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Abstract
A nutrition survey was carried out (food intake registration of three consecutive school days) in a randomly selected group of 353 schoolchildren (188 males and 165 females) with normal nutritional status. The average age of the surveyed students was 10.5 years (CI 95%: 10.3–11.7). There were no significant differences between both sexes in mean values for calorie intake (males: 2072.7 ± 261.7 and females: 2060.9 ± 250.6) and intake of macronutrients, minerals and vitamins. Cereals (34%), dairy products (19%) and meats (17%) were responsible for approximately 70% of total calorie intake. Protein accounted for 20.3% of energy intake, carbohydrates for 48.8%, total fat for 30.9%, and saturated fat for 12.6%. Cholesterol intake was excessive and over two-thirds of protein intake was from animal sources. The mean intakes of calcium, iodine and Vitamins A, D and E were below recommended levels. The dietary patterns of the schoolchildren with normal nutritional status differed from the Mediterranean diet. Intakes of meat were too high and dairy products and cereals consumption was relatively limited; while that of vegetables; legumes; fruits and fish were insufficient; leading to excessive protein and fat intake from animal sources and insufficient mineral (calcium and iodine) and Vitamins A; D and E intake.
Highlights
Dietary habits have always been a social and cultural referent of the different societies
“Mediterranean diet”, whose nutritional interest lies in the variety of foods included in it—every food group is always provided for in an adequate proportion—and the balanced calorie as well as nutrient intake they guarantee, through a combination of fruits and vegetables with bread, pasta and rice, as well as legumes with dairy products, fish and red meat and olive oil as a cooking fat [2,3,4]
This virtual deterioration of dietary patterns in our social and cultural environment has feared a gradual disappearance of Mediterranean diet [9,10] and would justify, to a great extent, the study of the quality of feeding habits in the general population and, especially, in those sectors of population more susceptible of being influenced, such as infant population
Summary
Dietary habits have always been a social and cultural referent of the different societies. Society has accepted an occidental dietary pattern characterized by an excessive intake of food of animal origin, especially meat and derivatives, and added sugars, at the expense of the intake of cereals, vegetables and fruits. This fact is leading to an increase of saturated fat and cholesterol in diet [5,6,7,8]. We assume that schoolchildren with normal nutritional status have feeding habits that guarantee the necessary energy and nutrient requirements—without deficiencies or excess—and that they would contribute to the prevention of adult diseases such as ischemic coronary disease, atherosclerosis, osteoporosis, obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure, etc. [11,12,13,14,15,16,17,18,19]
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