The contributions of 12 food groups to the estimated dietary intakes of 11 nutritional elements in the diets of eight age-sex groups was determined from analyses of 234 core foods in the U.S. food supply and consumption data from national food consumption surveys. The major contributors of each element were grain products for sodium, iron, manganese, and iodine; vegetables for potassium; milk and cheese for calcium; milk and cheese and animal flesh for phosphorus; vegetables and grain products for magnesium; and animal flesh for zinc, copper, and selenium. For the infant diet, the milk and cheese group (which includes infant formula) was the major contributor to the estimated intakes of sodium, potassium, calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, zinc, copper, and iodine. Grain products were the primary sources for iron, manganese, and selenium in the infant diet. The diet of 2-year-olds, which includes a considerable amount of milk, contains larger percentages of sodium, potassium, calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, zinc, and iodine from milk and cheese than do the diets of older age-sex groups. For teenagers, milk and cheese make a greater contribution to potassium, calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, zinc, manganese, and iodine intakes than they do for the adult age-sex groups.