Beverage Choices of
U.S. Adults
What We Eat in America, NHANES 2007-2008
Highlights
Food Surveys Research Group
Dietary Data Brief No.
6
Plain water, coffee, and
lft/thdik
August 2011
Beverages are an integral part of the diet. Fluids (drinking water and other
beverages) provide over 80 percent of the daily intake of total water (see
definitions on page 7), which is necessary for life (1). Beverages can also be a
i ifi t f l i d t i t F l l ft/ th d i k
Randy P. LaComb, MS; Rhonda S. Sebastian, MA; Cecilia
Wilkinson Enns, MS, RD, LN; and Joseph D. Goldman, MA
regu
l
ar so
ft/
o
th
er
d
r
i
n
k
s are
the beverages reported by the
largest percentages of adults
age 20 years and over. Men
drink a combined total of
about 11 cups of beverages
per day, and women drink
about 10 cups
s
i
gn
ifi
can
t
source o
f
ca
l
or
i
es an
d
nu
t
r
i
en
t
s.
F
or examp
l
e, regu
l
ar so
ft/
o
th
er
d
r
i
n
k
s
and alcoholic beverages (see definitions on page 7) are among the top five
sources of calories for persons age 19 years and over (2). Milk and milk drinks
and fruit juices contribute to intakes of nutrients and recommended food groups
that are typically lacking in the American diet (3-5). Consequently, a person's
beverage choices can substantially impact the healthfulness of the overall diet.
Using nationally representative data from 5,334 adults age 20 years and over, this
about
10
cups
.
Overall, beverages provide
18 percent (385 calories) of
total calories, and regular
soft/other drinks contribute
one-third (134 calories) of
that amount. Beverages
id hi h i f
study examines the consumption of beverages and their contributions to nutrient
intakes; differences in beverage choices by age and race/ethnicity; and patterns of
beverage consumption at meals and snacks (see definitions on page 7).
What beverages do adults drink?
On any given day, the percentage of adults age 20 years and over drinking plain
water (
see definitions on page 7
) at least once is higher than the percentage
prov
id
e
hi
g
h
proport
i
ons o
f
adults’ daily intakes of added
sugars, vitamins C and D,
and calcium.
Compared to younger adults,
older adults drink more
coffee and less
p
lain water
,
74
Figure 1. Percentages of men and women age 20 years and over
reporting specified beverages, 2007-2008
water
(
see
definitions
on
page
7
)
at
least
once
is
higher
than
the
percentage
drinking any other beverage, as shown in figure 1. Other beverages consumed by
high percentages of adults are coffee and regular soft/other drinks.
p,
regular soft/other drinks, and
alcoholic beverages. Total
intake of beverages is higher
for adults under 60 years
versus those 60 years and
over, and for non-Hispanic
whites than for non-Hispanic
31
51
20
23
79
19
27
51
22
24
Di t ft/ th d i k
Tea
Coffee
100% juice
Milk & milk drinks
Men
Women
blacks and Hispanics.
At breakfast, the beverage
most frequently reported by
adults is coffee; at lunch,
dinner, and snacks, it is plain
water.
17
41
23
31
53
19
0 102030405060708090100
Alcoholic beverages
Regular soft/other drinks
Di
e
t
so
ft/
o
th
er
d
r
i
n
k
s
Percent
SOURCE: What We Eat in America, NHANES 2007-2008, Da
y
1 dietar
y
intake data, wei
g
hted.
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Agricultural Research Service
Beltsville Human Nutrition Research Center
Food Surveys Research Group
www.ars.usda.gov/ba/bhnrc/fsrg
yy g
FSRG Dietary Data Brief -- No.
As shown in figure 2 below, on any given day, both men and women drink an average of slightly more than 4
cups of plain water and over 1 cup each of coffee and regular soft/other drinks; men also consume over 1 cup of
alcoholic beverages, mostly in the form of beer. Both men and women consume only one-half cup or less of milk
d ilk d i k d 100% j i M h i ifi tl l bi d t t l i t k f ll b (11 7
6 -- Beverage Choices of U.S. Adults
What quantity of beverages do adults drink, and does this differ for men and women?
an
d
m
ilk
d
r
i
n
k
s an
d
100%
j
u
i
ce.
