At least, this is implied in several WHO publications, including the Code for marketing infant foods ( 3) and in the most recent guidelines on complementary feeding ( 4). Often, it is assumed that suitable nutrient-dense foods are locally available to provide a nutritionally adequate complementary diet, even in developing countries.
This period is recommended to start at 6 months of age ( 2) and extend for many months thereafter, up to 2 years according to recent recommendations ( 1). These foods are complementary in that they provide additional energy and other nutrients during the period when breastfeeding alone is inadequate to meet nutritional needs. This review should facilitate the adoption of this technique by international health professionals.Īfter 6 months of age, breastfed children receive a substantial part of their energy from breast milk however, complementary nutrient-dense foods are required to cover additional energy and their requirements for several micronutrients, notably iron, zinc, calcium, and vitamin A ( 1). In this review, the basic principles of linear programming are briefly examined and some practical applications for formulating sound food-based nutritional recommendations in different contexts are explained. The purpose of this review, therefore, is to inform pediatricians and public health professionals about this tool. It has become more readily accessible with the advent of powerful personal computers.
However, a more efficient and rigorous technique, based on linear programming, is also available.
In this context, two questions are often asked: 1) is it possible to design a diet suitable for the complementary feeding period using locally available food? and 2) if this is possible, what is the lowest-cost, nutritionally adequate diet available? These questions are usually answered using a “trial and error” approach. International interest exists in the promotion of affordable, nutritionally adequate complementary feeding diets based on locally available foods. During the complementary feeding period, children require a nutrient-dense diet to meet their high nutritional requirements.
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