Food groups consumed by infants and young children from urban areas of China.

Consuming foods from different food groups helps children (and adults!) meet their daily nutritional needs. Nearly all infants and young children in China consumed milk (88-94% on the day of the survey), and similarly, nearly all consumed grains (87-100%, depending on age), primarily rice and/or noodles. The main protein sources were eggs, pork, and fish or seafood, with nearly all children consuming some type of protein source. Where infants and young children fell short was for fruits and vegetables. Only about half of infants (<12 months of age) ate a fruit or vegetable on the day of the survey. Among those older than 12 months, only about two-thirds ate fruit, but vegetable intake improved with age (up to 91% by 30-35 months of age).

Yu P, Denney L, Zheng Y, Vinyes-Pares G, Reidy K, Eldridge AL, Wang P, Zhang Y. Food groups consumed by infants and young children from urban areas of China. Food Nutr Res. 2016; 60:30289. doi.org/10.3402/fnr.v60.30289