Vegetarian and vegan eating (2024)

If you choose to be vegetarian or vegan, plan your diet to make sure it includes all the essential nutrients. This is even more important if you are pregnant, planning a pregnancy, breastfeeding or have young children following a vegetarian diet. Eating a wide variety of foods will make it easier to meet your nutritional requirements.

Essential nutrients that are harder to obtain in a vegetarian diet, if not carefully planned – include protein, some minerals (especially iron, calcium and zinc), vitamin B12 and vitamin D.

Protein is essential for many bodily processes, including tissue building and repair. Protein is made up of smaller building blocks called amino acids. These amino acids are classed as non-essential (can be made by the body) and essential (must be obtained through the diet).

A ‘complete’ protein has all the 9 essential amino acids necessary for dietary needs. Most plant foods, however, are not complete proteins – they only have some of the 9 essential amino acids. Soy products, quinoa and amaranth seeds are some of the few exceptions of a complete vegetable protein.

It was once thought that vegetarians and vegans needed to combine plant foods at each meal to ensure they consumed complete proteins (for example, baked beans on toast). Recent research has found this is not the case.

Consuming various sources of amino acids throughout the day should provide the complete complement of protein. Generally, if energy (kilojoules or calorie) intake is sufficient, vegetarian diets can meet or exceed their protein requirements, but some vegan diets may be low in protein.

Some good vegetarian sources of protein include:

If you’re following a vegetarian or vegan diet, you need to make sure you get the right amount of essential dietary minerals.

Some of these minerals and their suggested food sources include:

Vitamin B12 is important for red blood cell production – it helps to maintain healthy nerves and a healthy brain. People following a vegan diet are at risk of developing vitamin B12 deficiency because it is only found in animal products.

Vegetarian sources of vitamin B12 include:

(Although it’s often believed that mushrooms, tempeh, miso and sea vegetables are a source of B12, this is not true. These foods contain a compound with a similar structure to B12, but it doesn’t work like B12 in the body.)

If people following a vegan diet don’t get their B12 requirement from these foods, they are advised to take B12 supplements to avoid vitamin B12 deficiency – including anaemia. This is particularly important when breastfeeding where vitamin B12 deficient breastmilk can interfere with normal brain development of the baby.

Vitamin B12 absorption becomes less efficient as we age, so supplements may also be needed by older people following a vegetarian diet.

Check with your doctor before starting on any vitamin and mineral supplements.

Vitamin D is important for strong bones, muscles and overall health. Although small amounts of vitamin D are present in food, it is not a true ‘vitamin’ because it can also be produced by the body after exposure to UV radiation in sunlight.

The main source of vitamin D for most Australians is sunlight. There are few foods that contain significant amounts of vitamin D. There is very little vitamin D in most people’s diets, unless they eat fatty fish, eggs, liver or foods fortified with vitamin D (such as margarine). Fortified low-fat and skim milk is another source of vitamin D, but it is present in low amounts.

Vegetarian sources of vitamin D include:

Well-planned vegan and vegetarian diets can be appropriate for all stages of a person’s life. However, special care needs to be taken for vegetarian diets during pregnancy and breastfeeding, and infancy and childhood. This especially applies to those who follow a vegan diet.

Strict vegan diets are not recommended for very young children.

A vegetarian diet can be safely followed during pregnancy provided you eat regularly to ensure you have enough energy. Include a variety of foods from the five food groups each day to meet your nutrient needs.

Most women will need supplements of nutrients that are difficult to obtain just from food (such as folic acid and iodine). Vitamin B12 supplements will also be needed for women following vegan diets for optimal brain development in their baby.

If you are breastfeeding and on a vegetarian diet, you can obtain all the nutrients and energy you need as long as you include a wide range of foods from the five food groups each day. Depending on your individual circ*mstances, supplements may be recommended by your health professional.

If you are breastfeeding and on a vegan diet, a vitamin or mineral supplement may be required. This is particularly the case with vitamin B12. A severe lack of vitamin B12 in breastmilk can interfere with a baby’s brain development and can also cause anaemia in the mother.

If you are breastfeeding and on a vegan diet you are recommended to continue to breastfeed – ideally for 2 years or longer.

Check with a dietitian to make sure your diet contains the right amount of energy and nutrients to support your health and wellbeing and the optimal development of your infant, especially if you are exclusively breastfeeding or following a vegan diet.

Up to the age of 6 months, babies only need breastmilk or infant formula.

From around 6 months, most babies are ready to be introduced to solids – although breastmilk or infant formula are still their main source of nutrition until 12 months.

Vegetarian and vegan foods can be safely introduced to babies and young children, provided all their energy and nutrient needs are met. This requires careful planning.

For some babies – especially those being introduced to vegan eating, supplements may be recommended to ensure some essential nutrients typically provided by animal-based foods are supplied in adequate amounts (such as iron and vitamin B12).

If you wish to introduce your child to vegetarian or vegan eating, seek advice from a dietitian, doctor or your maternal and child health nurse to ensure they are getting essential nutrients for optimal growth and development.

From around 6 months, solids from all 5 food groups should be introduced gradually, with first foods being rich in iron, protein and energy for growth.

Iron is an important nutrient for growth and is vital for babies and young children. By 6 months of age, the stores of iron a baby has built up during pregnancy are usually depleted, which is why their first foods need to be iron-rich.

This is important for babies following vegetarian and vegan diets because vegetarian sources of iron (‘non-haem’ iron) tend not to be as easily absorbed by the body as animal sources of iron (‘haem’ iron).

Combine foods containing vitamin C with foods that are high in iron – such as offer an orange with baked beans on toast. Vitamin C enhances the absorption of iron.

If your child’s diet is high in fibre, their little tummy can easily feel full before they’ve consumed enough energy or nutrients to meet their needs. High fibre foods can also lead to poorer absorption of some nutrients (such as iron, zinc and calcium).

Babies and children on vegetarian or vegan diets can get enough energy and boost their absorption of nutrients by eating a wide variety of foods and including lower fibre foods (such as white bread and rice), in addition to wholegrain and wholemeal varieties.

Another way to ensure vegetarian children meet their energy needs is to give them frequent meals and snacks.

Feed and sleep patterns vary from baby-to-baby, as well as with age. A 7 to 9-month-old baby’s feed and sleep pattern might look something like this table:

This is an example only – your child’s eating and sleep and settling routine may be different.

Try to include a mixture of refined and unrefined (wholegrain) cereals and a variety of energy-giving foods in your child’s diet:

Up to the age of 6 months, breastmilk or infant formula is the only food your baby needs.

Until 12 months, breastmilk or infant formula should still be the main drink, although small amounts of full-fat cow’s milk can be used in cooking. Goat’s or sheep’s milk is not recommended. Do not give your child unpasteurised milk (raw milk) – it can cause gastrointestinal illnesses.

Plant-based milks such as soymilk (except soy follow-on formula) and other nutritionally incomplete plant-based milks (such as rice, oat, coconut or almond milk) are not suitable alternatives to breastmilk or infant formula for babies under 12 months.

After 12 months, under the guidance of your nurse, doctor or dietitian, full-fat fortified soy drink or calcium-enriched rice and oat beverages (at least 100mg of calcium per 100mL) can be used. Your child’s diet should contain other adequate sources of protein and vitamin B12 before these milks are introduced.

If you are going to place your child on a vegetarian or vegan diet, seek advice from a health professional on how to maintain a balanced diet and any supplements needed.