Value of computerized dietary analysis in pediatric nutrition: an analysis of 147 patients

A computerized dietary analysis program was used in an ambulatory setting to assess adequacy of intake and alterations in a variety of dietary constituents. A TRS-80 microcomputer was programmed using 1980 National Academy of Sciences Recommended Dietary Allowances. Seventy-two hour dietary intakes of 147 patients were analyzed for average intake of 13 nutrients, nutrients per kilogram body weight, comparison with 1980 RDA, and percent of total calories as carbohydrate, fat, and protein. Six groups were studied, including patients with failure to thrive without diarrhea, with diarrhea without malabsorption, with diarrhea with malabsorption, with cystic fibrosis, and with constipation, and controls. A wide range of values for different dietary constituents was found in all groups and in individual patients. This program is an easy, practical, and rapid method for analyzing dietary intake, and can be used to screen for a variety of nutritional disorders.