Breastfeeding and Vegetarianism

Nursing your baby can be one of the most rewarding experiences of your life. While your body produced everything your baby needed before he was born, everything happened where you couldn't see. After your baby is born, your body still is prepared to take care of him. While nursing, not everything you eat makes it to your baby the way it did when you were pregnant. Still, you do need to eat appropriate meals in order to make sure your baby gets all of the nutrients and calories he needs. If you are a vegetarian you may wonder if you can eat enough variety to feed your baby amply. Following are a few things to keep in mind while nursing your baby on a vegetarian diet.

Eat Right
You are well aware of the nutrition that your own body needs to function at its best. You prepare vegetarian meals with a variety of protein, carbohydrates, vitamins and minerals. You may be continuing to take your prenatal vitamins also while nursing. This step is simple. Just keep making your meals varied and nutrient packed. In order for your body to maintain itself as well as to pass on nourishing milk to your child, you need to give it the right ingredients. Vegetarian meals may include such things as tofu, cheese, pasta, risotto, potatoes, sweet potatoes, carrots, beets, tuna, and beans. You should check with your pediatrician before eating fresh cheeses and drinking alcohol. Carrots and tuna fish are especially good sources of nutrition for you and your baby.  

Eat Enough
The second step in ensuring that your baby gets the most nourishment that he can from your breast milk is to eat enough. On average, women need to consume 500 calories more than they do while they are not nursing or pregnant. These 500 calories should, again, be nourishing calories, not just an extra dessert every day. You do not need to avoid dessert all together, as it is an easy source of fat and sugar. Those are things that you and your baby need, just not in large amounts. There are also healthier fats and sugars to be eaten. Another thing to make sure you get enough of is water. You will probably find that you will need more than the usual recommended 64 ounces per day. Without sufficient water in your diet your milk supply will dwindle. You may be fooled into thinking that the deficiency is due to your vegetarian diet, but it will more likely be an issue of dehydration.

There is no reason for a vegetarian to change her diet while nursing. The only changes that should occur will have to do with nutrition and amount. You will need to be more stringent with nutritional content. You will also need to make sure that you consume more calories and fluids overall in order to ensure milk supply. Breast milk is the best nutrition you can give your baby early in life. It is definitely OK to maintain your vegetarian diet, but you do need to take steps to protect your milk supply and therefore your baby's health.

Latest Vegetarian News

01/17/2012
Service dog leads former Plainfield woman to be animal rights activist
Former Plainfield resident Leza Raley-Labrador has always kept pets, but until London, a year-old, miniature, long-haired dachshund service dog entered her life, Raley-Labrador aimed her charity work at children, not animal rights.But now, through her Facebook page, Peace, Love & Paw Prints, Raley-Labrador, now of California, will share animal-related events, news, stories, rescues, charities ...

Service dog leads former Plainfield woman to be animal rights activist

01/25/2012
Go green, eat greens
HEALTH professionals these days advocate eating more fruit and vegetables (up to 13 servings of fruit and vegetables a day) and less meat. It's not just for health; environmental reasons are equally important.

Go green, eat greens

01/26/2012
Traveling with a tricky diet
Traveling with dietary restrictions, whether medical necessity or by choice, is getting easier. People with conditions like celiac disease are sharing their struggles and tips online to find safe and delicious food abroad.

Traveling with a tricky diet

01/13/2012
GOOD Books: Childhood Favorites Hitting the Big Screen
The Disney classic Beauty and the Beast comes out in 3-D today, one of a number of our favorite kids' books that are moving to the silver screen this year. But before you rush off to see the film renditions, take some time to revisit the books that took our younger selves on magical adventures to worlds where animals talked, magic was real, and stories always had happy endings. Some adolescent ...

GOOD Books: Childhood Favorites Hitting the Big Screen

01/31/2012
Wellness: Food for thought
There are few things more essential to human life than food. And in a city with a dizzying array of options and philosophies, opinions are diverse — and sometimes vehemently held. Xpress spoke with three local foodies offering different takes on how to eat well — and sustainably. Meat “I grew up in north Florida, and I was around really poor quality meat for many years,” says Karen Fowler of The ...

Wellness: Food for thought

02/01/2012
How can a vegetarian satisfy nutrition needs
Q: I am a recent convert to vegetarianism. How can I get all the necessary nutrients without meat?

How can a vegetarian satisfy nutrition needs

01/26/2012
Neal Rubin: Where's the beef? Not on Prince Fielder's plate
I can't be the only one thinking this: Prince Fielder is the biggest bloomin' vegetarian I've ever seen. Officially, at 5 feet 11 inches, the Detroit Tigers' new first baseman weighs 285 pounds. To the naked eye, that seems perhaps a trifle low.

Neal Rubin: Where's the beef? Not on Prince Fielder's plate