M
en
h
ave a s
i
gn
ifi
can
tl
y
l
arger com
bi
ne
d
t
o
t
a
l
i
n
t
a
k
e o
f
a
ll
b
everages
(11
.
7
cups) than do women (9.3 cups; p<.001), mainly due to men's higher intakes of coffee, regular soft/other drinks,
and alcoholic beverages.
About one-third to one-half of the coffee and tea consumed by adults is plain; the rest has caloric additions such as
sugar or cream. Among men, 58 percent of coffee and 59 percent of tea are consumed with caloric additions;
among women, 67 percent of coffee and 49 percent of tea have such additions.
Figure 2. Mean intakes (cups) of beverages by men and women age 20 years and over, 2007-2008
4.4
19
4.2
2
3
4
5
Men Women
Cups
**
**
**
0.5 0.4
1.6
0.9
0.7
1
.
9
1.3
0.4
0.3
1.3
0.9
0.8
1.1
0.4
0
1
Plain water Milk & milk
drinks
100% juice Coffee Tea Diet soft/
other drinks
Regular soft/
other drinks
Alcoholic
beverages
NOTE: **Intakes differ significantly between men and women (p<.001).
SOURCE: What We Eat in America, NHANES 2007-2008, Day 1 dietary intake data, weighted.
Does the daily calorie contribution of adults' beverage intake vary by age group?
Yes. Among adults age years 20 and over, beverages contribute a daily average of 483 calories for men and 297
calories for women. These intakes of calories from beverages account for 19 percent of total calories for men and
17 percent for women. As shown in figure 3 below, beverage calorie intake is much lower for adults age 60 years
and over than for younger adults. Moreover, the percentage of total calorie intake that is provided by beverages is
also lower for adults age 60 years and over (15 percent for men and 12 percent for women) than for younger
adults (22 percent for men and 19 percent for women)
478
597
6
4
0
2
0
adults
(22
percent
for
men
and
19
percent
for
women)
.
Figure 3. Mean calorie intake in a day from beverages by men and women, by age group, 2007-
2008
Men
a
rs)
a
b
c
186
318
350
294
6
0
4
0
2
0
6
0
Women
Age (ye
a
c
a
a
b
186
0 100 200 300 400 500 600 700
0
Calories from beverages
-2-
NOTE:
a,b.c
Within gender, age groups with different letters differ significantly (p<0.001) in both the intake of calories from beverages and the percentage of total calorie
intake that is provided by beverages.
SOURCE: What We Eat in America, NHANES 2007-2008, Day 1 dietary intake data, weighted.
FSRG Dietary Data Brief -- No.
6 -- Beverage Choices of U.S. Adults
Beverages contribute substantially to intake of some nutrients and little to intake of others. Of the average calorie
intake of adults age 20 years and over (2,115 calories), 18 percent (385 calories) comes from beverages (see
fi 4) M th h lf f d lt ’ d il i t k
fddd (
bfbhdt)
iiddb
How much of their daily intakes of nutrients and other food components do adults
obtain from beverages?
fi
gure
4)
.
M
ore
th
an
h
a
lf
o
f
a
d
u
lt
s
’
d
a
il
y
i
n
t
a
k
e o
f
a
dd
e
d
sugars
(
a su
b
group o
f
car
b
o
h
y
d
ra
t
e
)
i
s prov
id
e
d
b
y
beverages, but little protein or fat is. Predictably, beverages provide essentially all the alcohol and caffeine and
most of the moisture (total water) in the diets of American adults. Beverages also contribute considerable
amounts of some micronutrients, such as vitamins C and D.
Figure 4. Beverages' contributions to intakes of selected nutrients and other food components
by adults age 20 years and over, 2007-2008
55
26
4
7
18
Added sugars
Carbohydrate
Total fat
Protein
Calories
14
79
100
55
Vitamin A
Moisture/
total water
Alcohol
Added
sugars
34
43
15
27
14
V
itamin D
Vitamin C
Choline
Riboflavin
Vitamin
A
24
30
15
Magnesium
Calcium
Vitamin B12
99
15
24
Caffeine
Phosphorus
Potassium
99
0 102030405060708090100
Percent
-3-
SOURCE: What We Eat in America, NHANES 2007-2008, Day 1 dietary intake data, weighted.
