Are Family Table Foods Appropriate for Infants? Comparing the Nutritional Quality of Homemade Meals Adapted from the Family’s Table Foods and Those Specially Prepared for Infants

Pérola Ribeiro, Dirce Maria Sigulem, Tania Beninga Morais

Food Quality Control Laboratory, Universidade Federal de S?o Paulo/UNIFESP, S?o Paulo, Brazil.
Nutrition Course, Universidade Nove de Julho, S?o Paulo, Brazil.
Postgraduate Program in Nutrition, Universidade Federal de S?o Paulo/UNIFESP, S?o Paulo, Brazil.

DOI: 10.4236/fns.2014.513135                

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.

Keywords

Infant Food, Infant Nutrition, Food Composition, Food Analysis

Conflicts of Interest

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

References

[1]	Dewey, K.G., Peerson, J.M., Heining, M.J., Nommsen, L.A., Lönnerdal, N.B., Romaña, G.L., et al. (1992) Growth Patterns of Breast-Def Infants in Affluent (United States) and Poor (Peru) Communities: Implications for Timing of Complementary Feeding. The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 56, 1012-1018.
[2]	Islam, M.M., Peerson, J.M., Ahmed, T., et al. (2006) Effects of Varied Energy Density of Complementary Foods on Breast-Milk Intakes and Total Energy Consumption by Healthy, Breastfed Bangladeshi Children. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 83, 851-858.
[3]	Ministry of Health [Ministério da Saúde] (2002) Food Guide for Children under Two Years [Guia alimentar Para Crianças Menores de 2 Anos]. Ministério da Saúde [Ministry of Health], Brasília. Organização Pan Americana da Saúde [Pan American Health Organization].
[4]	World Health Organization. (2005) Guiding Principles for Feeding Non-Breastfed Children 6-24 Months of Age. World Health Organization, Geneva.
[5]	Faber M. (2005) Complementary Foods Consumed by 6-12-Month-Old Rural Infants in South Africa Are Inadequate in Micronutrients. Public Health Nutrition, 8, 373-391. http://dx.doi.org/10.1079/PHN2004685
[6]	Kimmons, J.E., Dewey, K.G., Haque, E., et al. (2005) Low Nutrient Intakes among Infants in Rural Bangladesh Are Attributable to Low Intake and Micronutrient Density of Complementary Foods. Journal of Nutrition, 135, 444-451.
[7]	Welch, A.A. (2005) Dietary Intake Measurement: Methodology. In: Caballero, B., Allen, L. and Prentice, A., Eds., Encyclopedia of Human Nutrition, 2nd Edition, Elsevier, Amsterdam, 7-16. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/B0-12-226694-3/00089-2
[8]	Stordy, B.J., Redfern, A.M. and Morgan, J.B. (1995) Healthy Eating For Infants—Mothers’ Action. Acta Paediatrica, 84, 733-741. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1651-2227.1995.tb13746.x
[9]	van den Boom, S.A.M., Kimber, A.C. and Morgan, J.B. (1997) Nutritional Composition of Home-Prepared Baby Meals in Madrid. Comparison with Commercial Products in Spain and Home-Made Meals in England. Acta Paediatrica, 86, 57-62. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1651-2227.1997.tb08833.x
[10]	Portella, M.B., Morais T.B. and Morais M.B. (2010) Excess Sodium and Insufficient Iron Content in Complementary Foods. Jornal de Pediatria, 86, 303-310.
[11]	Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics [Instituto Brasileiro de Geografia e Estatística]. http://www.cidades.ibge.gov.br
[12]	State System of Data Analysis Foundation [Fundação Sistema Estadual de Análise de Dados]. http://www.seade.gov.br
[13]	National Association of Business Research [Associação Brasileira de Empresas de Pesquisa]. Criteria of Economic Classification [Critério de classificação econômica]. http://www.abep.org
[14]	World Health Organization (2001) Iron Deficiency Anaemia: Assessment, Prevention and Control. Genebra.
[15]	Association of Official Analytical Chemists (2007) Official Methods of Analysis of AOAC International: Current through Revision 2. AOAC International.
[16]	European Communities (2006) Commission Directive 2006/125/EC on Processed Cereal-Based Foods and Baby Foods for Infants and Young Children. Official Journal of the European Union.
[17]	Ministry of Health [Ministério da Saúde] (2009) Complementary Foods for Infants and Young Children [Alimentos de Transição Para Lactentes e Crianças de Primeira Infancia].
[18]	Institute of Medicine. Dietary Reference Intakes (DRI) (2002) Dietary Reference Intakes for Energy, Carbohydrate, Fiber, Fat, Fatty Acids, Cholesterol, Protein and Amino Acids. National Academy Press, Washington DC.
[19]	World Health Organization (2002) Report of Informal Meeting to Review and Develop Indicators for Complementary Feeding. Washington DC.
[20]	Fomon, S.J. (1967) Body Composition of the Male Reference Infant during the First Year of Life. Pediatrics, 40, 863-870.
[21]	Akre, J. (1989) Infant Feeding. The Physiological Basis. Bulletin of the World Health Organization, 67, 1-108.
[22]	Sarno, F., Claro, R.M., Levy, R.B., et al. (2009) Estimated Sodium Intake by the Brazilian Population, 2002-2003. Revista de Saúde Pública, 43, 219-225. http://dx.doi.org/10.1590/S0034-89102009005000002
[23]	Bouhlal, S., Issanchou, S. and Nicklaus, S. (2011) The Impact of Salt, Fat and Sugar Levels on Toddler Food Intake. British Journal of Nutrition, 105, 645-653. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/S0007114510003752
[24]	Leshem, M. (2009) Biobehavior of the Human Love for Salt. Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews, 33, 1-17. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.neubiorev.2008.07.007
[25]	Hofman, A., Hazebroek, A. and Valkenburg, H.A. (1983) A Randomized Trial of Sodium Intake and Blood Pressure in Newborn Infants. JAMA, 250, 370-373. http://dx.doi.org/10.1001/jama.1983.03340030030023
[26]	Geleijnse, J.M., Hofman, A., Witteman, J.C., et al. (1997) Long-Term Effects of Neonatal Sodium Restriction on Blood Pressure. Hypertension, 29, 913-917. http://dx.doi.org/10.1161/01.HYP.29.4.913
[27]	Brazilian Society of Pediatrics (2012) Dietary Guidelines for Infants, Preschoolers, Adolescents and School Feeding. 3rd Edition, Brazilian Society of Pediatrics, Rio de Janeiro.
[28]	Institute of Medicine (2002) Dietary Reference Intakes (DRI). Dietary References Intakes for Energy, Carbohydrate, Fiber, Fat, Protein and Aminoacids National Academy Press, Washington DC.
[29]	Beard, J.L. (2008) Why Iron Deficiency Is Important in Infant Development. Journal of Nutrition, 138, 2534-253