Whether you are vegan for your health and fitness, the environment and your carbon footprint, or the animals and their babies, carrying your own baby require a lot of work. During pregnancy, your body goes through a lot of changes, and your nutrition needs altering. Although some people question the safety of eliminating certain food groups during pregnancy, there are four important nutrients that any pregnant person needs to focus on – vegan or not. So, let’s familiarize ourselves with those basics and where to get them on a plant-based diet.
Iron
Iron is crucial for the transport of oxygen to the various organs of your developing baby.
Where to get it?
Legumes, including lentils, soybeans, tofu, tempeh, lima beans, black beans, and chickpeas; grains, like quinoa, fortified cereals, brown rice, oatmeal; nuts and seeds, such as pumpkin, squash, pine, pistachio, sunflower, cashews, and unhulled sesame seeds; vegetables, like tomato sauce and collard greens; as well as blackstrap molasses and prune juice. We highly recommed always using a tofu press as the difference to your final dish is huge.
Zinc
Zinc, on the other hand, plays a major role in the enhancement of your immune system, the promotion of cell division, and DNA synthesis. Zinc also plays a part in the development of the placenta, which makes it an essential micronutrient during pregnancy. It is especially important to find out more about zinc, and this blogpost sums up a lot of the information you might want to know if you are vegan.
Where to get it?
Sources include fortified cereals, tofu, hemp seeds, lentils, oatmeal, wild rice, nuts, and squash seeds.
Folic Acid (Folate, Vitamin B)
Found naturally in foods such as leafy green vegetables and citrus fruits, folate can’t be produced by the human body, and must be part of a balanced diet. It supports healthy cell division and promotes proper fetal growth and development to reduce the risk of birth defects. Before pregnancy and for the first 12 weeks of pregnancy, you should be getting 400µg folic acid every day. Your doctor will most likely prescribe a supplement.
Where to get it?
Legumes, including beans, peas, and lentils; nuts and seeds; papaya; bananas; avocado; broccoli; asparagus; Brussels sprouts; leafy green vegetables such as spinach, kale, and arugula; beets; citrus fruits such as oranges, grapefruit, lemons, and limes.
Vitamin D
Although it is produced naturally inside your body when your skin is exposed to sunlight on a regular basis, if you live somewhere that lacks sunshine, you will need to pay attention to this one. Vitamin D is important to maintain healthy bones for you and your developing baby and to add calcium and phosphorus absorption into your system.
Where to get it?
Foods such as spinach, kale, nuts, white beans, soybeans, and mushrooms are known sources of vitamin D.
Being mindful of your diet during pregnancy is important for your own health and the health of your developing baby. It is important to eat a varied and balanced diet during pregnancy, and being vegan should not be an obstacle. If you do your homework and a little more research, you will find that mother nature offers a myriad of sources of the different nutrients your body needs. You just need to pay a little extra special attention to make sure you get your iron, zinc, vitamin B, and vitamin D, and you and your baby will be just fine.
