Consumption of foods and nutrients by weanlings in rural Bangladesh

Longitudinal studies of the consumption of foods and nutrients by 70 children between 5 and 30 months of age have been completed, during 632 individual days of observation in rural village homes in Bangladesh. Foods and prepared menu items for each child were weighed before serving; leftover food was subtracted from portions served to determine the amounts consumed. Breast milk intakes were estimated by test-weighing of children before and after all feedings during 12-h daytime periods and were corrected to 24-h consumption. All children between 5 and 12 months of age and 85% of children between 24 and 30 months were breast-fed; the average amount of breast milk received by these age groups declined from 632 to 638 g/day. Concurrently, the rate of consumption of cereals increased from 54 to 100% of children, and the amount received increased from 35 to 94 g/day. The children received an average intake of energy between 63 to 71 kcal/kg body weight/day and an average intake of protein between 1.2 to 1.5 g protein/kg body weight/day in the various age and sex categories. The absolute consumption of energy and protein increased with age, but the amount of energy per kg of body weight and the percentage of energy requirement for length-age remained constant or declined in older girls. Vitamin A consumption, mostly from breast milk, averaged between 152 and 249 μg retinol equivalents per day, with younger children receiving more than older ones and boys receiving more than girls. Breast milk was the major source of all nutrients for younger children. Cereals provided more protein and iron than mothers' milk in older boys, but breast milk remained an important source of nutrients for all children.