A vegetarian pregnancy?
Are vegetarianism and pregnancy compatible? Don’t worry: with regular medical check-ups and a balanced diet, a vegetarian diet poses no risk to your baby.
© Thinkstock
A vegetarian diet excludes animal flesh, or in other words, meat and fish. However, other animal products, such as dairy produce, eggs and honey may be included. Here is Doctossimo’s advice for a healthy vegetarian pregnancy.
Motivations behind a vegetarian diet
Vegetarianism is often a choice based on ethics, and wanting to protect the animal world through refusing the idea of humans as predators, and criticising the conditions in which animals are reared and slaughtered. It can also be a result of a gradual dislike of meat for more emotional reasons, for example those who do not like the idea of eating a rabbit or a duck and who eventually give up meat altogether.
Finally, some might decide to become vegetarian for health reasons, as it has been shown that over-consumption of meat and animal fat can have harmful effects on the body, leading to the development of diabetes, obesity and heart disease.
Nutritionists don’t consider a vegetarian diet to be unhealthy in itself. There is therefore no need for you to interrupt a vegetarian diet when pregnant, as long as you undergo regular check-ups with your doctor, and you get a sufficient supply of protein, calcium and iron from a balanced diet (or with help from nutritional supplements as prescribed by your doctor).
Protein and pregnancy
The rules of a healthy, balanced diet prescribe that your food must include 50 to 55% carbohydrates, 30 to 35% fats and 10 to 15% protein.
In the case of a vegetarian diet, the absence of animal protein must be compensated for by other sources of protein like eggs, grains (wheat, rice, barley, oats and maize for example), pasta, pulses (soya, lentils, beans etc.) and oleaginous fruit and nuts (almonds, walnuts etc.).
You should also make sure you mix grain with pulses in your meals so your body, and thus your baby, gets the full range of amino acids it needs. During pregnancy, it becomes even more important to get enough protein, as these become the building blocks for your baby’s body – his muscles, bones and connective tissues.
Pregnancy iron and calcium
During pregnancy, women have a greater need for minerals. When not eating meat, you need to eat eggs, dried fruit, parsley and salads in order to ensure you don’t become deficient in iron, which can lead to anomalies in the foetus’ development.
It’s recommended that you eat fruit or vegetables rich in Vitamin C at every meal, as this vitamin encourages the absorption of iron. Avoid coffee, tea and wine as these reduce the rate of iron absorption.
When pregnant, whether you are vegetarian or not, you should make sure your body absorbs a sufficient amount of calcium, which is essential in the formation of the foetus’ bones. Calcium is found in dairy products and oleaginous fruit and nuts (sesame seeds, almonds and walnuts etc.).
Keeping your attention on preparing and eating varied vegetarian meals will supply your body with all the minerals and vitamins it needs to support baby’s growth and development.
If you are a vegan (you eat absolutely no animal produce at all, not even dairy), and if you don’t want to introduce milk or eggs to your diet during your pregnancy, then you will most likely have to take B12 supplements.
Medical advice for vegetarian mums
Pregnancy is a particular time in your life when you will benefit from regular medical consultation. It is best that you speak to your doctor about your vegetarian diet straight away – from the first visit.
You can then have blood tests to make sure that you are not deficient in any vitamins or minerals, and depending on the results, the doctor might for instance, prescribe iron and calcium supplements in order to ensure the healthy development of your baby.
For more information, see:
Copyright © 2010 Doctissimo
Posted 01.08.2011
Get more on this subject…
