Adherence to the Updated Healthy Eating Guidelines by Breastfeeding Women ^†

Abstract

Optimal dietary intakes are essential for the health of both breastfeeding women and their infants. Few recent dietary intake data exist concerning this group in New Zealand. This study aimed to determine the adherence to national dietary recommendations of breastfeeding women living in New Zealand. A cohort of breastfeeding women residing in the Palmerston North area was enrolled in the longitudinal follow-up Mother and Infant Nutrition Investigation study. Seventy-six women completed a weighed four-day diet diary at three months postpartum. Maternal demographic information was collected via a self-administered online questionnaire. The number of servings consumed for each food group was calculated based on the revised Eating and Activity Guidelines for New Zealand Adults (2020). All data were analysed using IBM SPSS version 20. Overall, 25% of women met the recommended number of servings (RNS) for fruits (≥2 servings/day), and none met the RNS for vegetables (≥7.5 servings/day). Only 5% of women reached the RNS for grain foods (≥9 servings/day), 34% met the RNS for meat and eggs (≥2.5 servings/day), and 13% met the RNS for milk and milk products including plant-based products (≥2.5 servings/day). In total, 49% of women met the RNS for one food group, but none of the women met the recommendations for all food groups. Based on independent t tests, women who had tertiary qualifications consumed a higher number of servings of grain foods (p = 0.001) and vegetables (p = 0.010) compared with those without tertiary education. Pearson correlation showed the number of servings consumed in the meat and eggs was positively correlated with the number of servings of vegetables (r = 0.350, p = 0.02). This research shows a low adherence to the current national dietary guidelines among this cohort. Future research is required to identify the barriers to healthy eating and develop effective initiatives to encourage and support breastfeeding women to achieve healthy eating behaviours.