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Crude Fiber and Nutrients in the Diets of Preschoolers
Author(s) -
Endres Jeannette,
Gulley Beverly,
Fisher Charles E.
Publication year - 1981
Publication title -
home economics research journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.372
H-Index - 31
eISSN - 1552-3934
pISSN - 0046-7774
DOI - 10.1177/1077727x8100900406
Subject(s) - quartile , nutrient , riboflavin , food science , dietary fiber , population , zoology , biology , medicine , environmental health , confidence interval , ecology
Diet records of 169 preschool children were analyzed to determine the characteristics of diets with crude fiber values above 2.4 grams (upper quartile) and below 1.5 grams (lower quartile). Children whose diets contained 2.5 to 5.9 grams of crude fiber consumed a wider variety of foods, ate more servings of each food, and tended to have diets which met or exceeded two‐ thirds of the RDA for all nutrients except iron. The diets of the upper quartile group had higher energy values, but the proportion of energy contributed by fat, carbohydrate, and pro tein was similar for the total, upper, and lower quartiles. The diets of the upper quartile group were calculated to have proportionately more crude fiber and vitamins A and C, resulting from greater consumption of fruits and vegetables, while the reported diets of the lower quartile group had more calcium and riboflavin as a result of greater consumption of milk and milk products. At least 13 fiber‐contributing foods (10 fruits and vegetables, peanut butter, dried cooked beans, and whole wheat bread and rolls) reported in the children's diets accounted for 9.6 percent of the total foods. It did not appear that children in the upper versus lower quartile in this study received a large percentage of crude fibers from phytate‐rich foods, and the likelihood of this factor in hibiting iron utilization in the population would be doubtful.