Specific Nutrients

Nutrition research has emphasized that shortages of vitamins and minerals -- particularly vitamin A, idoine, and iron --- contribute to significant health problems. 

• Vitamin A = important for good vision, bone growth, tooth development and resistance to infection. 
• Iodine= needed for proper operation of the central nervous system
• Iron = a constituent of hemoglobin, which transports oxygen to tissues; helps fight infections

Hence, most investigators now believe malnutrition is best avoided by a diet that supplies enough protein, calories, vitamins, and minerals to ensure normal growth. 

This next article (you can find by clicking on the image below) has some info about linking agriculture to nutrition and about why children are malnourished (one big reason is lack of education). 

I think the study linked to the image below will have a lot of helpful information that we could use. I copied and pasted parts of the abstract and introduction below the image to give you and idea about the study.

This study assessed the acceptability of lipid-based nutrient supplements (LNS) among children 6–18 

months of age in Suchitepéquez, Guatemala. A new flavor (cinnamon) was developed and tested 

alongside the “regular” peanut LNS flavor

....

We conclude that these LNS products were acceptable in this population, with a tendency towards a 

higher acceptability for the peanut flavor. Our findings suggest that evaluation of the impact of LNS will not be impeded by poor acceptance of these supplements. 

The term “lipid-based nutrient supplements” (LNS) refers to a range of products in which vitamins and 

minerals are embedded in a fat-based food product (generally composed of vegetable fat, peanut paste, 

milk powder, and sugar), including highly concentrated nutrient supplements (1–4 teaspoons/day, 

providing < 100 kcal/day) suitable for “point-of-use“ fortification (Chaparro and Dewey 2010). Embedding the vitamins and minerals in fat protects vitamins from oxidation, increases the shelf life of the product, and masks the unpleasant taste of certain micronutrients. Because LNS do not contain water, they do not support microbial growth and can be safely stored and used in the home, even under poor hygienic conditions in tropical climates. 

 Different LNS products have been developed to prevent chronic malnutrition (i.e., stunting, < −2 heightfor-age z-score) and to treat severe acute malnutrition (i.e., severe wasting, < −3 weight-for-height zscore).

Guatemala, located in Central America, has the highest prevalence of chronic malnutrition in Latin 

America and among the highest in the world. Results from the last national survey indicated that 50% of Guatemalan children between the ages of 3 months and 5 years are stunted and 21% are severely 

stunted. These rates are even higher among indigenous children: 66% of them are estimated to be 

stunted and 31% severely stunted (MSPAS 2010).  

Information on dietary intake in Guatemalan young children is scarce. Enneman and collaborators 

reported results from a study with rural and urban Guatemalan 6- to 12-month-old infants (Enneman, 

Hernández, et al. 2009). They found that although the infants’ diets were diverse in complementary food (especially for 9- to 12-month-old infants), they lacked animal source foods. We found no data on fatty acid (FA) intake of children under 2 in Guatemala, but in school-aged children there is evidence of low intake of n-3 FA, with Bermudez reporting that > 97% of children consumed < 1% of energy from these fats (Bermudez, Toher, et al. 2010). Whole milk, sweet bread, and fried plantain were the main sources of n-3 FA; fried fish, seafood soup, and shrimp, consumed in low amounts and only by boys, were the main sources of eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). The authors concluded that α-linolenic acid, EPA, and DHA were the most limiting FA in diets of Guatemalan schoolchildren (Bermudez, Toher, et al. 2010)

The following research paper has tons of info in it. The section on childhood malnutrition is on page 4 and I think there are some tables on 27 & 28 that could give us some important info on which specific nutrients the children are lacking in their diets. Looks like there's lots of info on breast milk and mother nutrition too.