Last Updated on November 9, 2023 by Fasting Planet
You’re a soon-to-be mother, and this time is exciting yet scary. You have all sorts of questions about continuing to adhere to your vegan diet, especially as you get closer to giving birth. If you feed your baby breast milk, is it vegan?
Breast milk, although it’s technically dairy, is considered vegan since it’s not produced by other animals nor is it exploiting or cruelly treating animals. Infants and growing babies need breast milk for all sorts of reasons, including resistance to illness and infection, better intelligence, and lower eczema and asthma risks.
In this article, we’ll discuss breast milk in great detail, including what’s in it. We’ll also delve into whether breast milk is considered vegan. For those women in various stages of pregnancy, we’ll cover the implications of eating vegan as you carry a baby and immediately after giving birth.
Let’s get started!
What Is Breast Milk? Is It Real Milk?
Breast milk is not unique to humans. We’re mammals, and every mammal can nurse their baby through breast milk. What exactly is this milk, though? Well, that answer changes throughout the nursing period.
When your baby is a newborn, the breast milk you produce is different compositionally than it is when the baby is a few months old. The purpose of this is so the baby gets all the nutrients, vitamins, minerals, carbohydrates, proteins, and fats they need at different stages of development.
To answer your question, yes, breast milk is real milk. We’ll talk about what that means for vegans in the next section. The milk includes 0.2 percent minerals, 7.1 percent carbs, 4.5 percent fat, and up to 0.9 percent protein. Those proteins are serum albumin, lysozyme, Immunoglobin A, lactoferrin, and alpha-lactalbumin.
Of all the proteins, alpha-lactalbumin may be the most important. It can take on a new form in the stomach and make HAMLET. No, not like the Shakespeare story, but human alpha-lactalbumin made lethal to tumor cells. As that name suggests, babies may be safeguarded from cancer through HAMLET.
The sugars in breast milk are human milk oligosaccharides, which allow for the development of flora in the intestine. When pathogens try to attach to receptors, the HMOs become a decoy so your baby doesn’t get ill.
Endocannabinoids are in mother’s milk as well. Our bodies have an endocannabinoid system made up of neurotransmitters. Through these endocannabinoids, our body releases hormones, often as a stress response or due to reproductive changes. The endocannabinoids in mother’s milk include:
- Palmitic acid esters of hydroxy-stearic acids
- Prostaglandin F2 ethanolamides
- Prostaglandin F2alpha ethanolamides
- N-stearoylethanoamine
- Dihomo-y-linolenoylethanoamine
- N-palmitoleoyl-ethanolamine
- Docosahexaenoyl ethanolamide
- Eicosapentaenoyl ethanolamide
- N-arachidonoyl glycine
- Palmitoylethanolamide
- Oleoylethanolamide
- Anandamide
- 2-Arachidonoyl glycerol
The purpose of endocannabinoids in breast milk is to stimulate and control the appetite.
Is Breast Milk Vegan?
As a vegan, you steer clear of dairy in all its forms, including cheese, butter, ice cream, yogurt, and milk. Thus, you may have mixed feelings about feeding your baby breast milk.
You shouldn’t! Organizations like PETA say it’s perfectly fine for vegan mothers to breastfeed their babies. After all, your milk is unique to humans just like cow’s milk is unique to cows. Although technically human breast milk is an animal byproduct, think of why you typically avoid such products and byproducts.
It’s due to the animal cruelty that transpires to produce hamburgers and steaks, red cochineal pigment for makeup or food, and even wool sweaters and other clothing. Yet there’s nothing cruel about breastfeeding. It’s a perfectly natural occurrence that has transpired among mammals for generations and will continue to for generations to come.
If anything, it’s cruel not to breastfeed your baby. Whether it comes from you or a bottle of formula, babies require milk. The beverage contains phosphorous to promote the release of energy, magnesium to keep muscles functioning, iodine to control the baby’s metabolism, vitamin B12 for cellular development, vitamin A to keep their immune system and vision healthy, protein to inspire growth, and calcium for the strength of teeth and bones.
When formula-feeding your baby, that store-bought milk lacks endocannabinoids. You may struggle to get your baby to feed, and when they begin, they may not want to stop. There is some evidence to suggest that babies fed on formula will consume more calories than those who are breastfed.
Formula milk also lacks HMOs so the baby is more susceptible to infectious diseases, which is scary stuff!
Besides that, breastfeeding your baby carries many, many benefits that don’t just help them now, but can later in life as well. Here’s the full list:
- Babies that are fed breast milk may have an increase in leptin levels but lower insulin. Leptin controls hunger to prevent overeating. Low insulin levels can ward off the development of diabetes.
- Reduced risk of dental issues according to The Journal of the American Dental Association.
