Reductions in Dietary Energy Density to Moderate Children's Energy Intake

Several major health organizations have recently made recommendations concerning the prevention of childhood overweight. One strategy advised is to change children's eating patterns in order to modify dietary energy density (the concentration of calories in food). For example, the World Health Organization recommends that children and adolescents restrict their intake of energy-dense, micronutrient-poor foods in order to prevent obesity. The Institute of Medicine Committee on Prevention of Obesity in Children and Youth recommends that "parents should promote healthful food choices among toddlers and young children by making a variety of nutritious, low-energy-dense foods, such as fruits and vegetables, available to them." These recommendations rely on research in adults showing that consuming a diet low in energy density is an effective way to moderate energy intake and improve diet quality, both of which are important goals in light of the childhood obesity epidemic and mounting concern for children's nutritional status. This chapter considers whether reducing the energy density of the diet may be an effective strategy to moderate energy intake and improve nutrient intakes in young children.