My Perspective on Being a Vegan Changed in Motherhood

“I will never change my ways” is exactly how I felt about being vegan before I had children and ended up learning that it’s okay to ebb and flow and make changes for your needs as they come up.

Claire helping peel sweet potatoes during family meal preparation — Claire helping peel sweet potatoes (L). Cauliflower Vegetable Soup (R).

Homemade cauliflower vegetable soup from our family kitchen — Claire helping peel sweet potatoes (L). Cauliflower Vegetable Soup (R).

The beginning of my vegan journey

As a child, I was never very fond of meat. I didn’t enjoy the “bad bites” of meat and often found myself grossed out eating anything from an animal.

Once I began to drive places, I was gravitating to meals that simply didn’t contain meat at all. Fast forward quite a few years later, and I was researching a lot more about my food, what I was eating, and all things about being vegetarian and vegan family meals. I read a book called The China Study and watched YouTubers discussing raw meals and lifestyles. It was the day art of a disciplined life for me.

That curiosity about food has stayed with our family in different forms. Years later, we’ve even made learning about ingredients part of the way Claire and Peter explore what we eat.

Plot twist in my plan

During my pregnancy with Claire, I was entirely vegan.

Postpartum, I was breastfeeding and providing her little body with the nutrients it needed, while also taking care of mine.

As part of my vegan postpartum lifestyle, I was eating quite a bit of soy, and nightshades because they were steady staples for me, and taking in a good amount of raw garlic for cold and flu season when my body seemed to go into a stress response sort-of state.

At the same time, my tiny Claire was also beginning to show signs of struggle. She was suffering from a pretty intense case of cradle cap and was getting what looked to be eczema on her fresh baby skin, pretty severely.

Baby Claire during the early stages of our family's food and nutrition journey — Sweet Claire learning to sit and being a doll baby, while dealing with some pretty rough food issues.

I started taking things out of my diet that may have been causing her issues, like soy and grains, but unfortunately to no avail, we were still seeing issues for our girl. We noticed that once she started eating solid foods, the more I took things out of her meals, the less she had available to eat. So, I ended up giving her seafood.

A Note About Breastfeeding, Eczema and Food Elimination

This was our personal experience, and looking back, I know that observation alone cannot tell us whether a particular food in my diet caused Claire’s skin symptoms. The CDC notes that breastfeeding mothers generally do not need to avoid specific foods unless there is an individual medical reason to do so.

Food allergies can contribute to eczema flares in some children, but they are not the cause of every case. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends speaking with a child’s doctor before making restrictive dietary changes for eczema, since unnecessary elimination can make it harder for children to get the nutrition they need.

Being a mom, I like to try my kiddos’ food before they do, and so I, also, slowly started eating seafood. With some other symptoms coming up for Claire, like belly issues, we eventually added some chicken and turkey to her meals.

Recently, we had to take some iron-rich things out of her diet, and instead, we have tried grass-fed red meat to help add some of that iron back into her meals.

Iron was one of the nutrients we became more conscious of during that process. The National Institutes of Health explains that iron can come from both animal and plant foods. Meat and seafood provide heme iron, which is generally absorbed more readily, while beans, lentils, tofu, fortified grains, vegetables, nuts, and seeds can provide nonheme iron.

Here’s the thing

Veganism is not necessarily something I wanted to push on my children, but I did plan on having a predominantly vegetarian household.

I bought Claire books when I was pregnant with her and while she was an infant, that she still has today, however, it was not something I believed they needed to only be exposed to. It wasn’t that I wanted them to be grossed out by what meat was because they didn’t know anything about it.

I know the facts are that vegetarianism has health benefits, and I believe that a person’s body can tell and direct them to know what they need. Everything in moderation, is something I believe. There are still some things that we eat that are vegan, there are still some things we eat that are vegetarian. It is not one size fits all for our needs in our home.

A well-planned plant-based diet can absolutely be part of healthy family eating. HealthyChildren notes that even vegan diets can support healthy growth when nutrients such as vitamin B12, iron, calcium, zinc and vitamin D are intentionally addressed.

