Abstract
ABSTRACT Objective Food insecurity and child malnutrition are central topics in many food programs around the world; however, these indices do not diminish. The creation of strategies is necessary to increase the effectiveness of nutritional improvement programs. The objective of this research was to improve the nutritional quality of three local dishes included in the regular diet of the population by adding amaranth and to evaluate their acceptance by children from three communities in Tochimilco, Puebla, Mexico. Methods The study was carried out in three communities of “Tochimilco”, Puebla, Mexico, in order to evaluate three local dishes: banana smoothie, beans and corn tortillas, which were chosen by mothers of the region in participative workshops on preparation of local dishes enriched with amaranth. Two sensory tests were applied: paired-comparison and hedonic scale to 208 and 210 children of preschool and scholar age, respectively. Results It was found that consumers showed similar preference for banana smoothie and beans enriched with amaranth compared to non-enriched dishes; while the amaranth enriched tortilla gained more preference in the different statistical tests and it was the dish with higher content of amino acids. Sensory attributes were similarly assessed and there were no significant differences among rural and urban communities and school year. Conclusion Children easily accept the addition of amaranth to the dishes they are accustomed to, as it does not change their food culture. It is possible to improve child nutrition by designing healthier dishes and incorporating them into the daily cooking of those who prepare the food.
Highlights
Food Insecurity (FI) occurs when a person or a group of people does not have physical or economical access to nutritious, sufficient and innocuous foods that their meet nutritional needs and preferences for an active and healthy life [1]
It was found that consumers showed similar preference for banana smoothie and beans enriched with amaranth compared to non-enriched dishes; while the amaranth enriched tortilla gained more preference in the different statistical tests and it was the dish with higher content of amino acids
NUTRITIONAL IMPROVEMENT OF LOCAL DISHES 605 national and international programs are being implemented, as well as studies aimed at monitoring the problem and proposing strategies to reduce the FI indices and its consequences [3,4,5,6,7]
Summary
Food Insecurity (FI) occurs when a person or a group of people does not have physical or economical access to nutritious, sufficient and innocuous foods that their meet nutritional needs and preferences for an active and healthy life [1] It is one of the most serious contemporary worldwide problem [2] and it is the main issue of many social and health problems. Some consequences of FI are psychological stress, monotonous diet, high energy density food intake and cycles of restriction and binging [3]. These behaviors increase the risk of malnutrition (from malnutrition to obesity) and some infectious diseases [4]. Many countries have proposals to fight the causes and consequences of food insecurity; for example, unconditional cash transfers [8], nutrientdense food enriched with micronutrients [9] or grains of amaranth or sorghum [10], own food production through agricultural activity, government social grants and interest money lending, and food from shops [11]
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