Table 2.
Estimated mean energy and nutrient content of food parcels from food parcel providers (n 72) in Lebanon, for a single person/d compared with the US dietary reference intakes and international guidelines
| Content of food parcel/person/d mean | se | Guidelines | % Needs met | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Calories (kcal) | 608 | 55 | 2100 kcal* | 29¶ |
| 2725 kcal‡ | 22¶ | |||
| Macronutrients | ||||
| Carbohydrates (g) | 64 | 4 | 130 g | 49¶ |
| Carbohydrate (% TE) | 46 | 2 | 45–65† | 71–103¶ |
| Dietary fibre (g) | 4·1 | 0·4 | 28 g‖ | 15¶ |
| Sugars (g) | 26 | 2 | ||
| Sugar (% TE) | 19 | 1 | < 10§ | 185¶ |
| Fats (g) | 35 | 5 | 44–78 g | 45–79¶ |
| Fat (% TE) | 47 | 2 | 17* | 276¶ |
| Saturated fat (g) | 5 | 0·6 | 20–35† | 134–234¶ |
| Saturated fat (% TE) | 6 | 0·3 | 10§ | 62¶ |
| Trans-fat (g) | 0·07 | 0·01 | <1§ | 10¶ |
| Protein (g) | 11 | 0·9 | 46–56 g | 19¶ |
| Protein (% TE) | 7 | 0·3 | 10–12* | 62–74¶ |
| Micronutrients | ||||
| Vitamin A (mcg) | 33 | 6 | 918‡ | 4¶ |
| Vitamin D (mg) | 0·5 | 0·1 | 18‡ | 3¶ |
| Vitamin E (mg) | 0·05 | 0·01 | 17‡ | 0·3¶ |
| Vitamin K (mcg) | 4 | 0·4 | 105‖ | 4¶ |
| Vitamin C (mg) | 1 | 0·2 | 93‡ | 2¶ |
| Fe (mg) | 2 | 0·2 | 16‡ | 12¶ |
| Zn (mg) | 1 | 0·1 | 11‡ | 13¶ |
| Iodine (mg) | 0·04 | 0·02 | 220‡ | 0·02¶ |
| Na (mg) | 183 | 28 | 1500‖ | 12¶ |
| Potassium (mg) | 266 | 28 | 2925‖ | 9¶ |
| Ca (mg) | 103 | 16 | 1100‡ | 9¶ |
| Thiamin (mg) | 0·1 | 0·01 | 1·3‡ | 11¶ |
| Riboflavin (mg) | 0·1 | 0·02 | 1·4‡ | 10¶ |
| Niacin (mg) | 1 | 0·1 | 16‡ | 8¶ |
| B6 (mg) | 0·2 | 0·01 | 1·7‡ | 9·3¶ |
| Dietary folate (mcg) | 59 | 5 | 500‡ | 12¶ |
% TE, percent total energy.
World Food Programme international guidelines for food parcels based on the daily dietary needs set by the FAO/WHO(24,25).
Acceptable macronutrient distribution range(28).
Dietary guidelines for Americans 2020–2025(45).
RDA have been averaged for males and females aged 19–75+(28). The recommended energy allowances for adults with a light-to-moderate activity level were calculated by using the WHO (1985) equations(27).
Adequate intakes have been averaged for males and females aged 19–75+ years(28).
Nutrient content of food parcel differed significantly from the dietary guidelines using a one-sample t test (P <0·001).