Purpose was to determine whether the food served and consumed over a seven day period by 21 elderly women residents of a local nursing home met the 1980 Recommended Dietary Allowances (RDA). Comparison was also made of the nutritive values of the food served and consumed by 11 subjects on regular and 10 subjects on low salt diets. Subjects ranged in age from 74-97 years (mean age of 90). Nutrients calculated included calories, protein, fat, carbohydrate, fiber, calcium, phosphorus, iron, sodium, potassium, vitamin A, thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, and ascorbic acid. Results showed that the mean nutritive values of food served to and consumed by the 21 residents as a group exceeded the RDA, except calcium which for consumed food was 90 and 79 percent of the RDA on the regular and low salt diets, respectively. Individually, based on the weekly means of the nutritive values, all subjects consumed 70 percent or more of the RDA for calories, protein, phosphorus, iron, vitamin A, riboflavin, and ascorbic acid; and 60 percent or more of the RDA for thiamin and niacin, except one subject who consumed only 52% of the RDA for niacin. Only one-third of the subjects consumed more calcium than the RDA. No statistically significant differences were found between the means of the nutritive values of the regular diet as compared with the low salt diet as the P<0.05 level. Daily mood ratings of the subjects indicated a direct effect on appetite and caloric intake in the majority of subjects.