Planning a vegetarian prenatal diet

Whether you’re a vegan, vegetarian, or just restricting meat and dairy, you can easily meet the nutritional requirements of pregnancy. Follow these helpful tips.

Protein power

To assure that you eat enough protein—

• Include a variety of alternative protein sources:

  whole grains such as wheat germ

  dried peas such as split peas

  beans such as white or navy beans, red beans, black beans, and lima beans

  lentils

  soy products such as tofu

  nuts or nut butters

• Eat a variety of protein sources each day.
• Drink three to four glasses of cow’s milk or soy milk, or eat three servings of other reduced-fat or fat-free dairy products.

Counting calories

Getting enough calories in a vegetarian diet can sometimes be difficult. That’s because a vegetarian diet is typically high in fiber, due to all the fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. This can make you feel full before you’ve actually eaten adequate calories. During the second and third trimesters you’ll need an extra 300 calories each day for your necessary weight gain.

Mineral maintenance

Calcium, iron, and zinc can be in short supply in a vegetarian diet.

Calcium can be found in:
turnip greens, almonds, tempeh, tofu, oranges, broccoli, and molasses

Iron and zinc can be found in:
dried peas and beans, fortified cereals, wheat germ, spinach, raisins, and molasses

Discuss your eating habits with your health care provider since you may need to take a calcium supplement in addition to the standard prenatal vitamin and mineral supplement.