Search

In Mexico, the food guide developed by The National Institute of Nutrition for the Mexican population is `The Pyramid of Health'. In the northwestern Mexican state of Baja California, the Nutrition Institute of Baja California (INUBAC) developed and validated another food guide. This guide, named `The Apple of Health', is based on current nutrition research and the typical food patterns. The purpose of this article was to evaluate and compare (1) the graphical impact, (2) the understanding of the overall message, and (3) the ability to apply the information from both food guides, using a diet design score and focus group interviews, among women from two different education levels living in Baja California. Results showed that mean diet design percentage scores obtained by the participants using The Pyramid of Health were 64.1 and using The Apple of Health 76.7. No statistical difference was found between the two education levels. The majority of the focus group participants expressed that the most appealing food guide was The Apple of Health because of its color and graphic art. However, the Pyramid was more familiar to the participants. The study subjects strongly recommended The Apple of Health food guide as an educational tool for the whole family.

Polyphasic study of the spatial distribution of microorganisms in Mexican pozol, a fermented maize dough, has been carried out using culture-dependent and culture-independent methods. The study demonstrates the need for cultivation-independent methods that do not impose bias for study of traditional fermentations. If more information about the microflora present and active in the fermentation were available, the microbiological quality and safety of the food, balls of which are suspended in water and drunk daily as a beverage, might be improved.

Research on nutritional assessment of high risk Mexican populations has provided a baseline for future dietary research among similar demographic samples. From studies using Mexican women in the 60-94 age range, the number of dietary days required for a 95% confidence level was found to be 16 days for cholesterol, 10 for fiber, 8 for fat, 7 for protein, 4 for carbohydrate and 3 for energy., Tijuana Medical School, Universdad Autonoma de Baja California, Instituto de Nutricion de Baja California, Ex-ejido Tampico s/n, La Mesa de Otay, Tijuana, BC Mexico Inter and intraindividual intake variance is [...]

Gender differences in nutrient and food intake were examined in Mexican Nutrition CRSP (Collaborative Research Support Program) infants (N = 75), preschoolers (N = 80), and school children (N = 91). No significant gender differences in dietary quality or quantity were seen for infants and preschoolers. For school children, the contribution of various foods to total energy intake (dietary quality) was also quite similar for girls and boys. Equity in dietary quality remained even under conditions of economic and demographic stress. Nevertheless, school girls consumed significantly less energy per day than boys ([approximately]300 kcal/d or 1.3 mJ/d), and less of all micronutrients examined. Gender differences in estimated basal metabolic rates of school children were slight ([approximately]20 kcal/d), and body composition and size were similar. When energy intakes were expressed as a percent of estimated requirement (calculated from age, sex and weight using WHO/FAO/UNU equations), intakes were adequate and not significantly different between girls [Mathematical Expression Omitted] and boys [Mathematical Expression Omitted]. Playground observations showed girls to be less active than boys, which may reflect both cultural and biological influences. Apparently due to this lower activity, school girls consumed less energy, and may have been at much higher risk than boys of micronutrient deficiency. The lower food intakes of girls did not appear to be due to purposeful dietary discrimination, but rather to culturally patterned sex roles involving lower activity. Key words - gender differences, food intake, children, dietary quality, malnutrition, playground observations, Mexico

The influence of cuisine in defining Mexican national identity has historical roots and has permeated the politics and social atmosphere of the country. Mexican cooking is a mixture of native Indian food such as corn and European staples such as wheat. The former was identified with the lower classes which was eventually embraced by the Mexican elite as part of a hybrid cuisine. This development attests to the role of the lower classes in shaping an authentic Mexican identity.

The diets of schoolchildren from villages in Egypt, Kenya and Mexico in the age group of 7 to 9 years have been examined to study the inadequacies of nutrient intakes, and the results are compared to earlier data on toddlers. Similar patterns of nutrient inadequacy are found for the two age groups, except that B12 is more likely to be inadequate for the school age group. Nutrient adequacy seems to be highly correlated within households. For about a year, food consumption data have been collected for two consecutive days per month. Applying a probability approach, mean nutrient intakes were determined and compared to international standards.

The relationship between income and food expenditure patterns is influenced by a number of factors, including personal tastes, source and frequency of income, male/female control over income, home food production, and other demographic factors. In this study, the relationship of household resource allocation of each of the following is examined: (1) source of income (i.e. wage labor, cash cropping, migrant remittances, and other private sources); (2) women's contribution to income; and (3) subsistence production level. The overall study design involved a cross-sectional survey of 178 households in three rural Mexican communities on two occasions spanning both agricultural seasons. On each occasion, data were collected on the following: (1) income by source and by earner; (2) migrant remittances; (3) gifts and loans; (4) subsistence and cash crop production, expenses, and earnings; (5) major nonfood purchases; (6) household composition; and (7) household food use (during the previous week). Stepwise multiple regression was used to determine the factors associated with the percentage of income allocated to food (PFX) and the percentage of the food budget allocated to (1) maize, beans, and chile (TRAD); (2) meat, milk, and fruit (LUX); and (3) bread, pasta, and snack foods (PROC). All regression were run controlling for income. The proportion of income from migrant remittances was negatively associated with PFX (winter). Subsistence score was positively related to PFX (summer). Migrant remittances (winter) and subsistence score (both season) were nagatively associated with TRAD. Subsistence score was positively related to LUX (both seasons). Father's absence (both seasons), store ownership (winter), and private source of income (summer) were all positively linked to PROC. Mother's contribution to total income and cash cropping income were not significantly related to any of the dependent variables. The findings support the idea that resources allocation patterns are influenced not only by income level but also by the household economic strategies through which income is generated. Key words--migration, cash cropping, subsistence production, women's income, resource allocation, Mexico