Objective:

Valid dietary information is difficult to obtain and there is no consensus on the best method to use. The objective of the study was to compare nutritional intake results obtained from 16-day weighed records with those obtained from a food frequency questionnaire, repeated 24 h recalls, a 7-day food record, and a 7-day checklist.

Methods:

Seventy-five healthy men aged 55 to 88 years and living at home took part in the study. Means and standard deviations were calculated and distributions were ranked and then divided into quartiles. Statistical significance was assessed via one-way ANOVA.

Results:

The nutrient density was higher for protein and potassium for the group with low FIL values (energy intake/basal metabolic rate) in all dietary assessment method. For some methods this was also true for calcium, carotene, iron and vitamin C. All methods yielded similar results.

Conclusions:

This study indicates that selective underreporting exists, with socially desirable food items as the least underreported foods. Surprisingly, the simplest method, the simplified 24-h recall, performed as well as more complicated method. The existing conservative approach to dietary surveys needs to be abandoned and a more behaviourally intuitive approach should be adopted.