Quantitative analysis of nutrient intake in children under 3 years old. ALSALMA study

Abstract Objective The objective of the study was to analyse the nutritional patterns of children under three years of age and to compare the results against the recommendations for energy and nutrient intake. Patients and methods In this cross-sectional epidemiological study, parents completed a dietary diary on their food intake of their children on 4 non-consecutive days. The percentage of children with mean intakes below the recommendations for each age and nutrient was analysed using the “Estimated Average Requirement (EAR) cut-point method.” Results A total of 186 paediatricians included 1701 children in the study. A total of 95.9% ( n  = 1320) of the children between 7 and 36 months had a protein consumption more than twice that of the Recommended Daily Allowances. The deficiencies observed (% P  = .013) and of carbohydrates ( P P Conclusions The study presents a very detailed view of the eating patterns of Spanish children less than three years of age. The encouragement of healthy feeding should be directed towards the correction of the dietary imbalances detected, in order to promote the future health of children.