Abstract Efforts to reduce the trend of increasing obesity in the United States should be more effective when informed by knowledge of the dietary patterns that are associated with this result. The purpose of this analysis is to describe the foods and food groups that contribute the most to population intake of energy. Two representative surveys were examined, the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES III), conducted in 1988–1994, and the NHANES from 1999–2000. All foods reported in these surveys were recoded into 144 food items. Foods were also further recoded into 23 food groups. Food items and groups were then ranked according to the proportion of total energy intake contributed by that food item or group. The #1 contributor of energy intake in both time periods was soft drinks, which contributed 7.1% of energy intake in 1999–2000. Among food groups, “Sweets, desserts” contributed the most to energy intake. Three nutrient-poor food groups, “Sweets, desserts”, “Soft drinks” and “Alcoholic beverages” contributed almost 25% of all the energy consumed in the US population. Efforts to reduce obesity should focus on both individual and policy actions to reduce the importance of nutrient-poor foods in the US diet.