A recent study conducted by the Research Institute for Future Food (RiFood) of The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) has found that while the fruit and vegetable intake of lactating women has increased significantly in the past decade, it is still below the recommended level by the Department of Health.
The PolyU research team examined the eating habits of over 80 lactating women from 2022 to 2024 and compared the results to a similar survey done in 2014. It found that the women's vegetable intake increased by 34% compared to 2014 and their dietary fibre and vitamin A intake also rose by 19% and 20.4% respectively. However, their overall intake is still below the Department of Health's recommendations, lower from 22% to 103% of the daily goals. Only 10% of women meet the recommendation of 2 servings of fruit and 3 servings of vegetables per day.
The research team also revealed that more than half of breastfeeding women consume too much fat, saturated fat and sugar, and nearly half have bad cholesterol and weight levels outside the normal range.
Dr Kenneth LO Ka-hei, Assistant Professor in the Department of Food Science and Nutrition and member of RiFood of PolyU, suggests that lactating women should focus on a balanced diet. Fruits and vegetables contain different vitamins and minerals, which increase the absorption of protein, calcium and iron, helping alleviate postpartum problems such as constipation.
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