Quantities of foods consumed by 12‐ to 24‐month‐old New Zealand children

Abstract

Aim: The present study aimed to estimate small, median and large daily quantities of frequently consumed foods and identify which food groups are important sources of key micronutrients for 12‐ to 24‐month‐old New Zealand children.

Methods: A community‐based cross‐sectional survey was conducted in three cities in the South Island of New Zealand. Healthy toddlers (n = 188) were randomly selected using multistage sampling. Three non‐consecutive 1‐day weighed food records were collected from each child and the frequencies and daily quantities of foods and beverages, and important sources of iron and zinc, were determined.

Results: Fifty percent or more of the children consumed the following foods at least once over 3 days (median gram intake among toddlers who consumed the food): milk (366 g), white bread (29 g), banana (70 g), potato (34 g), cheese (12 g), apple (39 g), ‘Weetbix’ whole‐wheat breakfast cereal (16 g), yeast extract spread (‘Marmite’, ‘Vegemite’) (2 g), carrot (17 g) and margarine (4 g). Dairy, cereals and the meat/fish/poultry/eggs/nuts food group were the most important sources of iron and zinc in the toddlers' diets, providing 69.1% of iron and 86.3% of zinc.

Conclusion: This research provides dietitians, other health professionals, researchers and policy‐makers with detailed information on daily quantities of foods and beverages frequently consumed by toddlers that can be used for dietetic counselling, dietary assessment, and to develop food‐based dietary guidelines specifically for toddlers.