Staple Food Items Research Articles

Cultural factors, caloric intake and micronutrient sufficiency in rural Nepali households

This study examined the allocation of food within 105 Nepali households using a combination of recall and observation methods. While a relationship exists between caloric intake and sufficiency of intake of several key micronutrients (i.e., beta carotene, vitamin C and iron) for the study population as a whole, this relationship is weaker for certain subgroups. In particular, micronutrient intakes of adolescent girls and adult women are much less likely to be tied to total caloric consumption when compared with the intakes of other household members. This gender differential appears linked in part to specific food beliefs and practices that tend to reduce women's consumption of micronutrient-rich foods, such as dietary restrictions during menstruction, pregnancy and lactation. Overlapping with these beliefs and practices, an overall pattern of disfavoritism of females in the intrahousehold allocation of food is evident in the study communities. While staple food items (i.e. rice, lentil soup, bread, etc.) are distributed fairly equally, side dishes usually containing a higher proportion of micronutrients (i.e. vegetables, meat, yogurt, ghee, etc.) are often preferentially allocated to valued household members, including adult males and small children (of both sexes).

The seed storage proteins of quinoa.

Quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa) is a member of the Chenopodiaceae, or goosefoot, family of dicotyledenous plants (Figure 1). Indigenous to the Andean region of South America, cultivated quinoa is grown primarily in the cool, semi-arid altiplano of Bolivia and Peru but is also adaptable to valleys and coastal foothills. Quinoa has been a staple food item in Andean culture since 3000 B.C and is sometimes referred to as Inca rice. Quinoa seeds can be boiled like rice or ground into a flour. The leaves are also edible, having a mild spinach-like flavor. It is still a major dietary component among the present-day Quechua and Aymara Indians (Wood, 1985).

Food Habits of the Rabbit Romerolagus diazi (Leporidae) in Central Mexico

Fecal pellets of Romerolagus diazi collected biweekly during 1 year from a permanent plot in central Mexico were examined to determine the diet of this leporid. Muhlenbergia macroura, Stipa ichu , and Alnus arguta were staple food items. The annual intake of forbs was low and mostly occurred during the dry season, especially in spring. Grasses were important during all seasons, especially during the wet period. Trees were consumed in similar proportions during the dry and wet periods, and the consumption of shrubs increased during the harsh conditions of the dry season. Similar to other leporids, R. diazi consumed woody plants, particularly shrubs, in high proportions during the cold and dry conditions of winter. Grasses were important for cover and nest material, and provided a significant food source for R. diazi .

An Ethogram of Captive Blarina brevicauda

Approximately 50 captive short-tailed shrews (Blarina brevicauda) were observed during a 3-year period. From these observations and descriptions by earlier authors, an ethogram consisting of 54 specific behavior patterns was established. The ethogram is presented as a tool for future interspecific behavioral comparisons and as an initial guide for behavioral studies of Blarina in the field. Introduction The short-tailed shrew (Blarina brevicauda) is a semifossorial insectivore, common throughout eastern North America and found in nearly all land habitats (Walker, 1964). This shrew has been described as a solitary territorial species (Platt, 1976). Wild-caught Blarina have been studied in captivity (e.g., Shull, 1907; Hamilton, 1931; Christian, 1950; Mann, 1956; Rood, 1958), and have been successfully bred (Pearson, 1944; Blus, 1971). Direct field observation of Blarina behavior is limited to brief anecdotal accounts (e.g., Carter, 1936). While previous authors have described some behavior patterns, no complete ethogram for Blarina or any other soricine has been published. Fons (1974) has described the behavior seen in Suncus etruscus (Crocidurinae). This listing approximates a complete ethogram. I present an ethogram, or ''precise catalogue of all the behavior patterns of an (Eibl-Eibesfeldt, 1970, p. 10), for the short-tailed shrew as measured in a captive population. As free-living shrews are extremely difficult to observe, the ethogram for captive individuals can serve as an initial guide for behavioral studies in the field. Methods and Materials Approximately 50 Blarina have been observed under captive conditions during a 3-year period. The animals were live-trapped using 5 ? 6.5 ? 17 cm Sherman traps placed in active Blarina runways in forest leaf litter or field grass. Shrews ranged in age from apparently recently weaned juveniles to adults which had survived over 2 years in captivity. Animal weights ranged between ca. 16-30 g. Trap sites were in Athol and Leominster, Worcester Co., and Amherst and Easthampton, Hampshire Co., Massachusetts. Both sexes were nearly equally represented in the captive population. The care of the captive population was modified from Blus (1971). All animals were housed in specially constructed wooden cages 60 cm2 by 30 cm high. Each cage was designed to house two separate individuals, each in a 30 ? 60 cm area containing two nest areas and sphagnum peat moss throughout. All cages were kept in a 3 ? 4 m room under constant 14-hr light/10-hr dark periods at 22_?_3 C. The room was ventilated by either exhaust fan or air conditioner. Shrews were fed twice daily and once a day on weekends. Canned dog food (Alpo Chopped Beef) served as the staple food item. Mealworms (Tenebrio larvae), crickets (Acheta domesticus or oatmeal (Old-Fashioned Quaker Oats) were also given daily. A live or frozen mouse (Mus musculus) was offered weekly. Observations were made of all behavior patterns performed by the shrews in the captive colony. Animals were also occasionally paired to allow social interactions. The majority of observation time was spent during or immediately after the time each animal was fed. All descriptions of Blarina behavior previously mentioned in 1 Present address: Monell Chemical Senses Centre, 3500 Market St., Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104.

