ABSTRACT
The Brazilian Ministry of Health recommends that by 8 months of age,
children should eat the same types of foods consumed by the other members of
the family. Thus, this study sought to evaluate whether the nutritional
composition of meals specially prepared (SM) for children aged 7 to 18 months
in low-income families was superior to that of meals adapted (AM) from the
family’s table foods. Protein, fat, carbohydrate, energy, dietary fiber, iron,
sodium and sodium chloride values, were determined by chemical analyses and compared
to dietetic guidelines. The infants’ hemoglobin levels were also investigated.
In total, sixty samples of the infants’ lunch meal (51 AM and 9 SM) were taken
for during a home visit. The values of protein, fat, carbohydrate, dietary fiber
and energy of the AM were significantly lower, while the sodium and sodium
chloride values were significantly higher, compared to those of the SM. The AM
also contained significantly more water. No differences were seen with regard
to iron values. Sodium chloride amounted for most of the sodium content.
Neither the SM nor AM was adequate in terms of iron and sodium. All SM were
adequate for protein and fat, whereas AM showed significantly more samples with
inadequate energy levels. SM fell within the Acceptable Macronutrient
Distribution Range, while AM fell below the lower value for fat and slightly
above the upper value for carbohydrate. The prevalence of anemia was 60% in the
study population (36/60). In conclusion, meals adapted from the family’s table
foods showed a lower nutrient density and a less balanced macronutrient range
when compared to meals specially prepared for infants. The main nutritional
shortcomings, for both AM and SM, were the extremely low content of iron and
the high content of sodium.