Alimentation en crèche : des menus équilibrés ne présagent pas d'apports nutritionnels adéquats

Children day care centers should provide nutritious food and offer an environment contributing to adequate eating behaviors. Our study objective was to evaluate the food and environment of a corporate children day care with respect to recommendations. Twenty days menus were analyzed, and weighed nutritional intake were compared to recommendations. Educators' attitudes and day care environment were evaluated by questionnaire and direct observation respectively. Menus were in accordance with recommendations and the environment was favorable. Among children aged more than 1 year, protein intake exceeded recommendations by more than 200% and sodium by 15 to 27%. Excess protein intake has been related to increased risk of obesity and sodium has been identified as a risk factor for hypertension, even among very young children. This study prompted the corporation to bring some changes to improve dietary offer.