FSRG Dietary Data Brief -- No.
6 -- Beverage Choices of U.S. Adults
It varies from nutrient to nutrient. As seen previously in figure 4 (see page 3), beverages make large
contributions to daily intakes of some nutrients. In many cases, this high nutrient contribution comes primarily
from one or two beverage groups. For each nutrient listed in table 1 below, the beverages with check marks
ll i l f
hlf fb ib i h lli k fh i
Which beverages are the top providers of nutrients?
co
ll
ect
i
ve
l
y account
f
or over one-
h
a
lf
o
f
b
everages' contr
ib
ut
i
on to t
h
e overa
ll
i
nta
k
e o
f
t
h
at nutr
i
ent.
It is no surprise that the top beverage contributor of added sugars is the regular soft/other drinks group, which
provides on average 134 calories to the diets of adults (6 percent of total calories). Similarly, all the alcohol
comes from alcoholic beverages, and most of the caffeine (64 percent of total caffeine) comes from coffee.
However, in some cases, a beverage that is not rich in a given nutrient is a top provider of that nutrient on
account of adults' high consumption of that beverage. For example, because adults' consumption of plain water
is high, water is a top beverage provider of calcium and magnesium even though it is not rich in those
nutrients. Coffee is not considered a rich source of riboflavin, especially not in comparison with milk. Yet
adults drink a lot of coffee (some of it with milk added to it) and not much milk on its own, so coffee joins milk
as a major beverage contributor to the riboflavin intakes of adults.
Table 1. Top beverages contributing to intakes of selected nutrients and food components,
2007-2008
Nutrient Plain
water
Milk and
milk
drinks
100%
juice
Coffee Regular
soft/other
drinks
Alcoholic
beverages
Carbohydrate
Added sugars
Alcohol
Riboflavin

Vitamin C
Vitamin D
Calcium

Magnesium

Potassium

Caffeine
-4-
NOTE: Beverage groups include items added to the base drink, if the respondent reported consuming them together, e.g., milk added to coffee, sugar added to tea (see
definitions of beverage groups on page 7).
SOURCE: What We Eat in America, NHANES 2007-2008, Day 1 dietary intake data, weighted. Nutrient values for plain water are based on a nationally representative
sampling of drinking water (8).
FSRG Dietary Data Brief -- No.
6 -- Beverage Choices of U.S. Adults
Yes, for some beverages. Total beverage intake is significantly lower for adults age 60 years and over than for
adults age 20-59 years (p< .001). Adults age 20-39 years drink significantly more plain water, regular soft/other
drinks, and alcoholic beverages than do adults age 60 years and over (see figure 5). On the other hand, coffee
i t k i hi h d lt 40 d th th 20
39
Do beverage choices differ by age?
5
6
20-39 40-59 60+
i
n
t
a
k
e
i
s
hi
g
h
er among a
d
u
lt
s age
40
years an
d
over
th
an among
th
ose age
20
-
39
years.
Figure 5. Mean daily intakes of total and select beverages, adults age 20 years and over, 2007-
2008
Age (years)
a
1
2
3
4
5
Cups
a
b
c
a
b
a
b
bb
0
Plain water Coffee Regular soft/other drinks Alcoholic beverages
NOTES: Adjusted for gender, educational status, percent of poverty threshold (income), race/ethnicity, weight status, and calorie intake (see definitions on page 7).
a,b.c
Within beverage category, bars with different superscript letters differ significantly (p<.001) among age groups.
SOURCE: What We Eat in America, NHANES 2007-2008, Day 1 dietary intake data, weighted.
Does consumption of beverages differ by race/ethnicity?
Yes. Non-Hispanic whites consume significantly more beverages overall relative to non-Hispanic blacks and
Hispanics (p<.001). Non-Hispanic whites and Hispanics consume significantly more milk and milk drinks than
do non-Hispanic blacks, though consumption by all groups is low, as shown in figure 6. Non-Hispanic whites
also consume more coffee, tea, and diet soft/other drinks than do the other race/ethnic groups.
Does
consumption
of
beverages
differ
by
race/ethnicity?
Fi 6M dil itk f l tdb b /thiit dlt 20 d
Fi
gure
6
.
