Vegan and Vegetarian Pregnancy Essentials

06 October 2019/Kate Harrison/
If you are currently vegan or vegetarian you may be wondering if you can have a healthy pregnancy without meat or other animal products such as eggs and dairy.
The good news is that with proper meal planning and nutritional supplements a vegetarian and vegan diet can meet all of your pregnancy needs!
I've had two vegetarian pregnancies with no issues and both of my boys where born at 42 weeks weighing in at 4kg and a picture of health plus I've supported many vegan and vegetarian clients throughout their pregnancies.
There are actually many benefits to a vegan or vegetarian pregnancy, with folate and magnesium intake often being higher due to the abundance of legumes, vegetables and wholegrains found in a healthy plant based diet.
Research has also shown that plant-based diets and diets consisting of high fruit and vegetable intakes during pregnancy may lower the risk of preterm birth, pre-eclampsia and gestational diabetes for the pregnant mother.
When it comes to having a healthy pregnancy, vegetarians and vegans do need to be more mindful when it comes to certain nutrients, particularly Iron, Protein, Omega 3 Fatty Acids, Calcium and B12.
Here is how you can ensure you are getting adequate amounts of these important nutrients:

Protein

During pregnancy protein needs increase for everyone so it's important that you are having protein at every meal and snack. Some ways you can do this is from nuts, seeds, legumes, wholegrains, tempeh/tofu plus eggs and dairy if you are vegetarian.

At Breakfast you could add nut butters to your toast, smoothie or on top of porridge. You could add LSA (linseed, sunflower seed and almond) to your breakfast, make scrambled tofu or scrambled egg, add protein powder (rice, pea, hemp or dairy options available) to smoothies etc. For meals you can add chickpeas to stews, make lentil dahl, add split peas to soup, add black beans to salads, make a spaghetti bolagnaise sauce with brown lentils, serve quinoa with veggie dishes, use hommus or cashew pesto as a spread in wraps and add tempeh to vegetable stir frys. Spirulina is also another great source of protein plus other vitamins and minerals that you can stir into a little cloudy apple juice daily or take in tablet form.

Iron

Iron is the most common nutrient deficiency worldwide and very common during pregnancy which is why pregnant vegans and vegetarians need to be extra proactive about increasing their iron rich foods. You can do this with leafy green vegetables such as kale, spinach, roquette, broccoli etc (add to stews, soups, salads and smoothies), legumes, blackstrap molasses, pumpkin seeds, figs, dried apricots, prunes and nettle tea. Make sure you add vitamin c foods to help absorption such as a squeeze of lemon over greens or some berries in your smoothie.
I would also recommend supplementing  with iron, preferably the non-organic form from a health care practitioner or health food store as they are more gentle, non constipating and easier to absorb.

B12

Vitamin B12 is a very important nutrient that can only be found in animal products. For vegetarians who eat eggs and or dairy you will easily be able to obtain the required amount but vegans will need to supplement and include B12 fortified foods including non-dairy milks, breads, cereals and some types of nutritional yeast.

Omega-3 Fatty Acids

Omega-3 fatty acids EPA and DHA are essential for a healthy pregnancy and baby. In particular DHA needs careful attention for vegan and vegetarian mothers due to it's essential role in the development of baby's brain. During the third trimester the mother transfers a large amount of Omega 3 DHA to baby which means that pregnant women need to consume at least 300mg of DHA daily.

Non vegetarians tend to get their Omega 3 predominately from fish, so if you are vegan or vegetarian you will need to consume plant based sources. It’s important to note that plant-based sources of omega-3 fatty acids contain ALA such as walnuts, chia seeds, flaxseeds, hemp seeds etc which don't always convert so well into DHA in our bodies. So in addition to including these foods in your diet daily (add to smoothies, porridge etc) I also recommend taking a vegan DHA supplement to ensure you are getting enough. These are made from algae, which is what makes fish so high in DHA.

Calcium

During pregnancy your growing baby will take what it needs in order to form its skeletal system and teeth, potentially leeching calcium from your system if you don't have enough. For adult women the recommended daily intake is 1000mg per day, with that number bumping up to 1200mg per day during pregnancy and lactation.

You can get plenty of calcium from leafy greens, beans, tempeh/tofu, almonds, seaweed (kelp, nori, wakame, dulse flakes) and sesame seeds (tahini and hommus are great) which are all good sources of calcium. If you consume dairy then greek yoghurt, milk and cheese are also good sources but make sure you include a variety of plant based sources as well as they are more alkalising and anti inflammatory.

In addition to your Iron, Vegan DHA and B12 Supplement (B12 if you are Vegan) I also recommend a pregnancy multivitamin. If you are taking these supplements and including plenty of wholefoods in your daily diet from fresh fruit and vegetables, wholegrains, nuts, seeds, dairy and eggs (if you aren't vegan) then you can rest assured that you and you're baby will be getting all of the nutrients you need!

If you would like to know more and get your own personalised support plan and nutritional prescription feel free to book an online or in person session here and grab your free Post Partum Healing Toolkit here