Daily consumption of foods and nutrients from institutional and home sources among young children attending two contrasting day-care centers in Guatemala City

Adequate nutrition is critical to child development and institutions such as day-care centers could potentially complement children’s diets to achieve optimal daily intakes. The aim of the study was to describe the full-day diet of children, examining and contrasting the relative contribution of home-derived versus institutional energy and nutrient sources. The present comparison should be considered in the domain of a case-study format. The diets of 33, 3-6 y old children attending low-income day-care centers serving either 3 or a single meal were examined. The home-diet was assessed by means of 3 non-consecutive 24-hr recalls. Estimated energy and nutrient intakes at the centers and at home were assessed and related to Recommended Nutrient Intakes (RNI). Nutrient densities, critical densities and main sources of nutrients were computed. We observed that in children attending the day-care center serving three meals, home-foods contributed less than half the daily energy (47.7%) and between 29.9% and 53.5% of daily nutrients. In children receiving only lunch outside the home, energy contribution from the home was 83.9% and 304 kcal lower than for children receiving 3 meals. Furthermore, between 59.0% and 94.8% of daily nutrients were provided at home. Daily energy, nutrient intakes and nutrient densities were well above the nutrient requirements for this age group, and particularly high for vitamin A. The overall dietary variety was superior in the situation of greater contribution of home fare, but overall the nutrient density and adequacy of the aggregate intakes did not differ in any important manner.

Ingesta diaria de alimentos y nutrientes provenientes de la dieta institucional y del hogar en niños que asisten a dos centros de cuidado infantil contrastantes en la ciudad de Guatemala. Una adecuada nutrición es crítica para el desarrollo infantil. Los centros de cuidado infantiles (CCI) podrían jugar un papel fundamental en la complementación de la ingesta de alimentos y nutrientes. El propósito de este estudio fue describir la dieta de niños, comparando la contribución relativa de energía y nutrientes de la dieta-hogar e institucional. El presente estudio debe ser considerado como una presentación de caso. Se examinó la dieta de 33 niños de 3-6 años que asisten a dos CCI utilizados por familias de escasos recursos y con diferencias en número de comidas servidas. Se determinó la dieta-hogar utilizando 3 recordatorios de 24-horas en días no-consecutivos. Se calculó la ingesta estimada de energía y nutrientes en las instituciones y en casa y se comparó con las Ingestas Recomendadas de Nutrientes. Se determinó la densidad de nutrientes y principales fuentes. Se observó que los alimentos consumidos en el hogar contribuyeron 47.7% de la energía diaria y entre 29.9% y 53.5% de los nutrientes diarios requeridos para los niños con 3 comidas en el CCI y de 83.9%, 59.0 y 94.8%, respectivamente, para los niños que consumen únicamente el almuerzo en el CCI. La ingesta diaria de energía fue 304 kcal mayor en los niños que consumieron 3 comidas fuera del hogar. No hubo mayor variación en las dietas cuando mayor era el consumo de alimentos en el hogar, sin embargo la densidad nutricional y la adecuación de la dieta completa fue adecuada en ambos centros, y particularmente elevadas para la vitamina A.

Preparation effects on tortilla mineral content in Guatemala

We have previously reported that in Guatemala, the calcium, iron, and zinc contents of tortillas from rural areas are higher that that of tortillas from urban centers. This study examines variation in the calcium, iron, zinc and copper content of tortilla according to the implements used for making tortillas and inquires as to whether preparation effects mediate rural-urban variation in tortilla mineral content. Tortilla samples and information on how the tortillas were prepared were collected from the female heads of a total of 50 households from three rural, two semi-urban and one low income urban community. Samples of lime used for making tortillas were collected from 31 households. To grind masa, a hand mill was found to be used in some rural households whereas a motorized mill predominated in the semi-urban and urban areas. Most women used grinding stones called the mano y metate to further refine the texture of the masa. Tortillas prepared with the combined use of the hand mill and mano y metate had a significantly (p < 0.05) higher iron content. Use of the mano y metate was also associated with a significantly (p < 0.05) higher zinc content. These results suggest that the use of certain grinding implements may mediate rural-urban variation in tortilla iron and zinc content. The cooking surface, pot used for nixtamalization, source of water, and amount of lime used did not significantly account for variation in the content of these minerals