[Recommended egg intake in children: past, present, and future]

Area of Science:

• Pediatric Nutrition
• Dietary Guidelines
• Food Science

Background:

• Childhood nutrition is crucial for growth and development.
• Current egg intake recommendations for children vary among national organizations.
• There is a need to standardize procedures for updating dietary recommendations.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review and analyze current national egg intake recommendations for children.
• To standardize a procedure for proposing new egg intake recommendations.
• To provide updated, evidence-based egg consumption guidelines for pediatric populations.

Main Methods:

• Conducted a search of national online guidelines and recommendations.
• Utilized the Spanish Society of Community Nutrition (SENC) Healthy Eating Guide (2018).
• Incorporated European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) energy requirements (2017) for children and adolescents, considering protein contribution.

Main Results:

• Identified inconsistencies in current national egg intake recommendations.
• Proposed new recommendations considering age groups and physical activity levels.
• Highlighted the need for broader recommendations, particularly for older children and active younger children.

Conclusions:

• Current egg intake recommendations for children require reassessment.
• Updated guidelines should accommodate varying energy needs and growth phases.
• Revised recommendations can help dispel myths and promote evidence-based egg consumption.