Noodles, rice, and other non locally produced foods in the weaning age child's diet, Pacobamba, Peru

Abstract

Use of locally and non‐locally produced foods in the diet of 30 weaning‐age Peruvian children was studied to examine the potential effect of the introduction of non‐locally produced foods on their nutritional status. Noodles are being used in soup, often replacing more calorically‐dense products like whole wheat kernels and potatoes. The families purchasing rice had significant differences in caloric intake for their children. Those families purchasing more rice had children with lower caloric intakes. Bottled oil and iodized salt were used by 97 and 73 % of the participating households, respectively. These provided additional calories and an important source of iodine for the children's diet. The anthropométrie data did not significantly relate to dietary recall or food buying data.