Food and nutrient intakes in a group of 11 to 16 year old Swiss teenagers

Better knowledge of the dietary intake of teenagers is necessary to help health professionals to provide better advice on an individual and data for prevention and health programme. We carried out a dietary survey by 3 day records technique in a group of adolescents living in the Canton of Vaud, Switzerland. Food habits were traditional but rich in refined products and poor in plant food. Mean daily energy intake, which was 8025 kJ for the girls and 9350 kJ for boys, was lower than the recommended dietary allowances, especially for girls. Independently of the gender, breakfast represented 19% of the total daily energy intake, lunch 31% and dinner 29%. Total energy provided by snacks was 23.0% for girls and 20.4% for boys. The percentage of energy supplied by the afternoon snack was 15.8% for the girls and 13.3% for the boys. The source of energy was 14% from protein, 37% from fat and 49% from carbohydrates. A high percentage of adolescents had low micronutrient intakes (vitamins A, E, B-1, C, folates and for minerals magnesium, calcium and iron). An increase intake of vegetables and fruit should thus be strongly encouraged; snacking could offer a target vector to improve dietary nutritional quality.