- A lower rate of developing eczema or asthma per the same report.
- Less risk of developing childhood-onset diabetes says this 2012 report from Practice Midwife.
- Lower childhood leukemia risk by a small degree, found this 2011 publication of Acta Medica Portuguesa.
- A stronger immune system that can fight off flu and colds per this 2013 report of the American Journal of Perinatology.
- Fewer middle ear infections says this classic report from Ear, Nose & Throat Journal.
- Greater intelligence according to a 2008 report from McGill University.
- Development of adipose tissue for warmth, notes this 2019 edition of The Journal of Clinical Investigation.
- Severely reduced risk of sudden infant death syndrome or SIDS by at least 73 percent according to a 2011 publication of Pediatrics.
Is It Healthy to be on the Vegan Diet When You’re Pregnant?
You’re aware that your plant-based diet can lead to deficiencies in vitamin B12, omega-3 fatty acids, iodine, calcium, vitamin D, iron, and sometimes protein. Thus, you have some concerns about continuing the vegan diet when carrying a baby.
After all, your baby, when in the womb, relies on the umbilical cord’s blood vessels to receive nutrients (and oxygen as well). If you’re not getting enough minerals, nutrients, and vitamins, then that means your baby isn’t either, right?
That’s correct, but being aware of the dietary deficiencies you may experience as a vegan is the first step towards ensuring you get what your body needs. You might slightly amend your vegan diet by incorporating other plant-based food sources to ensure you’re nutrient-rich. You can also take supplements provided these contain no animal byproducts.
Is being vegan when pregnant safe?
Nutrients, in a 2019 report, explored whether veganism and vegetarianism can affect pregnant women and the babies they’re carrying. Here’s what they said: “the available evidence shows that well planned vegetarian and vegan diets may be considered safe during pregnancy and lactation, but they require a strong awareness for a balanced intake of key nutrients.”
The study mentions the importance of getting enough iron especially, at least 600 micrograms per day. Otherwise, neural tube issues may arise. Pregnant vegans also need 220 micrograms a day of iodine, 450 milligrams per day of choline, and 600 international units or IU of vitamin D a day to promote the development of the fetus’ brain as well as to encourage healthy fetal growth.
Nutrients mentions that The Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine recommends that pregnant women boost their protein consumption by at least 25 grams a day if not more. The organization suggests consuming one to two servings of wheat germ, seeds, and nuts. You should also eat six servings (at least) of whole grains, up to four servings of soy, up to five servings of fruits and vegetables, and up to two servings of dark green veggies.
Finally, the Nutrients study mentions that some health effects can occur from being vegan or vegetarian when pregnant. They include the following:
- Potential mental health risks, especially if your diet lacks zinc, selenium, iron, vitamin D, calcium, vitamin B12, and/or folate.
- Early delivery, even preterm delivery, although more research needs to be done in this area.
- Development of gestational diabetes, especially if your diet is high in fiber. Nutrients says this risk is higher among vegetarians.
- Preeclampsia, although Nutrients states that “a vegan diet…might provide protection against this condition, especially if the conversion of LA to AA is inhibited by decreased activity of the enzyme delta-6-desaturase.” LA is n-6 and AA is arachidonic acid, two essential fatty acids.
How to Introduce Veganism to Your Child
Lastly, let’s talk about the decision to raise your child vegan. Is it advisable to do so? Provided they get the full range of nutrients, minerals, and vitamins needed for healthy growth, then absolutely, your baby can be vegan. One benefit of starting them on veganism so young is that your baby has never tasted meat, dairy (besides breast milk!), eggs, honey, or fish. They won’t miss what they’ve never had.
We would suggest scheduling an appointment with a nutritionist outside of seeing your pediatrician. You need an expert who can guide you on what your baby should eat and in what quantities. You’ll probably consult your nutritionist a lot in the coming months as your baby grows.
If you do start your baby on the vegan diet, weaning your child from breast milk after six months is not the best idea. They need the extra nutrients, so breastfeed them for a few months longer. When you do stop breastfeeding, switch to fortified soymilk with vitamins D and B12. When they’re older, they can drink other plant-based milk, but not this early in their development. After they’re at least one year old, you can introduce your child to these types of milk.
If you have a partner, make sure they’re okay with raising your baby as a vegan. It’s a lot easier to maintain veganism for the baby if the whole family is willing to follow the diet.
Conclusion
Breast milk may be dairy, but it’s still considered vegan. Babies need breast milk for healthy development, and lots of research confirms that breast milk is more healthful for a growing infant than store-bought formula.
We hope this article cleared up your concerns about maintaining your vegan diet when pregnant, nursing, and beyond. Best of luck with the new baby!