A Vegan Diet During Pregnancy

Prenatal

oi-Amrisha Sharma

By Amrisha Sharma

Tuesday, August 9, 2011, 17:09

Vegan diet is nutritious and healthy for pregnant women. Proper vegan diet which has proteins, vitamins C, B12, D, minerals, folic acid, calories, iron, zinc and calcium. Lets check out the vegan diet during pregnancy. Cereals, oatmeal with soy-milk, tofu, legumes, whole grains, sprouts, lettuce, green vegetables and fruits form the vegan diet in pregnancy. Proper nutrients supply in vegan diet during pregnancy:

Proteins: As you are on a vegetarian diet and not having non-vegetarian products which are very high in proteins, have high quality protein such as grains, green vegetables, soybeans and legumes.

Folic acid: Spinach, lentils, beetroot, brussel sprouts, egg, broccoli, potato, soya products and split peas are folic rich food during pregnancy. Almonds, banana, oranges, peach and nuts are fruits and dry fruits which have folic acid and also considered as prenatal vitamin rich food.

Calcium: Apart from low fat dairy products, vegetarian diet during pregnnacy includes grains, cereals, fish, green leafy vegetables like beetroot and turnip greens, drumstick and fenugreek leaves are rich source of calcium. If you love spicy food then vegan diet in pregnancy has spices like cumin, coriander, cloves, mustard seeds, asafoetida (hing) and oregano (ajwain) which are calcium rich spices.

Iron: Prenatal vitamin supply in vegan diet in pregnancy stage is a must for proper supplement of vitamins. Kidney beans, spinach, finger millet (ragi), fenugreek, sprouts, carrot, museli, tofu, chickpeas, barley, green beans, bran flakes, soyabeans, lentils, apricots, corn, potato and tomatoes are rich in iron content. Raisins, bread, almonds and dates are iron rich dry fruits which can be included in the vegetarian diet during pregnancy.

It is believed that vegan diet during pregnancy is safe but it is advised to consult your doctor before planning to follow this diet.