For more than 20 years, Raleigh Dove lived the no-red-meat life. A lacto-ovo vegetarian, she would eat dairy and egg products. She’d even modify her diet every now and then to include a little fish. But never meat.
So why change dietary habits just because she was pregnant? She knew what to do, even though there was little nutritional advice available to help her during her first pregnancy eight years ago.
“My particular doctor’s style had nothing to do with personal food counseling,” said Dove, who lives in Monument, Colo. “He handed me some standardized sheet that he gave every expectant mother. Because I had been eating this way for years and had done a lot of reading, I was aware of some of the issues of vegetarian diets during pregnancy.”
So, through two pregnancies, she ate her usual vegetarian diet. She took prenatal vitamins, as well as folic acid and vitamin B-12 supplements. She never suffered from anemia or fatigue. And she gave birth to two healthy sons, Jeremy, now 8, and Zachary, 5 (both vegetarians, by the way).
Dove’s lesson: A pregnant woman might need extra vitamins, minerals and calories, but she doesn’t have to eat meat to fulfill her nutritional requirements. No less an authority than the American Dietetic Association has OKd well-balanced vegan-all-veggie-diets for pregnant or breast-feeding women, as well as for children.
In fact, most vegetarians already follow a diet that meets or exceeds their nutritional needs, says Bridget Swinney, a registered dietitian and author of “Eating Expectantly: A Practical and Tasty Guide to Prenatal Nutrition.”
One study she cites in her book showed that non-pregnant vegetarian women ate more of most nutrients than meat-eaters, except for vitamin B-12, calcium and zinc. Because the latter three are especially important during pregnancy, all vegetarians-even those who eat some meat-are advised to eat foods rich in these nutrients or to take supplements.
Vegans in particular need to pay attention to their B-12 consumption.
“Their diet will need to include a reliable source of vitamin B-12,” says Sheryl Stampher, registered dietitian at Colorado Springs Memorial Hospital. “That’s because B-12 is only found in animal products or fortified foods.”
Pregnant vegetarians need to keep tabs on iron, calcium and vitamin D to make sure they’re getting sufficient amounts.
Getting enough protein on a vegetarian diet-even for a vegan-is low on the list of dietitians’ concerns about pregnant women. A varied diet that contains plant protein sources such as soy products, beans and grains will most likely provide the recommended 60 grams of protein per day. That is only 10 grams more than the recommendation for non-pregnant women ages 25 to 50. (And, as it turns out, more protein might not be such a good thing, anyway. Tufts University Health and Nutrition Letter, among other sources, reports that eating lots of protein can increase the calcium lost in the urine.)
The ease of getting adequate nutrition on a no-meat diet should come as good news to women who become vegetarians by condition, not choice.
“Some women turn to vegetarian foods because they don’t tolerate meat very well during pregnancy,” Swinney writes.
The body digests eggs, cheese, beans and other components of a vegetarian diet more easily than it does red meat, she says.
Dr. Reed Mangels, of the Vegetarian Resource Group in Baltimore, recommends the following supplementation for a healthful vegetarian pregnancy:
Calcium and vitamin D are needed for fetal bone and tooth development. An intake of 1,000 milligrams of calcium is recommended for pregnant women ages 19-50. Under age 18 the recommendation is 1,300 milligrams daily. Calcium-rich foods include leafy greens, tofu processed with calcium sulfate, sesame seeds, tahini and blackstrap molasses.
Vitamin D, the sun vitamin, is usually lacking in a vegan diet. A 20- to 30-minute walk in the sunshine two or three times a week should provide sufficient vitamin D. In low sunlight areas, vegans can get their vitamin D with a 10 microgram supplement daily.
Iron is needed for the increased maternal blood volume and for the formation of the baby’s blood. If there’s not enough iron for both of these jobs, the mother’s body will draw upon her reserve of iron, leaving her anemic. In pregnancy, 30 milligrams of iron is needed daily, which is difficult to get through diet alone. Good non-animal sources include fortified cereals, tofu, lentils, legumes and dried fruit. But still, low-dose iron supplements are usually required during pregnancy.
Vitamin B-12 is a major player for tissue synthesis. The recommended daily requirement for pregnancy is 2.6 micrograms. Supplementation is necessary for vegans.
Zinc is needed for fetal growth and development. During pregnancy, the recommendation for zinc is twice as high as for non-pregnant women. Good food sources include grains, dried beans, tofu, tempeh, wheat germ, fortified cereals and nuts.
Folic acid is another crucial nutrient, especially before conception even takes place: Women of child-bearing age should take a multivitamin supplement containing 600 micrograms of folic acid to prevent neural tube defects such as spina bifida. Good sources are dark leafy greens, whole grains, nuts, legumes and oranges.
If you go veggie, you might worry if you can live without that juicy steak, but you won’t have to worry about whether you’re eating right for two.
The Vegetarian Resource Group, 410-366-8343, also has a Web site, www.vrg.org, which you can search for articles on vegetarianism and pregnancy. The American Dietetic Association’s position paper on vegetarianism is at www.eatright.org/adap1197.html.
Who’s eating what
There are three main types of vegetarians, based on what type of animal products they will eat:
Vegans: True vegetarians; they eat no animal products whatsoever.
Lacto-ovo vegetarians eat no meat, poultry or fish but do eat dairy products and eggs.
Red-meat “vegetarians” eat no red meat, but will eat dairy products, eggs, chicken and fish.
Dietitians recommend that pregnant vegan and lacto-ovo vegetarians eat a variety of high-nutrient foods.
Following is a guideline for daily food selections that will ensure proper prenatal nutrition.
8 to 10 or more servings of starches or grains: 1 serving is 1 slice of any type bread, 1 flour tortilla, or 1/2 cup cooked pasta, potato, rice or corn.
4 or more servings of milk or soy milk products: 1 serving is 1 cup of any type milk, soy milk or yogurt, preferably skim or low-fat. If you don’t drink soy or cow’s milk, you will need to make sure you get enough calcium from other food sources or a supplement.
4 or more servings of fruits: 1 serving is 1 medium piece of fresh fruit, 1/2 banana, 1/2 cup canned fruit in its own juice, 1 cup melon or berries, 1/2 cup juice, or 2 plums or nectarines.
4 or more servings of vegetables: 1 serving is 1/2 cup cooked non-starchy vegetable or 1 cup lettuce. Include at least 1 fruit or vegetable that is a good source of vitamin A and 1 serving that is high in vitamin C.
3 to 5 servings of fat: 1 serving is 1 teaspoon oil, 1/8 avocado, 10 peanuts, 5 olives, 1 teaspoon margarine, mayonnaise or butter, or 2 teaspoons reduced-fat margarine, mayonnaise or butter, 1/2 ounce cream cheese, or 1 tablespoon sour cream. It’s best to have a balance of the essential fats-omega-6 (safflower oil is rich in omega-6) and omega-3 (found in canola, soybean and olive oils).
6 protein equivalents: 1 portion is 1/2 cup of tofu, 2 tablespoons peanut butter, 1/2 cup cooked dried beans, 1/4 cup tempeh, 1 ounce cheese (preferably reduced-fat or fat-free), 1/4 cup cottage cheese, 1 egg, or 2 egg whites.
Source: “Eating Expectantly: A Practical and Tasty Guide to Prenatal Nutrition”
