The purpose of this study was to assess the diet and nutrient intake of college students, between the ages of 18 and 25, in Japan and the United States through a 24-item nutrition information questionnaire and 3-day food records.Unlike the Japanese students, American college students met the suggested intake for carbohydrate and protein. Mean intake of dietary cholesterol and percentage of total calories from fat was much higher in Japanese females and both groups of males. Most of the Japanese students met the suggested/ recommended intake for sodium and iron, while only the American males met the recommended intake for iron. Recommended intake for calcium was met by majority of American males. This study showed differences and similarities in dietary intake of macro and selected nutrients exist between genders of two cultures. Thus, nutrition intervention may be needed to improve eating habits and nutrition related diseases in college students. / Department of Family and Consumer Sciences

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In the modern United States, capitalism is the predominant cultural value that structures the food system. The current American relationship to food is strained, at best, as two-thirds of Americans experience overweight and obesity and are at risk for a number of serious health complications. An understanding of the historic and political-economic aspects of the American food system is necessary to address the effects of our modern food habits on our ideas of our selves. This thesis analyzes the types of foods Americans eat, why they make the food choices that they do, how they feel about their eating habits and their habits' effects on their bodies, and how this all relates to our sense of identity as Americans. / by Marlena Kay Dates. / Thesis (M.A.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2009. / Includes bibliography. / Electronic reproduction. Boca Raton, Fla., 2009. Mode of access: World Wide Web.