Can You Follow A Vegetarian Diet While Pregnant?
Women who eat a diet that does not consume meat are facing a crossroads when facing pregnancy. Many of them doubt about the possible negative consequences of following a vegetarian diet while pregnant. Is this dangerous?
The reality indicates that any type of diet has its risks if it is not balanced in its conformation. This means that consuming excess meat can be detrimental to your health; in the same way, abstaining from them will not positively affect your body either.
During the organism, doubts and questions intensify. This makes sense, given that in pregnancy the mother’s nutritional needs vary widely from the rest of her life.
What should a pregnant woman’s diet contain?
During pregnancy, there are two elementary functions that the mother’s body engages in. The first is to protect the growing fetus and promote its maturation; the other is to care for the mother’s well-being.
To do this, you must have all the nutrients that are good for the body:
- Proteins: these are very important for the conformation of tissues, muscles and bones.
- Carbohydrates: provide the energy required for this stage of so much wear and tear.
- Vitamins and minerals: they are essential supplements to the main nutrients mentioned above.
- Folic acid: current studies indicate that supplementing with folic acid during pregnancy prevents problems in the cognitive development of the baby.
Taking the above into account, you cannot miss foods such as lean meats, eggs, fish, legumes, nuts and cereals.
Dairy will also be necessary and of course water and low sugar liquids as well. Finally, fruits and vegetables should abound in a pregnant diet.
Risks of a vegetarian diet while pregnant
Beyond its benefits, following a vegetarian diet while pregnant can cause certain deficiencies, according to a study published in 2019 . This should be avoided; The ideal is to seek professional help to help you plan a diet according to what you want but at the same time meet the needs of you and your baby.
If not, you will be exposed to the following complications:
1. Lack of iron
For pregnant women who do not eat meat, it is necessary to take better advantage of the iron that is consumed. This does not imply an obligation to consume more, but to absorb more.
The human body tends to easily assimilate iron from foods of animal origin; however, the same does not happen with the vegetable type.
This point is essential, since iron performs very important functions during pregnancy: it contributes to the growth of the fetus, helps alleviate fatigue and pregnancy symptoms and prevents iron deficiency anemia, among other things.
Recommended foods: soy and its derivatives, bran and spinach, as well as others that contain vitamin C.
2. Lack of protein
By not consuming meat, protein intake through other foods becomes important. This nutrient is essential because it participates in the construction of tissues, muscles and bones. In addition, it fulfills regulation and metabolism tasks.
Therefore, a woman who follows a vegetarian diet while pregnant should try to consume protein through two types of food:
- Those of animal origin: eggs, milk.
- Of vegetable origin: legumes, nuts and cereals.
3. Absence of other necessary nutrients
In addition to those mentioned, it is also the mother’s obligation to incorporate zinc during pregnancy. This mineral is used to process proteins; it also forms the enzymes that improve brain activity.
On the other hand, calcium. This nutrient is very important and should be consumed in approximately one thousand milligrams daily at this stage. It is essential for the baby’s bone formation and to avoid problems in the mother’s. It can be found at:
- Almonds
- Hazelnuts
- Walnuts.
- Broccoli.
- Parsley.
- Seaweed.
- Cabbage.
- Raw fruits and vegetables
Finally, it is necessary to mention vitamins. Many doctors recommend vitamin supplements for pregnant women. This is because they collaborate in many processes in the body, depending on the type of vitamin in question. They can also be consumed in natural fruit and vegetable juices.
The best diet for pregnancy is that varied
In conclusion, we can affirm that it is perfectly feasible to follow a vegetarian diet while pregnant. However, it is necessary to meet certain specific requirements. These, inevitably, must be consulted and solved with the help of a nutrition professional.
If certain nutrient deficiencies are present, the nutritionist may recommend certain supplements to meet the needs. However, the probability of this happening is less in non-restrictive diets.