M
ean
d
a
il
y
i
n
t
a
k
es o
f
se
l
ec
t
e
d
b
everages
b
y race
/
e
th
n
i
c
it
y, a
d
u
lt
s age
20
years an
d
over, 2007-2008
2
Non-Hispanic whites Non-Hispanic blacks Hispanics
a
0
1
Milk & milk drinks
Coffee
Tea
Diet soft/other drinks
Cups
a
a
b
a
b
b
c
b
a
b
b
-5-
NOTES: Adjusted for gender, age, educational status, percent of poverty threshold (income), weight status, and calorie intake (see definitions on page 7). For a specific
beverage category, bars with different superscript letters differ significantly (p<.001) by race/ethnicity.
SOURCE: What We Eat in America, NHANES 2007-2008, Day 1 dietary intake data, weighted.
Milk
&
milk
drinks
Coffee
Tea
Diet
soft/other
drinks
FSRG Dietary Data Brief -- No.
6 -- Beverage Choices of U.S. Adults
Yes. Beverage choice patterns vary at breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks (see definitions on page 7). At
breakfast, the highest percentage of all beverages reported is for coffee (44 percent of beverage reports). Plain
water and regular soft/other drinks are the first and second most frequently reported beverages at lunch dinner
Do beverage choices differ among meals and snacks?
3%
water
and
regular
soft/other
drinks
are
the
first
and
second
most
frequently
reported
beverages
at
lunch
,
dinner
,
and snacks.
Figure 7. Beverage consumption patterns at breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks, adults age 20
years and over, 2007-2008
8%
Breakfast Lunch
%
31%
26%
3%
16%
8%
7%
3%
8%
5%
4%
5%
14%
12%
14%
44%
Pl i t
Pl
a
i
n wa
t
e
r
Milk & milk drinks
100% juice
Coffee
Tea
Diet soft/other drinks
Alcoholic beverages
Regular soft/other drinks
28%
12%
15%
8%
Dinner Snacks
9%
10%
22%
43%
7%
8%
3%
4%
12%
10%
5%
3%
11%
SOURCE: What We Eat in America, NHANES 2007-2008, Day 1 dietary intake data, weighted.
-6-
FSRG Dietary Data Brief -- No.
Beverage: Any item that meets the definition for one of the beverage groups listed below. Amounts consumed
and nutrient contributions of each beverage group take into account any items reported by the respondent as being
consumed together as a unit with the beverage – for example, sugar added to tea or cream added to coffee.
6 -- Beverage Choices of U.S. Adults
Definitions
Beverage groups:
•
100% juice: Includes all fruit and vegetable juices that are 100 percent juice.
•
Alcoholic beverages: Includes wine, beer, liquor, and mixed drinks.
•
Coffee: Includes coffee and coffee-based drinks, such as latte and coffee made from presweetened mix.
•
Diet soft/other drinks: Includes low-calorie versions of the following: Soft drinks (pop, soda), fruit drinks
(fruit flavored or containing less than 100 percent juice), sports drinks, and energy drinks. Also includes
carbonated water.
Milk & ilk d i k
I l d l i ilk ( h l d d f l f ki ) d ilk
bddik h
•
Milk
&
m
ilk
d
r
i
n
k
s:
I
nc
l
u
d
es p
l
a
i
n m
ilk
(
w
h
o
l
e, re
d
uce
d
f
at,
l
ow
f
at, s
ki
m
)
an
d
m
ilk
-
b
ase
d
d
r
i
n
k
s suc
h
as
chocolate milk, milk shakes, and hot cocoa.
•
Plain water: Includes tap and non-carbonated bottled water without caloric sweeteners or additions.
•
Regular soft/other drinks: Includes regular (i.e., calorically sweetened) versions of the following: Soft
drinks (pop, soda), fruit drinks (fruit flavored or containing less than 100 percent juice), sports drinks, and
energy drinks.
•
Tea: Includes tea and tea-based drinks, such as ready-to-drink sweet tea and tea made from presweetened
mix
mix
.
BMI (body mass index): Based on an individual's height and weight, this number is a reliable indicator of body
fatness for most people (6). Calculated by dividing a person's weight (in kilograms) by the square of his/her
height (in meters). Using pounds and inches, BMI may be calculated according to the formula weight (lb) / [height
(in)]
2
x 703.
