Breast-fed�infants�and�young�children�need�complementary�foods with a very high�nutrient�density (particularly for iron and zinc), especially at ages 6-12 mo. However, in low-income countries, their diet is usually dominated by cereal-based porridges with low�nutrient�density and poor mineral bioavailability.�Complementary�feeding�diets typically fall short in iron and zinc and sometimes in other nutrients. These gaps in nutritional adequacy of infant diets have likely been a characteristic of human diets since the agricultural revolution ~10,000 y ago. Estimates of�nutrient�intakes before then, based on hypothetical diets of preagricultural humans, suggest that�infants�had much higher intakes of key nutrients than is true today and would have been able to meet their�nutrient�needs�from the combination of breast milk and premasticated foods provided by their mothers. Strategies for achieving adequate nutrition for�infants�and�young�children�in modern times must address the�challenge�of�meeting�nutrient�needs�from largely cereal-based diets.

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