Dietary sources of energy and macronutrient intakes among Flemish preschoolers

The diet in childhood is not only of great importance for the well-being and growth of the child, it is also a potential determinant of adult morbidity and mortality [1,2]. However, some important gaps in the diet of Flemish preschoolers have been identified in the past and have already been discussed in depth by comparing nutrient and food intakes of Flemish preschoolers with respectively the Belgian age-specific recommended dietary allowances (RDA) for nutrients [3] and the Flemish food-based dietary guidelines (FBDG) for preschoolers in Flanders [4]. In summary, more than half of the children did not comply with the water recommendation. Furthermore, intakes of saturated fatty acid (SFA), mono-unsaturated fatty acid (MUFA) and poly-unsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) were not in line with the recommendations at population level. Therefore, the diet of Flemish preschoolers can be an important target for modifying the risk for cardiovascular disease (CVD) in later life [3]. When comparing the food group intakes among preschoolers in Flanders with the Flemish FBDG (Table 1), we found that for almost all food groups more than half of the children did not reach the minimum recommendations. However, the consumption of meat products and sugar and fat-rich products like soft drinks and biscuits exceeded the upper levels of the recommendations [4].The relative contribution of specific foods and food groups to total nutrient intakes has been studied since the early eighties, when a new concept of 'important' nutrient sources was introduced in addition to the concept of 'rich' nutrient sources [5]. Whereas rich sources were foods with the greatest concentration of a nutrient, important sources were foods that contributed most to a population's intake. Important sources of nutrients can be strongly influenced by 'nutrient density' of the food, its 'frequency of consumption' and the quantity consumed. Knowledge of such sources, combined with information about the degree to which pe