For children eating fully vegan diets, that planning matters especially for vitamin B12 because reliable natural sources are primarily animal foods. Fortified foods or supplements may be needed, depending on the individual child’s diet and medical guidance.

When we eat meat, we actively make an effort to buy grass-fed, locally sourced, humanely and pastured raised meat because we know that factory farming is bad. So, we do still pay attention.

Our approach has become less about fitting every meal into one label and more about understanding what we’re serving, something that also connects with our broader parenting philosophy of balancing flexibility with the things we care deeply about.

Vegan hot dogs served with cauliflower and asparagus for a family meal — Vegan Hotdogs, Cauliflower, and Asparagus

Perspective

Alongside my daughter’s food journey, I learned that parenthood can absolutely put you in a different season. It can give you a different perspective, and make you do different things.

I truly thought my position would never change on this, but when your little one has limited food options, you do what they need you to do.

I am grateful for a perspective change in motherhood and for being open to doing whatever you need, my sweet Claire and Peter.

That willingness to change course has become one of the biggest lessons of parenting for me. Sometimes what we imagined before having children simply isn’t what works best for the children actually standing in front of us.

Family food journey with Claire and Peter at Here They Grow

Here They Grow family moment from our evolving approach to food

We have continued to find ways to heal Claire’s gut and will continue to support her in the best choices to keep her feeling the best.

When I say “heal Claire’s gut,” I’m describing our family’s effort to understand her digestive symptoms and find foods that she tolerates well—not making a medical claim that a particular food can universally “heal” the gut. Digestive and skin symptoms can have many causes, so persistent concerns are something to work through with a pediatrician or other qualified healthcare professional.

With the proper food choices, we have found a lot of success in her health responses. As parents, you will do whatever it takes to support your little ones.

And ultimately, that is what this story is about for me: not whether one way of eating is right for every family, but being willing to learn, reconsider, and make thoughtful choices for the people we love. That same willingness to adapt is part of the family culture of support we hope Claire and Peter remember.

Love always,

Mom

Food Choices Can Change as Our Families Change

One of motherhood’s biggest lessons for me has been learning that changing my mind isn’t failure. Sometimes it simply means I have new information, different circumstances, and children whose individual needs matter more than the label I once expected our family to follow.

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Frequently Asked Questions About Vegan and Plant-Based Family Eating

Can children follow a vegan diet?

Yes, a carefully planned vegan diet can support healthy growth in children. Families need to pay particular attention to nutrients such as vitamin B12, iron, calcium, zinc and vitamin D, and it is a good idea to discuss a fully vegan diet with a pediatrician or registered dietitian.

Do vegan children need vitamin B12?

Vitamin B12 deserves special attention because natural food sources are primarily animal products. Vegan children generally need reliable fortified foods or supplementation to ensure adequate intake, based on guidance from their healthcare professional.

Can children get enough iron without red meat?

Yes. Lentils, beans, chickpeas, tofu, seeds, vegetables and iron-fortified grains can all provide iron. However, plant-based nonheme iron is absorbed less efficiently than heme iron from animal foods, so vegetarian and vegan diets require thoughtful planning. Pairing plant iron sources with vitamin C can help improve absorption.

Can a mother’s diet cause eczema in a breastfed baby?

Not necessarily. Eczema has many possible triggers, and breastfeeding mothers generally do not need to eliminate foods routinely. In some children with significant eczema, a food allergy may contribute to flares, but restrictive diets are best considered with a pediatrician or allergy specialist rather than through trial-and-error elimination alone.

Should parents eliminate foods when a child has eczema?

Not without a good reason. Unnecessary elimination can reduce the variety of nutrients available to a growing child. If a particular food appears to trigger symptoms consistently, discuss the pattern with the child’s healthcare provider before making a long-term restriction.

Does a family have to choose between vegan and meat-based eating?

No. Families can choose many different patterns. Some eat fully vegan or vegetarian diets, some include meat regularly, and others—like ours—eat a mixture of plant-based, vegetarian and animal-based meals depending on the situation. Nutritional adequacy matters more than fitting neatly into a label.