Question for moms?

Question

Moms who are breastfeeding and vegetarians, do u get enough nutritions if u dond eat meat and dairy products ?
I am not vegetarian but try not to eat much meat, my family didn't let me stop eating it when i found out i am pregnant.

Answer 1

I'm not a mom, but my wife is, and she's breastfeeding our second child and she's vegan. Basically, if you eat a variety of foods (but not at one sitting; don't mix improperly, fruit and bean for example) you can't go wrong. It's your body, not anyone else’s. Meat is not magical. Only in N. America do people think this. Remember, 'vegan' or 'vegetarian' or 'macrobiotic' or whatever are just very new words to describe a very old and ancient way of eating. What use to be called just "food" is now called "natural food" or "special diet" or "organic" or... whatever.

Not only do I think that a pregnant mother should avoid eating meat, but also alcohol, sugar, medications, drugs, msg, and all those other nasties and focus on the most natural diet possible... I mean, it's not about the mother at that point, but the child. My wife went cold-turkey during her pregnancy for all unnatural things, no coffee, no potato chips, ... nothing that wasn't whole and natural. It's only 10 months. Anyway, that's the way she sees it.

Our children are vegan from birth and quite advanced for their age (but, I suppose all parents say that about their children). They are not sickly as most children are around here. A couple colds is about the extent of it.

We read lots of book on the subject of health relating to pregnancy and breastfeeding and talking to the midwives etc. in order to educate ourselves further about not eating such things as sage or natural remedies and such things as alternatives to any medications, topical or oral, and so forth. Turned out to be easy and more about setting our minds at ease than following any weird dietary practices.

For anyone interested, a stand out book for me was Macrobiotic Pregnancy and Care of the Newborn by Michio Kushi & Aveline Kushi. With the companion books on meals for and healthcare for children. They've written some great books. 'Macrobiotic' just means eating smaller; more locally; closer to nature etc. Nothing complicated, it's a new English term for traditional Japanese food, that's all. Lots of good ideas.

Answer 2

I have been a vegetarian all my life and so far had no issues. I have children and raising them vegetarian. Since my family for generations have been vegetarians and there had been no issues on lack of nutrition. Eating a balanced food of diary products, beans, legumes, soy, fresh leafy vegetables, fruits grains and veggies should be more than enough to supplement all the required nutrients. Check with your doctor if you can take a multivitamin as supplement and it should get you on the go. Actually eating garlic pods (in food ) helps produce more milk while ginger helps with digestion.

Answer 3

In 1974, the FDA found dieldrin in 85% of all dairy products and 99.5% of the American people. The EPA discovered that the breast milk of vegetarian women contained far lower levels of pesticides than that of average Americans. A study reported in the New England Journal of Medicine found that "The highest levels of contamination in the breast milk of the vegetarians was lower than the lowest level of contamination…(in) non-vegetarian women… The mean vegetarian levels were only 1-2% as high as the average levels in the U.S."

Meat contains 14 times the amount of pesticides as plant foods, since pesticides get concentrated as they move up through the food chain, and since they're more easily stored in fatty tissues. In 1980, six years after the pesticide dieldrin was banned, the USDA destroyed two million packages of frozen turkey products contaminated with dieldrin.

MYTH: "Vegetarians get little protein."

FACT: Plant foods offer abundant protein. Vegetables are around 23% protein on average, beans 28%, grains 13%, and even fruit has 5.5%. For comparison, human breast milk is only 5% (designed for the time in our lives when our protein needs are as high as they'll ever be). The US Recommended Daily Allowance is 8%, and the World Health Organization recommends 4.5%.

MYTH: "Beans are a good source of protein."

FACT: There is no such thing as a special "source of protein" because all foods -- even plants -- have plentiful protein. You might as well say "Food is a good source of protein". In any event, beans (28%) don't average much more protein per calorie than common vegetables (23%).

Answer 4

Most people think you have to eat red meat for the iron when you are pregnant. Not so. I was vegan through my pregnancy w/o problems.

Eat a variety of fruits, vegetables, whole grains & small portions of nuts & seeds & you and the baby will be healthy.

That guy who wrote above me has nailed it. That's exactly what we did. And I breastfeed our son to the 20th month. Our healthy son is vegan, too.

Answer 5

You can do fine. Take the vitamin for assurance and eat whole grains (millet, quinoa, barley) for the nutrients. Also, sea vegetables several times a week. www.veganoutreach.org for good sound nutrition advice.

Answer 6

as long as you are getting a proper balance of nutrients, you should be fine.

there's a site below about being a vegan/vegetarian mother.

Answer 7

well there are other ways to get nurtion, such as soy products

morningstar farms products are great!

Answer 8

yes there will be but the baby will be ok. just becuse you are going to have a baby dose not mean you have to eat meat if you dont like it.

Answer 9

Ask your doctors.

From my point of view, there will be some nutritions missing, unless you replace your meat and dairy products with equivalents.

Answer 10

My doctor didn't recommend that I breastfeed, so I didn't.
You should definitely consult your doctor before deciding. He/she would know best.