As a soon to be Mommy, you are essentially walking around with another person inside you, caring for and being mindful of his or her future existence come post-pregnancy. It's all about planning, or doing well now during the pregnancy, simply to lay out a positive health path for your child. During the 9 months before your child is born it is essential to up caloric and nutrient intake, after all you are eating for two now. Yet, if you are not an omnivore and lead a vegetarian lifestyle during pregnancy, there are particular things you should consider doing, in terms of your diet and nutritional monitoring, while carrying your precious and lively babe before birth.
The most important aspect about maintaining a healthy status for you and your baby is to monitor what you're eating in calories, but more importantly, in vitamin and mineral content. If you keep up with eating healthfully, centering your 9 months around a varied and eclectic diet, you will be able to have a healthy weight gain and accrue sufficient nutrients to provide enough sustenance to your unborn child.
Calorie Increase
Now, although you're eating for two, this doesn't mean that you need to multiply your caloric consumption by two as well. All a pregnant women needs, whether vegetarian or omnivore, is an extra 300 calories per day to maintain a healthy status for her child. And since you need an approximate 300 additional calories to drive a healthy pregnancy forward, you should choose foods sensibly, specifically steering clear of fat and calorie imbued fare. Instead, select foods rich with vitamins and nutrients rather than empty, high calorie and fat-filled foods.
Gaining Your Nutrients: Vitamins and Minerals
With calorie issues out of the way, the next step is to monitor how many vitamins and minerals you're taking in. There are specific vitamins that are essential as a pregnant vegetarian woman you should take note of and incorporate into daily eating habits. Specifically, you will need to be mindful of how much Calcium, Vitamin-D, B-12, Iron and Zinc you are consuming.
Calcium:
Eat more foods rich with calcium, aiming for 4 servings per day. Food wise, try to incorporate foods such as calcium-imbued tofu, dark leafy green vegetables, bok choy, broccoli, calcium-rich cereals and soy milk.
Vitamin D:
Here, you'll have to rely mainly on food fortification to gain a higher level of Vitamin D. Other than making a point to sit outside and absorb sunlight -which has quite a high concentration of Vitamin D- you can purchase foods 'injected,' with with micronutrients (in this case, Vitamin D). Foods such as milk and cereal are the only current options for Vitamin D fortification.
B-12:
You must get sufficient amounts of B-12, yet this can be difficult because many vegetarian eats lack high amounts of this essential vitamin. Again, purchase soy milk or cereal that is enriched with B-12, or opt for a multivitamin that can be taken daily as an added nutrient supplement.
Iron and Zinc:
Iron and Zinc are extremely essential during pregnancy, especially later stages. For Iron, take supplements or ingest fortified breads or cereals. Normal foods though are also chock full of Iron, such as: beans, dark green leafy plants, nuts and seeds.
Zinc, is not an easily obtainable mineral through a vegetarian lifestyle. You will need to supplement, as well as eat whole grain products and legumes.
So, you have 9 months to monitor what you're consuming, both for yourself and your baby. As a pregnant vegetarian woman, take the proper measures by eating nutritious foods and consuming plentiful vitamins and minerals. Do this and you'll secure your baby's health as well as your own.
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