‘You shouldn’t follow a vegetarian diet if you’re pregnant or breastfeeding’

Going vegetarian while you are breastfeeding won’t cause a drop in your milk supply.

However, depending on the type of vegetarian diet a breastfeeding woman is following, a pregnant mum’s nutritional intake may need to be fortified to ensure she’s getting adequate calcium, iron, vitamin B12, omega-3 fatty acids and vitamin D. Vegetarian food sources for calcium include milk, yoghurt, cheese, bean curd, broccoli, spinach, nuts, and fortified products, such as calciumfortified soy milk.

For iron, take eggs, green vegetables, bean curd, legumes, nuts and dried fruit. Vitamin B12 is in milk, fortified soy milk, eggs and fermented soy products, such as miso or tempeh. As for omega-3 fatty acids, they’re found in oil (canola, soybean), seeds (flax, chia), nuts and legumes (soybeans, lentils).

For vitamin D, take eggs, fortified milk and get 10 to 15 minutes of sun exposure daily in the summer.