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Distribution of energy, macro‐ and micronutrients intakes among meals and snacks in the one‐day diets of schoolchildren from Quetzaltenango, Guatemala
Author(s) -
Vossenaar Marieke,
MontenegroBethancourt Gabriella,
Kuijper Lothar D.J.,
Doak Colleen M.,
Solomons Noel W.
Publication year - 2007
Publication title -
the faseb journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.709
H-Index - 277
eISSN - 1530-6860
pISSN - 0892-6638
DOI - 10.1096/fasebj.21.5.a123-c
Subject(s) - micronutrient , meal , nutrient , overnutrition , food science , vitamin , environmental health , zoology , medicine , biology , obesity , endocrinology , ecology , pathology
Although the nutrition community's focus has been on quantifying the intake of nutrients, and more recently on selection of foods and beverages, inquiry into their distribution among meals has lagged behind. Our objective was to assess the distribution of energy, macro‐ and micronutrients among the 4 meal‐types (breakfast {B}, lunch {L}, dinner {D}, and combined snacks {S}) in a convenience sample of 449 third and fourth grade schoolchildren from private and public elementary schools from the city of Quetzaltenango, Guatemala. We administered a single pictorial 24‐h prospective diary, checked for completeness and estimated portion sizes. The distribution of energy intake was 24% (B), 30% (L), 23% (D), and 23% (S), respectively. Although L led in terms of energy (30% of daily intake) and macronutrients (35% of PRO, 27% of fat and 30% of CHO), it was not the most micronutrient‐dense meal. L was the leading source of vitamin C and zinc, whereas B was the major source of vitamins A, D, B1, and B2, and folate, calcium and iron. Where overnutrition and micronutrient deficiencies coexist, analysis of nutrient density in meals may improve strategies to achieve adequate balance. Funded by the AICR