If you’re following a vegan or vegetarian diet while pregnant, this is what you need to know about plant-based pregnancy.
Citizen Femme’s Fashion Editor, Gemma Louise Deeks, has followed a strictly plant-based diet for six years, nourishing herself with healthy, balanced vegan meals. Now pregnant with twins – it’s more important than ever for her to ensure she’s getting the right nutrients for both herself and her babies.
Here, she speaks to Sarah Carolides, Head of Nutrition at Zooki.com and Functional Nutritionist at London’s The Lanserhof Clinic about navigating a plant-based pregnancy, thriving during each trimester, and the food groups and nutrients to focus on for optimal health.
What is a vegan diet?
A vegan diet is based on plants (such as vegetables, grains, nuts and fruits), and foods made from plants. This means no meat, fish, dairy or eggs – anything that comes from an animal.
GD: I have followed a vegetarian diet my whole life and vegan diet for seven years. How do I need to adapt this now that I am pregnant?
SC: When you are pregnant, you need to be even more aware of any potential nutrient deficiencies from being vegan. Ideally, I would recommend having a nutrient screen before you get pregnant, but during pregnancy can always help. The main nutrients to watch for are Essential Fatty Acids (EPA and DHA from Omega 3) which are crucial for a baby’s brain development; all the fat-soluble vitamins (that’s A, D E and K); the nine essential amino acids that make up full proteins and then some of the B vitamins – folate is the obvious one that’s crucial for development of the nervous system.
One thing people don’t realise is that some nutrients come in animal and plant form. I’m talking about Vitamin A coming in retinol (animal) and beta-carotene (plant) form. About 60 per cent of the population struggles to convert beta-carotene into retinol, which is the form humans actually need. It’s the same with haem and non-haem iron. Checking your blood iron levels and iron stores are sufficient is going to be important to avoid anaemia during pregnancy and to keep the baby developing well. Zinc is another nutrient that is key for a baby’s development and also the mother’s immune system. The B vitamins are water-soluble, which means we need to consume them daily, which is harder if you’re avoiding animal products. So again, watching your intake of the right whole grains and vegetables can help, but you may also need a supplement.
GD: Are there any additional supplements you recommend taking?
SC: It’s always personal what supplements an individual may need, but if you can’t have a test to tell you what’s going on, I would recommend an algae-based DHA/EPA Omega 3 supplement; folate and maybe a B complex, iron if you need it; and the important A, D, E and K quartet. There are some great vegan pregnancy multis out there: Equi Pregnancy Formula, Balanced Pregnancy Complex, or Wild Nutrition Pregnancy & NewMother Multi. These won’t contain the Omegas but at least they cover many of the essential nutrients you want to make sure you are getting. Zooki has amazing vegan Vitamin B12 and Vitamin D3 with K2. Both come in liquids which may be easier to take if you’re feeling nauseous, as you can sip them or add to a lovely smoothie. They are also liposomal, meaning you are getting advanced nutrient absorption.
GD: During my first trimester I could barely eat anything. I had aversions to everything and terrible nausea and sickness. How do you recommend getting nutrients during this time?
SC: Smoothies, soups, crackers with a dip, small snacks and meals. Vegetable and fruit purées can be soothing and are not difficult to digest. Nothing spicy or even strong smelling. Lots of water and herb teas that hopefully reduce the nausea if possible – things like ginger and peppermint are the usual go-tos. I also have had good results with activated charcoal and it is worth trying acupuncture and reflexology. Supplement wise, if you can manage a multi-nutrient capsule, great – otherwise there are some powders that might work. Something like a green powder if you can tolerate it will get some nutrients in. Getting plenty of rest helps as well.
GD: What foods or food groups should be focused on?
SC: Protein and essential fats are really key during pregnancy. You need the carbs for energy and fibre (pregnancy constipation is not fun) but the main nutrients will come from the proteins and fats.
GD: Do you really need to ‘eat for two” (or in my case, three!)
SC: Absolutely not. The babies are spending the first seven months developing all the good things but are still very small. It’s only during the last month or so that they fill out and put on some lovely baby fat! However, you need strength and a healthy placental support system, so the old adage of eating for two has to be interpreted properly. What it doesn’t mean is that you can get away with eating cakes and snacks that aren’t helping either you or the baby.
Yes, you should eat more towards the end of the pregnancy, but by this time you will probably want to eat smaller meals and snacks more often due to the baby taking up more space. It’s also important to sleep as well as possible – so you don’t want to risk heartburn by having large amounts of food in the evening. Nourishing soups and stews are great at this time – they’re easy to digest and packed full of nutrients. Coming to the actual birth itself, there is some validity in eating a few more slow sugar-releasing carbs as you are effectively preparing for a marathon. Of course, no baby ever arrives when it’s supposed to though!
GD: Are there any potential benefits of a vegan diet for babies and mothers?
SC: A really good vegan diet, that’s not full of sugar and processed foods, can mean the mother is at lower risk of gestational diabetes and preeclampsia. This is because the vegan diet lowers the risk of high blood pressure and blood sugar levels when it is done properly. A vegan diet may also protect the baby against poor neural development but it’s not a strict generalisation and I want to emphasise again the need for nutrient-level testing if you are following a strict vegan or vegetarian diet.
GD: Favourite plant-based snacks or dishes?
SC: Definitely hummus or guacamole with a bunch of crunchy veg for a snack. I’m a big fan of beans and pulses – a lovely dhal is so comforting and of course, crunchy chickpeas are great on any dish. It’s worth looking into Indian, Sri Lankan and Asian cooking as they have much better ideas for vegetarian and vegan meals than we do in Europe.
RECIPES TO BOOKMARK
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