Food avoidance by breast feeding mothers in South East Queensland

A group of 123 lactating mothers have been studied in Southeast Queensland, Australia. Seventy‐three percent eliminated some foods from their own diets either to prevent problems or to treat existing conditions in their infants. The commonest food to be excluded was cabbage, followed by chocolate, other vegetables and fruit. A few mothers stopped taking cow's milk or cow's milk products. The mothers obtained this information from many sources including family, friends, books as well as health professionals. Avoidance of certain foods during lactation is a common practice. Mothers who avoided some foods had significantly greater weight loss between one and three months after delivery than those who ate a free diet, but maternal food restrictions had no significant effect on the weight gains of their infants.

Key words:

• breast feeding
• food taboos
• dietary habits
• Australia