Epidemiology of esophageal cancer in Iran, with special reference to nutritional and cultural aspects

A multidisciplinary epidemiological investigation was instituted to find clues to the peculiar geographical distribution of esophageal cancer in the Caspian Littoral of Iran, where in some Turkoman villages, the incidence is among the highest in the world. This article reviews the findings concerning cultural habits, dietary patterns, staple food items, environmental exogenous carcinogens, and cocarcinogens in both high- and low-incidence areas, and their possible association with the disease. This is a good example of the importance of international cooperation in epidemiologic investigations.

Feeding the Vietnamese in the UK

Although a host country may offer a safe home to refugees, it may not be able to offer them their native foods. In fact the hosts may know very little about the refugees' staple food items and their traditional preparation. This was found to be the situation when the Vietnamese boat people were given refugee in the UK.

Food selection by the South Indian leaf-monkey, Presbytis johnii, in relation to leaf chemistry.

The leaf-monkey Presbytis johnii has been found to exhibit considerable selectivity in its dietary utilization of mature foliage in a rain-forest habitat. To investigate the basis of this selectivity and to examine the hypothesis that the observed selection is related to the digestibility and toxicity of the available foliage, chemical analyses have been made on 16 of the most important tree species in the monkey's habitat. It has been found that the most heavily used items, which form a staple part of the diet of P. johnii, are characterized by a low fibre content and a very low condensed tannin content. However, neither class of compound is an absolute feeding deterrent as minor, but still significant, mature leaf food items contain considerable amounts of both. It is suggested that the feeding deterrents in these minor items, which may be ingested to supply specific dietary requirements, can perhaps be tolerated because of their dilution in the gut by the dietary staples. An examination of the pepsin/cellulase digestibility of available mature foliage showed that the staple food items tended to be highly digestible. Little correlation has been found between alkaloid content and food selection and it is suggested that the colobine forestomach microflora has the ability to detoxify at least some alkaloids. Additional data on mature leaf petioles and young leaves suggest that the high ratio of cell-sap to cell-wall in these items, and their related high digestibility, explain the high relative abundance of these items in the P. johnii diet.

Wholesale Grocery Industry

FROM the days of early colonization of our country the wholesale grocer has played an increasingly important role in the economic life of the United States. In early colonial times he conducted an extensive export-import business, handling, in addition to staple food items, such lines as paints, naval stores, chemicals, drugs, rum and other spirits, textiles, hardware, fish, spices, coffee, tea-and many other commodities. Available records in government archives bear out in documented form the role of the wholesale grocer in the amazing growth of the mercantile life of the United States. With the movement westward, pioneer wholesale grocers often began their service activities with a covered wagon serving as their warehouse.