The third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES III) was conducted to assess the health and nutritional status of the US population. As part of the nutritional status assessment, reliable 24-h dietary recalls were collected for 14,801 examined persons. Mean (+/- SEM) energy intakes are reported for persons aged > or = 2 mo by age, sex, and race-ethnicity. Males had higher mean energy intakes than did females. Energy intakes peaked during late adolescence and young adulthood and declined thereafter. Energy intake patterns were similar among non-Hispanic whites, non-Hispanic blacks, and Mexican Americans. Underreporting was addressed by computing a ratio of energy intake (EI) to estimated basal metabolic rate (BMRest). This ratio (EI:BMRest) was 1.47 for adult males and 1.26 for nonpregnant adult females. Overweight adults had a lower mean EI:BMRest (1.09 in females and 1.28 in males). Underreporting in food consumption surveys remains problematic among females and overweight persons.