The composition and level of dietary intake in China

In China, the standard approach to collecting accurate dietary data was the three-day household inventory to measure household food consumption and nutrient intake. Measuring individual food consumption was regarded as less accurate and was thought to be unacceptable before the 1980s. A multiple-day household inventory method is time-consuming and expensive, as it requires a high-quality, durable scale and trained field workers. Moreover, the method provides only nutrient intake and food consumption data at the household level. It neither differentiates the intake of guests from

usual household members nor measures food eaten away from home (AFH). For these reasons, it is very difficult to assess nutrition status and conduct a range of studies at the individual level with the inventory method. Nevertheless, nutritionists in China and elsewhere in Asia believe the increased cost and effort are justified by the increased quality of measurement.

Since the 1980s, several large-scale nutrition surveys have been completed to observe the impact of socioeconomic changes on food consumption and chronic diseases in China. However, there has been no systematic analysis of the quality of 24-hour dietary recall, and little work has been done to consider ways to improve these dietary-assessment methods. Although more and more studies and discussions have focused on such methods in the world, minimal research has assessed the reliability of 24-hour dietary recall, and little attention has been paid to improving the quality of the dietary surveys in China.

High-energy-density gruels in the treatment of hospitalized children suffering from mainly protein malnutrition in Zaire

High-energy-density gruels in the treatment of hospitalized children suffering from mainly protein malnutrition in Zaire.

The effects of the energy density of gruels on energy and protein intake and the nutrition status of 148 hospitalized malnourished children age 3 to 24 months were determined under standardized conditions. Severely malnourished children consumed significantly more high- or low-energy-density gruels than children less affected. The feeding of high-energy-density (1.o kcal/ml) versus low-energy-density gruels (0.5 kcal/ml) allows for a significant increase in mean energy and protein intakes from gruels. The mean serum albumin concentration tended to increase more for children consuming high-energy-density gruels. These data emphasize the interest of high-energy-density gruels in the rehabilitation of severely malnourished children.

Characteristics of the use of two oral rehydration solutions

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Characteristics of the use of two oral rehydration solutions [rice-based gruel (RBG) or oral rehydration salts (ORS)] were assessed in 162 mothers of children under five years of age who presented a first episode of diarrhoea during the study period, in 12 rural villages of Central Mexico. Eighty-six mothers lived in six villages randomly assigned to receive the RBG promotion and 76 lived in six villages assigned to receive the ORS promotion. The intervention strategy, relying on face-to face contact by health auxiliaries who teach mothers about the dangers of dehydration, how to recognize it, and how to prepare and feed an oral rehydration solution, closely resembled that used by the National Program for the Control of Diarrheal Diseases. Before the intervention, 42% of all mothers used RBG and 58% used ORS; 8% of mothers who used RBG and 18% of those who used ORS used the beverage for rehydration purposes. After the intervention, in the villages where RBG was promoted, 57 (66%) of the mothers used RBG and 14 (16%) used ORS. In the villages where ORS was promoted, 9 (12%) of the mothers used RBG and 58 (76%) used ORS. In both groups, all mothers used at least one other beverage (usually herbal tea) during diarrhoea. but the promoted beverages were used first The use of the promoted beverage was higher when mothers had used it before the intervention. Eighty-six percent of mothers who prepared RBG used the promoted concentration of ingredients, whereas all mothers who prepared ORS correctly diluted one package in 1 L of water. After the intervention, 54% and 67% of mothers said they used RBG and ORS specifically to prevent dehydration.

Preah Vihear Temple is a Hindu temple built during the reign of Khmer Empire

Preah Vihear Temple is a Hindu temple built during the reign of Khmer Empire, that is situated atop a 525-metre (1,722 ft) cliff in the Dângrêk Mountains, in the Preah Vihear province, Cambodia. In 1962, following a lengthy dispute between Thailand and Cambodia over ownership, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague awarded the temple to Cambodia.

Affording a view for many kilometers across a plain, Prasat Preah Vihear has the most spectacular setting of all the temples built during the six-centuries-long Khmer Empire. As a key edifice of the empire's spiritual life, it was supported and modified by successive kings and so bears elements of several architectural styles. Preah Vihear is unusual among Khmer temples in being constructed along a long north-south axis, rather than having the conventional rectangular plan with orientation toward the east. The temple gives its name to Cambodia's Preah Vihear province, in which it is now located, as well as the Khao Phra Wihan National Park which borders it in Thailand's Sisaket province and through which the temple is most easily accessible. On July 7, 2008, Preah Vihear was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Amok trey or steamed curried fish, is a traditional dish of Cambodian cuisine

Amok trey or steamed curried fish, is a traditional dish of Cambodian cuisine. It is fish coated in a thick coconut milk with kroeung, either steamed or baked in a cup made from banana leaves. It is often eaten during the Water Festival, which celebrates the reversal of the Tonle Sap River. An important part of the dish is the addition of the leaves of the noni tree and the use of fingerroot.

How to cook

Ingredients:

400 g meaty fish 

2/4 cup coconut cream 

2 cups coconut milk 

1 egg, beaten

Kroeung:

2 dried red chilies, soaked, drained and chopped into a paste 

3 cloves garlic 

2 tbsp galangal, cut small 

1 tbsp lemon grass stalk zest of ¼ kaffir lime 

1 tsp salt 

1 tbsp kapi (a shrimp paste) 

300 g young nhor leaves (substitute: collard greens and super finely

chopped lemon grass)