Food is essential to children's health. Nevertheless, nourishing, nursing, eating and offering food are social habits. The objective of this study is to analyze the meaning of eating habits encompassing perception, experiences and values related to food for mothers of children under nutritional risk, living in the Rocinha and members of the mother's group of the Municipal Health Center Píndaro de Carvalho Rodrigues. For purposes of analysis and understanding of the issue, qualitative survey was performed through semi-structured interviews and participative observation. The study identified that food habits and practices are permeated by maternal knowledge stemming from childhood and associated to urban consumption habits. Nursing, the introduction of complementary food and the day to day family meals is a process built by experience and learning inherent to each social group. We identified that food habits are built based on different issues: time, health and disease, care, affection, social and economic rites that intertwine building a network. Based on this understanding both healthcare professionals and service users will be able to interfere in this process aiming at the improvement of child and family health.
Nutrition; Child welfare; Feed