Profile of calories and nutrients intake in a Brazilian multicenter study of nulliparous women.

OBJECTIVE The objective of this study was to assess the calories intake and nutritional content of the maternal diet according to region with different culinary traditions and typical foods and to understand the nutritional profile for providing information about the consumption of this population to promote maternal and perinatal health METHODS: From a cohort of 1,145 pregnant women with a diverse socio-geographical we analyzed the dietary characteristics profile according to three guidelines and compared the differences between regions of Brazil. RESULT Northeast women had the lowest level of income, occupation, education, and age (p=0.0001). Intakes of unprocessed/minimally processed foods and processed foods were more prevalent in Northeastern than in Southern/Southeastern women (p=0.0001). The consumption of dairy products and vegetables were less than the recommended with lower intake in Southern/Southeastern (p≤0.0001). This study showed a lower consumption of dairy and vegetables, with a lack of shortfall of vitamins K, D, iron, calcium, folate, magnesium and chromium from natural and fortified foods. We observed a greater consumption of unprocessed or minimally processed food from the Northeast in Brazil. CONCLUSION Our findings alert to the importance of differentiating the source of calories intake between regional nutritional guidance and the diversity of local cuisine.