RESUMO
The authors analyzing the results of investigations carried out the National Research Institute of Mother and Child and in many other competent scientific centres in the world, compare recommended nutritional norms for infants and for pre-school age children. They pay attention to particular characteristics of the developmental dynamics of growth which determine requirements for all food components. The authors present this problem in the light of data resulting from scientific objectivity of this problem creating scientific basis of nutrition. In many cases, particularly with reference to the requirements and recommendation of intake of food constituents, mostly in infancy, they are discussed on the basis of the research carried out at the Department of Nutrition and the Clinical Department of Nutritional Physiology of the National Research Institute of Mother and Child. According to the investigations the following daily nutritional norms are recommended: 2,6-3,6 g of protein, 3,0-3,5 g of fat, about 12 g of carbohydrate per kilogram of body mass. The authors stress that the quality of the products being the source of these nutritional components should also be scientifically investigated. In infancy it is very important that the milk is modified in such a way that it is similar to the human milk which constitutes the best example of quality and quantity to cover the requirements in the most dynamic period of development of a human being.