I've decided to become vegan and I'm breastfeeding, any advices??

Question

I've decided to become vegan and I'm breastfeeding, any advices??

Answer 1

Just make sure you get enough B12 in your diet.  B12 is important for your baby's brain development.

Answer 2

Really should talk to your doctor about it. You'll definately need to take iron supplements if you want to stick to that diet and breast feed.

Good luck!

Answer 3

Talk to your doctor and a nutritionist.  Also do your research--some vegan family websites may have advice for breastfeeding on a vegan diet.  I would also transition cautiously--gradually removing animal products from your diet.

Also, while some people go straight from omni to vegan, many don't, and if you're not a vegetarian yet, you might want to start by being vegetarian.

Answer 4

check with your pediatrician first.....

Answer 5

I recommend that you take a daily prenatal multivitamin and a regular source of DHA or other long-chain EFA.

I don't recommend a prenatal vitamin because of your vegan diet but just to ensure that there are enough nutrients for the both of you and to keep bone density and tooth loss to a minimum. You should still be making every effort to meet daily requirements through diet which should be easy if you research the best sources of everything that your body needs. Both cooking and eating take time so it's not always practical to

There are quite a few vegan DHA sources out there but I think that I'll suggest flax seed oil with DHA from algal oil. My wife put some on some pasta and I could have sworn there was seafood in it until I realized where the taste and smell were coming from.

Please read on to keep yourself as informed as possible and I might add that it would be wise to develop vegan cooking skills and and at least seven vegan main entrees that taste not just good but great to you before you make the actual commitment and call yourself vegan.

http://www.veganhealth.org/sh

http://www.veganhealth.org/articles/preg...

Answer 6

Do ALL of your research. Do not go replacing an entire food group at one time. Incorporate vegan food into your diet in conjunction with your regular diet and slowly begin to replace the foods.

Answer 7

Don't make any drastic dietary changes while breastfeeding ... a balanced diet, high in vitamins from food, is the right choice for now.

Extreme changes put everything off balance until your body adjusts.