MS, RD, LDN, CSSD, CBS
Rachel holds a Master’s in Nutrition Communication from Tufts University and is also a Board Certified Specialist in Sports Dietetics. She works as a nutrition and wellness coach with focuses on infant and maternal nutrition, and mindful eating.
With appropriate planning, a vegan diet is a healthy eating pattern that can meet your and your baby’s nutrient needs. When cutting out animal products, there are certain nutrient requirements that are more difficult to meet. Falling short of these nutrients may cause you to feel fatigued and weak, in addition to many other symptoms. If you are breastfeeding, meeting your needs is particularly important as your baby receives all her nutrients from your body.
Omega-3 fatty acids, protein, iron, zinc, iodine, calcium and vitamin D are all nutrients that could be lacking in a Vegan diet. Vegan food sources of these nutrients include:
Vegan diets do not provide sufficient vitamin B12; therefore, supplementation is usually recommended. Check with your healthcare professional.
Pregnancy & Breastfeeding
When pregnant and breastfeeding, the need for certain nutrients increases to support your health and your baby’s. If you are in either of these stages, here are other nutrients to be aware of in your diet:
Selecting meals and snacks from the below listed options (all vegan!) will help you meet your intake of important nutrients.
For more on this topic, check out the following articles:
Recipes & Meal Plans | Pregnant
Our Happy Family Organic Superfoods Cookbook for Baby & Toddler is chock-full of yummy, easy-to-prepare meals your whole family will love.