The aim of this study was to compare the food habits of male and female current smokers, ex-smokers and never-smokers in 1980–1995. Do differences between smoking categories vary by study period or sociodemographic factors? The data were collected by mailed questionnaires in connection with a nationwide programme, ‘Monitoring Health Behaviour among the Finnish Adult Population’. In this study, data from the years 1980–1981, 1987–1988 and 1994–1995 were used (n= 5, 773–7, 249, response rate 72–80%). Two examples of healthy food choices were included: avoidance of milk fat and daily use of vegetables. Cross-tabulation and logistic regression analysis were used to examine the effects of smoking, the time period and sociodemographic factors on food habits. Male and female smokers used vegetables and low-fat milk least often. Ex-smokers alone or together with never-smokers most often avoided milk fat and used vegetables. Among men the differences between ex-smokers and current smokers increased. Among women the differences in the use of low-fat milk remained stable; in the use of vegetables, they first increased, then decreased. The differences in food habits between the smoking categories diminished when educational level was taken into account. After adjusting for place of residence and marital status, the association between smoking and diet persisted. Smokers tended to make unhealthy food choices, but the association varied by time period and gender. Between 1980 and 1995, Finnish male smokers seem to have become more consistent in their unhealthy behaviour, while a corresponding trend was not observed among women.