% of protein, fat, carbohydrate, sodium, zinc, iron, calcium, and vitamin E intakes. They provided a smaller share (< 13 %) of daily intake of folate, magnesium, potassium, and vitamins B6, A and C, nutrients low in American diets. Given sandwiches' popularity, increased use of ingredients such as vegetables and whole grains containing these nutrients could increase the nutritive contribution of sandwiches to the total day's intake.
Funded by ARS, USDA.
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