Breastfeeding Vegans and Vegetarians

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     Recently I was asked if it is safe for moms following a vegan diet to breastfeed.  Apparently there was a couple in France who lived a vegan life and lost their 11 month old to bronchitis.  Many people were angered and ranting blaming the mothers diet for the child's death.  While vegan diets can be low of certain vitamins, which allows higher risks of infection, other factors played into this terrible ordeal.  

     So to take the worry away from my veggie friendly friends I will say this: Of course!  Anyone can breastfeed.  But what we need to remember is that every mother will have to make some adjustments to her diet in order to keep herself and her baby healthy. 

      It is pretty common to be told to eat lots of whole grains, fruits and vegetables while you are pregnant.  So, if you continue making good food choices, then the only adjustment that will need to be made when baby arrives, is adding an extra 500 calories to your diet.  Anyone, who is following a vegetarian or vegan diet probably already knows that they have to find alternative ways to meet their protein and vitamin needs. Likewise, they probably realize adjustments will have to be made for baby and can get great advice from their doctor.   But I don't want you to just take my word for it, so I did a little research and this is what I came up with.

According to the American Academy of Pediatrics:

"A special diet is often a healthy diet—in fact, you may maintain a particular diet for health reasons—but it still may not provide all the nutrients you and your baby need while breastfeeding.

If your consumption of any major food group is limited, consider how you will replace the missing elements in your diet, and discuss your plans with your doctor or nutritionist. Breastfeeding women who do not eat meat, for example, must figure out how they will get sufficient protein for their babies and themselves.

As a vegetarian, you may already be familiar with ways to combine plant foods to meet your needs. You may get protein from rice, beans, eggs, nuts and nut butters, and meat substitutes. If you do not know all the healthy ways to compensate for lack of meat in your diet, consult a registered dietitian.

Ask your pediatrician whether you should take a daily vitamin/mineral supplement containing such elements as iron, zinc, and vitamin B12. It is essential that strict vegans (who avoid all animal products in their diet) take a vitamin B12 supplement, since this nutrient comes only from animal sources. Keep in mind that you will also need to make sure you consume enough calories to maintain your health—usually between 2,200 and 2,500 per day if you are of average build.

If you have any special concerns about your diet, your pediatrician may suggest you consult with a registered dietitian."

According to the Le Leche League:

Can I eat a vegetarian diet while I am breastfeeding?

"A vegetarian diet that contains some animal derived food, such as milk, milk derivatives, or eggs is usually complete. Women who don’t eat meat, but consume dairy or eggs usually do not have problems breastfeeding. When a diet does not contain any of these foods (such as in the case of vegan and some macrobiotic diets), a mother needs to sure to include vitamin B12 into her diet in some way. Many vegetarians use a supplement for their vitamin B12 intake.

Research has shown that milk produced by vegetarian women has lower levels of environmental contaminants (such as PCBs) than that of other women. These substances are stored principally in the fatty tissues of the body, and vegetarian diets tend to contain less fats than diets with more animal products."

     So when I think of the attacks on the parents of that little girl that passed I hate to see breastfeeding take a bad rap.  I guess the moral of the story is guns don’t kill people, people kill people.  In other words, the choices we make lead to the reward or consequences that life hands us. The vegan diet is lacking, but the mother should have adapted her diet/supplements to meet babies needs.  This should have been discussed with her doctor and I am sure as a vegan who is careful with her diet, she surely researched the effects it can have while nursing.  So did her diet kill the baby?  Don’t know, but it seems like even a vegan diet with the added calories needed to breastfeed and a b12 supplement everyone should have been okay. 

Plenty of babies survive in the homes of chain smoking, alcoholics who’s diet consists of snickers bars and big gulp sodas so if people need someone to attack and complain about, I’d prefer they didn’t go after the mother who’s whole world just came crashing down because she lost her baby.

Just my take on things,

Traci