Dietary data from 11,658 adult respondents in the second National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey were used to provide quantitative information regarding the contribution of specific foods to the total population intake of the following nutrients: calories, protein, carbohydrate, total fat, saturated fat, oleic acid, linoleic acid, and cholesterol. The percentage of total nutrient intake which each food provides is presented for the top 50 contributors of each of these nutrients, as well as the proportion of the population consuming them. These data may provide a basis for the selection of foods to be included in dietary assessment instruments. They may also be useful to health care planners or nutrition educators.