You Can Be Happy, Healthy And Vegetarian While Pregnant Or Breastfeeding

Savvy Vegetarian News

Vol. 1, Issue 5, September 2003

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Your friends, family, and doctor may have accepted that you are a vegetarian. If you become pregnant though, be prepared for that to change. These same people will often express strong doubt about the nutritional adequacy of your vegetarian diet now that you are pregnant. You yourself may wonder whether you should add meat to your diet.

Don't change your diet unless you want to. There is no need to eat meat just because you are pregnant or breastfeeding. You can get all the nutrients you need from a high quality vegetarian diet. It is probably not a good idea to become a vegetarian while you are pregnant or breastfeeding though. Becoming vegetarian is a major change, and your body is going through enough changes without the additional stress of changing your diet.

If you are pregnant or planning to become pregnant it's a good idea to make sure that you are eating a well balanced diet. While not eating meat can make you healthier, it doesn't guarantee it. Hopefully you have been following the advice on Savvy Vegetarian and are eating a great vegetarian diet!

A good vegetarian diet has a wide variety of fresh fruits, vegetables, grains, legumes (i.e. beans, lentils, and nuts) and some eggs and dairy or their equivalent. Fast food, highly processed junk foods, and canned fruits and vegetables are eaten rarely if at all.

If you are eating a balanced diet then it makes sense to assume that you just need to eat more of the same to meet the increased nutritional needs of pregnancy. This is basically true, but how much more? And more of which foods?

A pregnant woman needs only a small increase in calories; around 300 calories and 10-16 extra grams of protein. The body's need for certain nutrients increases significantly though. Every bite you take is important when you're pregnant. While the RDAs for almost all nutrients increase, especially important are folic acid, iron, zinc, and B12. Attention to adequate B12 is crucial for vegetarians who choose not to eat eggs and dairy. For more information on this topic, see Vegetarians, Are You Getting Enough Vitamin B12?

A lactating woman needs 500 extra calories and 12-21 extra grams of protein. This may be the only time in your life that you can eat large portions and lose weight.

Don't overdo it though. Not all women lose weight while breastfeeding. If you eat sensibly and exercise during and after your pregnancy a gradual return to your pre-pregnancy weight should not be too difficult.

A breastfeeding woman needs less folic acid, iron, and zinc than a pregnant woman but more B12. Calcium requirements stay the same (1200mg) whether you are pregnant, breastfeeding or not, so make sure that you are getting enough calcium in your non-pregnancy diet and you won't have to worry while you are pregnant or breastfeeding.

The following foods contain nutrients which pregnant and breastfeeding women need to nourish their babies, and themselves:

Folic Acid: This is an area where vegetarians have an advantage over non-vegetarians since a vegetarian diet is usually very high in folic acid.

Foods that have a lot of folic acid in them are:

• Citrus fruits
• Green leafy vegetables

Iron:

• Beans and tofu
• Whole grain
• Peas
• Broccoli
• Blackstrap molasses
• Eggs

Zinc: Calcium supplements can interfere with zinc absorption. The best time to take a calcium supplement is between meals.

The following foods are good sources of zinc:

• Beans and tofu
• Cashews
• Almonds
• Pecans
• Walnuts
• Wheat germ
• Quinoa
• Nutritional yeast
• Eggs

Vitamin B12: Essential for your fetus or nursing baby.

You can get B12 from the following sources:

• Fortified meat and milk substitutes (read the labels for amount of B12 added)
• Dairy
• Eggs
• Red Star Nutritional yeast

Calcium:

• Tofu made with calcium
• Almonds
• Sesame seeds
• Oranges
• Dried figs
• Leafy green vegetables
• Broccoli
• Dairy
• Fortified dairy substitutes

The nutritional composition of breast milk is much the same no matter what kind of diet the mothers have. However, nursing mothers need adequate calories and liquid to produce enough milk, and must eat well to stay healthy while they are nursing. Drinking enough liquids and taking a good prenatal supplement during pregnancy and breastfeeding is important too.

In the book "Becoming Vegetarian", Vesanto Melina, R.D. et al recommend the following plan for adequate nutrition during pregnancy:

• 9 servings of grains
• 8 servings of fruits and vegetables
• 6 Servings of milk or foods that are equivalent
• 3 servings of beans or foods that are equivalent
• 2 servings of good sources of omega-3 fatty acids (pumpkin and flax seeds, walnuts, soybeans, and dark green vegetables)

This may seem like an overwhelming amount of food until you consider that many foods fall in more than one category. For instance walnuts fall into the fatty acid and bean category. And you often don't have to eat that much for to make a serving. For instance a serving of vegetables is � cup cooked or 1 cup raw. 1 slice of bread, or � c. of cooked grains is a serving. So if you eat 2 slices of toast and a cup of oatmeal for breakfast, that's four grain servings.

Breastmilk: Nature's Perfect Baby Food:

Breast fed is best: At Savvy Vegetarian we believe in eating the best food possible. Scientists, doctors, and others concerned with infant nutrition agree that breast milk is the best food for babies. Even formula makers say it, although usually in very small print. Why is breastfeeding best, and just how far from best is formula feeding?

