Children's Diets in the Mid-1990s: Dietary Intake and Its Relationship with School Meal Participation.

Examines children's diets and finds nearly all children have adequate usual intakes for most B vitamins, but many children of all ages are at risk of inadequate intakes of folate, magnesium, zinc, and vitamins A and E. In addition, a large proportion of children have calcium intakes well below the recommended level. Teenage girls are at especially high risk of low vitamin and mineral intakes. Most children's intakes of total fat, saturated fat, and sodium are well above recommended maximum levels. Children who eat school meals tend to have higher intakes of many vitamins and minerals and lower intake of added sugars than nonparticipants but also consume higher levels of total and saturated fat.