[Legume consumption among pre-school children: effect of energy density and type of preparation].

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of the energy density (E.D.), children's age and type of meals on the consumption of dishes based on legumes and its combination with cereals by preschool children, for the purpose of defining if they were adequate for preschool children's feeding. Thirty children aged 2 to 5 years old who lived in a foster home, were assigned to three experimental groups. Each group was formed by 10 children. Twenty-nine meals were offered to all groups, differing in their energy density: 0.85, 0.94 and 1.03 kcal/g in dishes of legumes and cereals, and 0.47, 0.62 and 0.80 kcal/g in soups. The study was conducted during 29 non-consecutive days throughout a period of 80 days. Food consumption of each child was determined by differential weighing. Food and energy consumption of the legume-cereal dishes was significantly higher than those observed in the case of soups (312 vs 223 g and 288 vs 138 kcal, respectively). The effect of age was verified only when the volume and energy intake was expressed by kg of body weight, being the group with the highest age which showed the lowest food and energy intake, either in dishes or in soups. The relationship between meal consumption and E.D. was significantly inverse. Dishes based on legume-cereal were consumed by pre-school children in sufficient amounts to satisfy their energy requirements in one meal, when these meals have an E.D. of 1.03 kcal/g (3% of added oil). The low E.D. of soups conditioned the fact that these meals were inadequate for the feeding of this age group.