Morals might guide dietary choice which could pose risks. Let’s talk a bit about Vegan Baby Food and what you can expect to find in this landscape.
Possible concerns
Many would say that it is not the best idea to have a developing baby grow based on food that is chosen by their parent’s moral choices. They would claim that nutrition should be the only concern here. Others would, of course, disagree. No matter your stance on this issue no one is willing to put a baby in danger. Especially their newborn baby. This ensures that this diet has been tested a lot, for it is somewhat controversial.
The scientific community seems to agree (for the most part) on the fact that a vegan diet is safe. Long term effects of early diet are very hard to quantify, and there are many details about the infant that are simply unknown. For instance in terms of their tolerances to certain foods and metabolism or the difficulties of finding vitamin B12 in vegetable (though Game Changer in Netflix said it happen for meat eaters too). If you have made up your mind we will detail below the recommended way to feed your baby vegan food. Let’s go ahead.
Breastfeeding
There is a huge number of benefits to breastfeeding. They have all been proven beyond doubt. Breastfeeding should be done as much as possible. Sometimes babies cannot keep breastfeeding due to issues with their mother’s milk stoping. They should be feeding in this way at least for their first six months. It will give them all the nutrients they need. It will also help them build their immune system and establish a great bond with their mother. These are just a few of the benefits of breastfeeding. Another one is that it is completely vegan. Of course, the mother would have to be on a vegan diet. If that is the case you can be sure that the origins of your baby’s food are clean for the duration of the breastfeeding period.
Seventh month
It is often recommended that babies start incorporating other foods after the sixth month. Normally you would add sources of protein at this stage. You will only be able to do that with non-animal protein. Which is not as bio-available. You need to ensure that there is a good variety in your baby’s diet. You will probably need to supplement their diet too. They could miss out on key nutrients if you do not do it. The main nutrients that you should be mindful of are:
- Iron
- Omega-3 fatty acids
- B12 and D
- Zinc
If you make sure that you supplement these in the ways your doctor recommends your baby should be ok. Let’s go over some of the foods that you can offer your little one at this stage.
- Vegetables.
This will include all the regular veggies that a regular diet would too. Squash and potatoes are among the first ones to give, then you can expand the list.
- Cereals.
This is controversial. Cereals were for a long time in the list of most-wanted foods for great nutrition. That has shifted radically in recent years. They are believed to be the main source of cellular inflammation, especially the ground products that come from them. You will need them on your baby’s diet, though.
- Groundnuts and seeds.
These are very nutritious foods. The problem is that they are also a choking hazard. You should be careful in the way you feed them to your child. There are many ways in which you can mitigate this risk. It will take some effort on your part.
- Fruits.
The fruit is nature’s candy. You can offer your baby fruit. It is often recommended that you add a different kind of fruit each week. This is done so that you can tell if they have an adverse reaction to any of them. The fruit is great for a baby if they do not overdo it.
- Beans.
Beans are a great source of protein. Not as bio-available as animal protein, but one of the few that you have access as a vegan. You should make sure that you incorporate them into your baby’s diet.
Conclusion
Diet is a controversial subject. It always has been. It has a way of transforming the calmest and most rational mind into a fanatic in seconds. There is something to this subject that brings out the worst in many of us. Of course, everyone thinks that they know everything there is to know about it. When it comes to nutrition the field is so complex that there is only one thing that we can say for sure. It is that not even the top experts on the field will agree on the most basic of things. You will find doctors and scientists claiming that fats are bad, and others that are just as reputable saying that dietary fats have no incidence on health. That is just one example of many.
Many things make this harder. We do not understand human biology all that well. And every human body is a universe, literally. There are more living organisms inside a human than there are stars in the universe. You can see this is not something to be taken lightly.
Veganism is about moral choices, though. It is about making sure that you do not contribute to animal suffering with your choices. That includes what you eat and use every day.
There are many options within these categories, that should give you plenty of variety. You should always consult your doctor about this. Keep a very close eye on your child’s nutrition and overall state. This is not a regular diet and should be monitored. After the first year of age, the infant can start consuming almost everything an older vegan would.