Food group patterns of lactating women with nutrient intakes below recommendations

Our analyses of diets of lactating women (n=52) showed that intakes of folate, calcium, zinc, and vit D and E were often less than recommended. This study examines the food groups providing these nutrients. Individual foods from 2-d records collected at 3 and 6 mo postpartum were coded for food group analysis following food data entry into the Minnesota Nutrition Data System. Food groups and serving sizes were assigned as defined by the Food Guide Pyramid (FGP) for lactating women. Servings from the five main food groups were similar at both time periods. Mean no. of servings from all groups met recommended servings from the FGP with the exception of the bread group (7.6 ± 2.5 vs 9 servings). The bread group was the major contributor of intakes of zinc, vit E and B6, and folate. Even though intakes of calcium and vit D fell below the RDA at 6 mo, women selected the recommended number of servings from the milk group at both time periods (3.6±1.8 & 3.4±2.1). These data show that the recommended no. of servings from the milk group does not guarantee adequate intakes of calcium and vit D. Furthermore, adequate servings from the bread group would improve intakes of zinc, vit E and B6, and folate in lactating women.