Formula provides adequate nutrition for an infant, meaning the infant won't suffer from malnutrition. That's all it does. Breastmilk does that and much more. Breastfeeding benefits children, mothers, the environment and society. Formula feeding not only does not benefit these groups, it can actually harm them.

Breastmilk is species specific. It has evolved along with humans to perfectly meet the nutritional needs of human babies. It does not contain any allergens like formula does. And it comes from the breast sterile. Formula fed babies are at high risk for exposure to bacterial contamination. In countries where sanitation is very poor, breastfeeding can be the difference between life and death for a small child. And unlike formula, breast milk is free.

People who were breastfed as babies have higher IQs, lower rates of obesity, diabetes, and cancer, and less illness while breastfeeding since their mother's antibodies are passed on through her milk. In addition to missing out on the immunological benefits of breast milk, formula fed infants are at higher risk for SIDS, and developing chronic health problems like allergies, obesity, and diabetes later on. These are just some of the benefits of breastfeeding for infants versus the downside of formula. And it doesn't stop with infants.

Mothers who breastfeed are at lower risk for certain types of cancer, recover from pregnancy and birth faster, and miss less work because of infant illness. They don't have to worry about keeping formula sterile or lug around multiple bottles every time they leave the house. And again, breast milk is free!

Society benefits from breastfeeding because we don't have to bear the long-term costs of formula feeding on our families and nation in terms of health costs, and lost productivity and income due to illness.

The environment benefits because breastfeeding does not generate any waste. There are no polluting factories producing it, no polluting transportation needed to distribute it and no containers to end up in our landfills.

The World Health Organization (WHO) puts formula feeding far down on its list of infant feeding methods which includes mothers milk from her breast or a bottle, and another woman's breast milk from the breast or a bottle.Formula is a lifesaver for infants whose mothers have a serious illness like HIV or tuberculosis that can be transmitted through breast milk. But in most cases it is not even the second best choice.

If we lived in an ideal world, formula would be the last option to consider when deciding how to feed your baby. Unfortunately we live in a society that can make it quite difficult to even start breastfeeding, much less continue it for at least 12 months as the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends. (Read the AAP's breastfeeding policy) Advertising for formula often begins in your doctor's office at your first prenatal visit where you are signed up to receive free formula samples. Formula companies donate large amounts of money to hospitals and give gifts to medical personnel and new mothers. No wonder it is so easy to turn to formula.

Support groups: Most women have no knowledgeable support group of women who have breastfed to help them through the difficulties commonly encountered when learning to breastfeed. Frequently they must also deal with active opposition from family members who are uneducated and uncomfortable about breastfeeding.

Obstacles to breastfeeding: Those women who do successfully start breastfeeding often then encounter obstacles outside the home that hinder continued breastfeeding. If a woman returns to work by choice or necessity, she may find that management and coworkers do not easily accept the need for breaks to pump milk for her infant. (What about all those workers who take cigarette or gossip breaks though?) Without a really good breast pump she may have trouble pumping enough milk for her baby. Hint: buy a hospital quality pump not made by a formula maker. Medala is a good one.

A woman who plans to breastfeed needs a lot of determination, a good support group, a willingness to educate those open minded enough to listen, and the ability to turn a deaf ear to the willfully ignorant.

If you want to breastfeed, learn all you can about breastfeeding before you have your baby. And establish a good support group. Attending La Leche League meetings during and after your pregnancy can provide you with a great source of practical knowledge and support. Good luck and enjoy your baby.

Sources For This Article:

National Academy of Sciences. Recommended Dietary Allowances, 10th edition, 1989.

Mangels, Reed, Ph.D., R.D. The Vegan Diet During Pregnancy and Lactation, Vegetarian Resource Group

American Academy of pediatrics. Breastfeeding and the Use of Human Milk (RE9729). AAP

Melina, Vesanto, et al. Becoming Vegetarian: The Complete Guide to Adopting a Healthy Vegetarian Diet. Macmillan Canada, Toronto. 1994.

Newsletter Index:

Article: You Can Be Happy, Healthy And Vegetarian While Pregnant Or Breastfeeding

"Your friends, family, and doctor will often doubt the nutritional adequacy of your vegetarian diet now that you are pregnant. You yourself may wonder whether you should add meat to your diet."

Review: Book: The Childbearing Year, by Susun Weed

"I'm a huge fan of Susun Weed, for her passion and devotion to women's health and well being, through the knowledge and practice of herbology. Her books are a Godsend."

Recipe: Butternut Squash in Coconut Milk With Tofu and Toasted Almonds

Here's a quick and easy recipe; tasty, filling and nourishing; won't upset baby's tummy; a tonic and milk-builder for Mom.

Ask The Savvy Vegetarian:

"I'm three months pregnant, and my Mother-In-Law nags me all the time about my vegetarian diet---"

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