Supplement with B12
For vegetarians who don’t eat meat but do include milk, eggs, cheese, and other forms of dairy in their diet, they may be getting enough vitamin B12 through their food already. For others who eat fish or poultry but not other animal products, they may be getting a greater amount of B12 in their diet than those who don’t. However, for those who don’t consumer any protein from animal products at all, they would be at the greatest risk of being deficient in vitamin B12 and would need to get it through B12 supplements or B12 fortified foods.
Get Enough Calcium
Calcium is an absolutely essential mineral that is necessary for breastfeeding moms, even though your baby will get enough calcium through your milk. Calcium is essential for your health since you will be needing this mineral to maintain a healthy diet while breastfeeding, and it is recommended to get 1000 mg daily. If you are at risk of not meeting this requirement, it’s always good to include more calcium rich foods into your diet as well as calcium fortified non-dairy products. You can also get supplements and powders for added convenience.
Zinc is Essential
Zinc is another essential mineral for a healthy breastfeeding mom. Again, even if your baby gets enough zinc through your breast milk, it’s important to get enough in your own diet to maintain your health. Breastfeeding mothers are recommended to have 12 mg of zinc in their diet on a daily basis, either through supplements or zinc enriched foods.
These essential vitamins and minerals are your best defence in preventing any problems in your child’s development while also ensuring to care for your own health as your child’s caregiver. A vegetarian diet can be wholly rewarding and beneficial to your child, but in today’s world many of us don’t get adequate levels of certain vital nutrients that babies need to grow, and therefore we need to pay special care to our diet and nutrition.