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Developed countries have devised guidelines for various eating habits, many of which simply recommend “eating various foods” without specifying how much food the individual should consume each day. The authors aimed to examine the relationship between the variety of food consumed and the probability of nutritional adequacy in middle‐aged Japanese.

In total, 215 subjects (102 men and 113 women) provided complete dietary records for seven days in each of the winter, spring, summer and autumn. Subjects were categorized into groups of five according to the amount of each food eaten per day, calculated energy, and nutrients in the food. Results were compared with respective indicators of nutrition defined by the Dietary Reference Intakes for Japanese (2010).

The percentage of overweight subjects was higher in the group that did not consume a wide variety of foods. Intake of energy, calcium, zinc, magnesium, vitamins B1, B2 and C were insufficient in the subjects who did not consume a wide variety of foods. Although a trend toward sufficient nutrient intake was observed in the group that consumed a variety of foods, the estimated average requirement for several nutrients such as calcium and zinc was below accepted standards for good nutrition.

The variety of foods eaten is related to the adequacy of intake levels of certain nutrients and to body mass index in middle‐aged Japanese subjects. Eating a wide variety of foods is important to ensuring adequate nutrient intake.

This paper aims to examine the effects of professional job experience on the lifestyle and dietary habits of participants who have studied food science and nutrition and acquired a dietitian license. The dietary habits of students of departments of food science and nutrition have been reported. However, no study has compared the dietary habits of graduates with and without actual clinical experience.

In total, 206 participants who graduated from the department of food science and nutrition of a university located in Tokyo between 1975 and 1984 completed a questionnaire on food and nutrient intake and lifestyle habits in 2011.

Total fat and SFA intake adjusted for energy intake or frequency of snack and fast food intake differed among participants with and without experience as dietitians, indicating that dietitian experience influenced the dietary habits of participants for approximately 30 years after graduation. Nutritional knowledge and skills acquired during attendance at a dietitian school are effective in maintaining favorable behavior for a long time. However, nutritional knowledge and skills were enhanced by later professional experience.

The refining effect of clinical experience appears to contribute to the maintenance of daily dietary habits and health. Professional experience can contribute to the prevention of lifestyle-related diseases not only personally but also for other people in terms of public health nutrition or nutritional education.