Vegan Nutrition with Jill Nussinow, MS, RD

This question answered by Nora Allen and Jill Nussinow, MS, RD.

Jill Nussinow is a Registered Dietitian, culinary educator, cookbook author, speaker and consultant and all around proponent of a plant-based diet. She teaches vegetarian and vegan cooking at Santa Rosa Junior College in California and other places around the US. She has a son who is almost 15. One of her greatest joys is sharing her enthusiasm for vegetables and pressure cooking with anyone who will listen.

Nora Allen is a senior nutrition major and gender studies minor at Cedar Crest College in Allentown, PA. She has worked clinically in a geriatric setting for two years, and has worked in hospital food service for the past two years. Nora has been a vegan for six years, and was the 2007 recipient of the Vegetarian Resource Group Scholarship. She currently runs cross country at Cedar Crest College, and enjoys promoting a healthy, active lifestyle along with animal rights.

My daughter is 7 months old and has started solids and I intend on raising her vegan (like I am). My doctor told me to give her a multivitamin mostly because of potential B12 deficiency. Is that necessary (I breastfeed her and I take extra B12)? If so, what's the best way to give her B12 at this age?

Article continues below

For breastfeeding vegan women, it is essential to supplement B12, as low levels in the mother's diet can lead to low levels in the milk. With solid foods, start to gradually introduce vegan foods that are fortified with B12 to your daughter. Fortified breakfast cereals, plant-based milks and texturized soy protein are all some examples. You can also try cooking with Red Star Nutritional Yeast (it gives a kid-friendly "cheese" flavor to foods) which is fortified with B12 as well. Speak with your daughter's pediatrician about monitoring her B12 levels, as well as other nutrients of concern for vegans (vitamin D, zinc, and calcium). If a supplement is needed, there are flavored sublingual drops that provide the B12.

Visit Jill's website TheVeggieQueen.com and her blog theveggiequeen.blogspot.com.

Ask your nutrition question here.

Disclaimer: The advice given here is for eductional purposes only. You should not use this information to diagnose or treat a health problem or disease without consulting with a qualified health care provider.

See full index of questions

Sponsors: