My son is 12 months old and I want to give him raw almond milk at meals in addition to nursing him during him infrequently during the day. We are not weaning completely yet but I would like to within the next 18 months. Do any of my raw mommies supplement with Vitamin D or B-12? I would like extra ideas on how to cover the vegan iron and protein issues as well.
Thanks, I am just looking for some reassurance that his developing body will not be lacking when transitioning him to solids.

I'm a raw grandmommy, so I hope it's OK for me to give you an opinion.

B12 is a very controversial issue here, but for the pro side of it - especially regarding B12 and nursing vegan mothers - you might like to check out the article on B12 on The Vegan Society's website. The link is [www.vegansociety.com]

Especially check the info under the subtitles, "Symptoms of B12 deficiency" and "Is there a vegan alternative to B12-fortified foods and supplements?".

If you decide to go with eating a B12-fortified food like nutritional yeast, make sure it actually is fortified. Some of the nutritional yeast in the health food store bins is not. Make sure it is the Red Star Vegetarian Support Formula (nutritional yeast is not raw).

I take a methylcobalamin B12 supplement "suitable for vegetarians".

I think just about everyone here might agree that if your baby is getting enough calories, he's probably also getting enough protein. If you haven't checked out the nutrition sites like nutritiondata.com or fitday or nutridiary, you might like to take a look. Those sites can give you some ideas for covering the iron and other nutrients.

You might try mixing a little bit of UNhulled sesame tahini with your baby's food. If it's unhulled it will be high in iron, calcium, and protein. Or, better yet, soak some unhulled (brown) sesame seeds overnight and blend them yourself and mix that with your baby's food. But try a VERY small portion first to see how your baby does with it, and afterwards, keep the portions small.

Definitely, any kind of seeds or nuts you feed your baby should be organic.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/28/2007 08:17AM by suncloud.