Eating occasion: An occurrence of eating/drinking reported during the dietary interview, consisting of one or
more food/beverage items, including plain water. The respondent selected the name of each eating occasion from
a list provided during the interview English and Spanish eating occasion names are grouped as follows:
a
list
provided
during
the
interview
.
English
and
Spanish
eating
occasion
names
are
grouped
as
follows:
• Breakfast: Includes breakfast, desayuno, and almuerzo.
• Lunch: Includes brunch, lunch, and comida.
• Dinner: Includes dinner, supper, and cena.
• Snack: Includes snack, drink, merienda, entre comida, botana, bocadillo, tentempie, bebida, and extended
consumption (used when an item was consumed over a long period of time).
Educational status: Levels used in this analysis were less than high school completed, high school or equivalent
(GED) completed and any education beyond high school
(GED)
completed
,
and
any
education
beyond
high
school
.
Poverty thresholds: Percentage of poverty level is based on family income, size, and composition using U.S.
Census Bureau poverty thresholds. Poverty threshold categories are related to Federal nutrition assistance
programs. See www.fns.usda.gov
.
Water, total: The sum of all water (moisture) from all sources, including plain water, other beverages, and food.
Weight status: Adults age 20 years and over were assigned to weight status categories based on the following
ranges of BMI (see definition above): Underweight, less than 18.5; normal weight, 18.5-24.9; overweight, 25.0-
29.9
;
and obese
,
30.0 and over
(
7
)
.
;, ()
DataSource
Estimates in this report are based on 24-hour recall data collected in 2007-2008 in What We Eat in America
(WWEIA), the dietary intake interview component of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey
(NHANES). A total of 5,420 men and women age 20 years and over provided one day of complete and reliable
dietary intake data Pregnant and lactating females (n=86) were excluded yielding a final sample of 5 334 adults
-7-
dietary
intake
data
.
Pregnant
and
lactating
females
(n=86)
were
excluded
,
yielding
a
final
sample
of
5
,
334
adults
(2,662 males and 2,672 females). Sample weights were applied in all analyses to produce nationally
representative estimates. Nutrient intake estimates in this report are based only on intakes of foods and
beverages, not supplements. The source of nutrient data for all beverages, including water, is the USDA Food
and Nutrient Database for Dietary Studies 4.1 (8).
FSRG Dietary Data Brief -- No.
1. Institute of Medicine. Dietary Reference Intakes for Water, Potassium, Sodium, Chloride, and Sulfate.
2005. Washington DC: The National Academies Press.
2
Report
of
the
Dietary
Guidelines
Advisory
Committee
on
the
Dietary
Guidelines
for
Americans
2010
6 -- Beverage Choices of U.S. Adults
References
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Report
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the
Dietary
Guidelines
Advisory
Committee
on
the
Dietary
Guidelines
for
Americans
,
2010
.
Available from: http://www.cnpp.usda.gov/DGAs2010-DGACReport.htm
[accessed July 26, 2011].
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[accessed July26, 2011].
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uice consum
p
tion in children and adults in the United States: NHANES 2003-2006.
N
ut
r
J
[
Internet
]
j
p
[]
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[accessed July 26, 2011].
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[accessed July 26, 2011].
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[accessed July 26, 2011].
Su
gg
ested citation
Randy P. LaComb, Rhonda S. Sebastian, Cecilia Wilkinson Enns, and Joseph D. Goldman are with the Food
Surveys Research Group, Beltsville Human Nutrition Research Center, Agricultural Research Service.
About the authors
All material a
pp
earin
g
in this re
p
ort is in the
p
ublic domain and ma
y
be re
p
roduced or co
p
ied without
p
ermission.
LaComb RP, Sebastian RS, Wilkinson Enns C, Goldman JD. Beverage Choices of U.S. Adults: What We Eat In
America, NHANES 2007-2008. Food Surveys Research Group Dietary Data Brief No. 6. August 2011.
Available from: http://ars.usda.gov/Services/docs.htm?docid=19476
.
gg
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Agricultural Research Service
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Food Surveys Research Group
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employer
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