The Common Ground ~ A Healthy Plant-Based Pregnancy

A Healthy Plant-Based Pregnancy

At a generous dinner party the other night my friend Jenny announced that she is having a second child. It didn’t take long for word to get around and soon she was the recipient of a swell of congratulations and well-wishing. As all the fussing dwindled, a second less cheering conversation rose up on the nature of Jenny’s diet. "No, no, I’m not on a diet," Jenny explained while munching a delicious white bean and broccoli salad, "I’m just vegan – a plant eater." The circle of acquaintances found all manner of creative ways to ask if she planned to remain vegan throughout the entire pregnancy. The preponderance of concerned faces revealed a lack of awareness of the health of vegetarian diets as she steadily replied yes to their questioning. Jenny didn’t dwell on their innocence or ignorance and instead assured them that as a parent she wanted the very best for her babies. She’d learned how to manage the concerns of those unfamiliar with vegetarian diets four years earlier when she became pregnant with her first child. The fact is, vegetarian (no meat) and vegan (no meat, eggs or dairy) diets can provide excellent nutrition and, as an additional benefit during pregnancy and breast feeding, these diets on average contain less pesticide and hormone residues than their omnivorous counterparts.

To support a rapidly growing fetus as well as accommodate all those incredible changes occurring in the mother’s body, pregnancy demands enhanced energy and nutrition no matter your eating choices. While calorie requirements rise about 15% on the whole, recommendations for many vitamins and minerals are significantly higher during pregnancy. For example, the recommendation for folic acid is more than doubled and the recommendations for calcium, iron and zinc are 50% higher for women who are pregnant. While the pattern of weight gain is different for each woman and each pregnancy, general guidelines suggest weight gain of less than 5 pounds total in the first 12 weeks with an additional pound per week in the second and third trimesters. This amounts to a daily increase of around 300 calories during the last 24 weeks. With the amplified nutritional needs of pregnancy, it’s important to make the most of these extra calories.

The current RDA for protein during pregnancy is 60 grams per day. This amounts to 10 grams above the recommendation for non-pregnant women age 25-50 and 14 grams above the recommendation for non-pregnant women age 19-24 years. Some good vegan protein sources are soy products, beans, nuts, seeds and grains. If you eat a variety of protein foods each day chances are you already get enough to meet the requirements for pregnancy. Some ways that you can get another 10-15 grams of protein within the extra 300 calories are: 2 cups of plain soy milk, 3 ½ ounces of x-firm tofu, 3 ounces of tempeh, 1 cup of cooked beans, and 1½ bagels.

Let’s look at some of the other important nutrients involved in pregnancy: calcium, vitamin D, iron, vitamin B12, zinc and folic acid. First off, it’s important to eat four or more servings of calcium-rich foods each day. Included on this list are dark green leafy vegetables, tofu processed with calcium sulfate, tahini in dressings and hummus, figs, and blackstrap molasses. Calcium supplements are an option for those days when appetite is poor or there’s no time to prepare foods, however, calcium supplements can cause constipation.

Vitamin D, which helps maintain maternal calcium absorption, is produced following exposure of skin to sunlight. Cow’s milk and many soymilks are normally fortified with this important vitamin. Pregnant vegans should be sure to get at least 20 to 30 minutes of summer sun on their hands and face two to three times a week. If this is difficult, for instance if you live in a northern climate, it’s the dead of winter and you work indoors all day, then Vitamin D supplementation might be an option. Because excess Vitamin D is toxic and can produce fetal deformities, supplementation should only be undertaken with the approval of a physician.

Iron deficiency anemia is not uncommon during pregnancy whether you’re a vegan or carnivore or anywhere in between. The RDA for iron in pregnancy is a hefty30 mg per day, double the usual 15 mg. Plant foods high in iron include whole grains, legumes, tofu, and green leafy vegetables. Consume these foods daily paired with foods rich in vitamin C to increase the bioavailability of the iron. A lowdose iron supplement may also be used to boost iron stores. High doses of iron can induce side effects such as constipation, nausea and heartburn and interfere with zinc and copper absorption.

Vitamin B12 needs are higher in pregnancy due to Vitamin B12's role in tissue synthesis. If you are planning to breast feed, you will also need to make sure that you have enough Vitamin B12 stored so that your milk will meet the infant's needs. One brand of nutritional yeast, Red Star T6635+, has been tested and shown to reliably contain active vitamin B12.

Zinc is a necessary mineral for growth and development. Although legumes, nuts and whole grains are good sources of zinc, the availability of the zinc is lower than found in animal products due to the presence of phytic acid. Zinc availability is increased when grains are sprouted or eaten as yeast-raised bread, as both of these food preparation techniques destroy phytate. Good sources of zinc include whole grain breads, especially those containing seeds and nuts.

Folic acid is another nutrient whose requirement is substantially increased in pregnancy. Folate derives from the Latin word folium, which means "foliage," and is found in particularly high concentrations in dark green leafy vegetables. Vegetarian diets tend to be rich in folic acid compared to non-vegetarian diets. The Food and Nutrition Board suggests an intake of 600 mcg of folic acid during pregnancy. Besides dark leafy greens, other good sources of folic acid for vegans include whole grains, nuts, legumes and oranges.

Many women find that it works best to eat small meals frequently especially during the last months of pregnancy when there just doesn't seem to be enough room for food. This is especially true for vegans as their diets are higher in fiber and bulk, which makes it more difficult to eat a lot at one time. Small, frequent meals can also help with low weight gain. Your best guide for how much you should be eating is your own body. If you select healthy foods, exercise moderately, and eat regularly, your feelings of hunger should let you know when and how much to eat.

Several specialists have published nutritional recommendations for vegan and vegetarian mothers to be, including dietitians Brenda Davis, Reed Mangels, and Suzanne Havala, and physicians Neal Barnard, John McDougall, and Michael Klaper, who wrote Pregnancy, Children, and the Vegan Diet. A food guide for pregnant vegetarians is available from the Vegetarian Nutrition Dietetic Practice Group. The RDA for pregnancy for vitamin B12 is 2.2 micrograms daily. A rounded teaspoon of yeast powder or 2 teaspoons of mini-flake yeast or 2-1/2 tablespoons of large-flake yeast provides 2.2 micrograms of Vitamin B12 and tastes fabulous on popcorn. Since Vitamin B12 stores well in the body, you could consume larger amounts of nutritional yeast less often. Many cereals and soy products are also fortified with Vitamin B12.