Background: Among its recommended dietary patterns for Americans, including lactating mothers, the 2020 Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGA) includes a Healthy Vegetarian Dietary Pattern (HVDP). However, the DGA does not provide guidance for adapting the HVDP for vegetarians who avoid dairy (ovo-vegetarian) or eggs (lacto-vegetarian), eat fish (pescatarians), or avoid all animal foods (vegan).
Objective: To determine whether models of the HVDP for different vegetarian diets could provide sufficient nutrition during lactation, a life stage with unique nutrient needs.
Methods: Adaptations of the HVDP were developed at the 2200 and 2400 kcal levels using similar methods to the 2020 DGA. We compared these models with both the original HVDP and Dietary Reference Intakes (DRIs) for women ages 19 to 30 and ages 31 to 50 during lactation mo 1 to 12. All models were developed both with and without the addition of a multivitamin and -mineral prenatal supplement, commonly consumed by women throughout lactation.
Results: All models (original HVDP, ovo-vegetarian, lacto-vegetarian, pescatarian, vegan) at all energy levels met the Adequate Macronutrient Distribution Ranges. Like the original HVDP and other dietary patterns in the DGA, the vegetarian adaptations in this study did not contain enough vitamin D, vitamin E, or choline to meet DRIs across all models and energy levels. With the prenatal supplement added, the models did not contain enough sodium, vitamin D, or choline. Some models also contained < 100% of the DRIs for sodium, zinc, vitamin A, and vitamin B6. Amounts of all other micronutrients met DRIs.
Conclusions: Adaptations of the HVDP can provide adequate amounts of most nutrients, including nutrients of concern, during lactation to meet the needs of mothers during this life stage.
Keywords: Dietary Guidelines for Americans; dietary patterns; lactation; vegan; vegetarian.