As you may have read in a recent IG post I made, my little one and I hit 2 years of breastfeeding this week. I can’t quite believe we made it this far! Although I know it’s not the case for everyone, it has been a relatively smooth journey for us. But this doesn’t mean I haven’t had to plan and consider certain aspects, such as what supplements I’m taking.
As a vegan, I take regular supplements including vitamins B12 and D. But as I’ve been feeding not just myself, but also my little one, I’ve upped my game a bit. I thought it might be useful to share what I take, and my reasoning, for anyone else in the same position.
I use a vegan multivitamin which contains 3000u of vitamin D per dose, 6 micrograms (mcg) of vitamin B12, 5mg of iron, and 150mcg of iodine. This comes in the form of a spray. While 150mcg of iodine is adequate for most of the population, current guidance suggests that pregnant and breastfeeding people should be taking 250mcg per day. So I need to supplement with a small, extra dose of iodine, or make sure that I include iodine rich foods like seaweed, strawberries and green beans in my diet, and add fortified food products, like oat milk.
Vitamin D is, in my opinion, a must for vegans, especially in the UK. The NHS currently advises that people at risk of deficiency take 10mcg per day throughout the year, but that over the winter, all adults should do so. Breastfed babies should also take 8.5-10mcg from the age of 1, as they aren’t getting the dose that formula fed babies are getting. The supplement I take obviously contains significantly more than the recommended amount at 3000u (75mcg) per dose, but those NHS recommendations are for people who also get some vitamin D in their diet, which vegans don’t. In view of our difficulty obtaining vitamin D through diet, as well as a life lived mostly indoors, or at least outdoors with lots of cloud coverage, and bearing in mind that my breastfed child also has similar requirements, some of which will be coming from breastmilk, I’m happy that my dose of around 3000u is safe and necessary. The maximum dose of vitamin D per day is around 4000u, so I am not exceeding this.
Vitamin B12 is another essential vitamin for vegans; you’ve probably noticed that I constantly drum it in that we must take a B12 supplement, as there are no natural plant-based sources of B12. Yes we can get it in fortified foods, but to be on the safe side, I advise every vegan to just take a supplement. It’s not harmful in higher doses, so a regular dose of 6mcg like in the spray I use, won’t cause any harm in addition to that obtained through fortified foods. The recommended daily intake is actually only around 1-2mcg per day, but it isn’t always well absorbed, so most supplements contain much more than this.
Iron isn’t always included in vegan multivitamins, however I felt it was important for my breastfeeding requirements, which is why I chose a supplement which contains it. I had a c-section to deliver my little one, which meant I lost blood during birth. Not to mention the ‘normal’ iron deficiency anaemia that comes with pregnancy. Menstruating people also often need to be aware of their iron intake, as there is a loss with every period. Put this together with a potentially lower iron intake on a vegan diet, and a breastfeeding baby with their own iron requirements, it just makes sense to me that iron would be a good nutrient to supplement at this stage of my life.
Other nutrients which I am keen to ensure a good intake of include calcium and omega 3. I have taken calcium supplements from time to time when I’m really busy and not sure my diet covers requirements. Again, Calcium requirements change with breastfeeding; instead of the usual recommended daily intake of 800mg, breastfeeding and pregnant people should be aiming for more like 1200mg. That’s 50% more. I thoroughly cover good vegan sources of calcium in one of my previous blogs, but on days when I’m not sure I’ve eaten enough, I often pour a big glass of oat or soya milk, as a 300ml measure contains around 360mg. A hot chocolate or ‘milkshake’ is a great, tasty way to get an extra dose of calcium.
Omega-3, also known as alpha-linoleic acid (ALA) is another potential pitfall for vegans. This, along with omega-6, also called linoleic acid (LA), are essential fats, meaning that they can’t be made in our bodies, and so need to be obtained through diet. There are actually many, many vegan sources of both ALA and LA, but because of how we metabolise ALA into other important omega-3 fats (DHA and EPA), we run the risk of not converting these if we’re also consuming lots of omega-6. One simple way to avoid this is to use rapeseed oil (often sold as vegetable oil) for cooking, instead of sunflower oil, and aiming to eat more omega-3 rich foods like chia and hemp seeds and walnuts, than omega-6 sources like sunflower seeds and pumpkin seeds. To be on the safe side, I take a supplement from time to time, and make sure my little one has a dose too. This can be taken in the form of a drop or a tablet, but it’s DHA levels that often suffer, and so this is what I supplement.
Veganism doesn’t need to be a barrier to something like breastfeeding, and in fact can work really well, as you don’t have the stress of trying to find the most vegan formula out there (I say most because there isn’t one that is actually vegan). Just plan your diet and supplement intake well, and listen to your body. My intake is for me, worked out for what I think I need. We’re all different. So be sure to have a chat with a professional if you’re concerned about your nutrition whilst breastfeeding.
Thanks for reading,
The Vegan Doctor.