If you’re pregnant, your diet has never been more important. Though many people will tell you that a vegan diet isn’t healthy for your unborn baby, vegan chef Beverly Lynn Bennett says there is no need to fret. She is the author of The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Vegan Living: Second Edition and has a few important nutrition tips for pregnant vegans.
If you’re pregnant, your diet has never been more important. Though many people will tell you that a vegan diet isn’t healthy for your unborn baby, vegan chef Beverly Lynn Bennett says there is no need to fret. She is the author of The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Vegan Living: Second Edition and has a few important nutrition tips for pregnant vegans.
Beverly Lynn Bennett offers the following advice for expectant mothers following a vegan diet.
Follow a balanced vegan diet
Being sure nutritional needs are met is a concern for all expectant mothers, and even though your friends and family may have some misgivings about your vegan diet being adequate in that department, there is no need for you to fret. So, put your mind at ease, and theirs as well, because a well-balanced vegan diet can easily (and deliciously) fulfill all of your body’s, and your growing baby’s, nutritional needs.
Increase your calories wisely
While you’re pregnant and lactating, you should try to consume at least 2,500 calories per day. As they say, “you are now eating for two,” and as such, your food intake requirements have increased and you should make wise food choices that offer the most health benefits for both of you. Plant-based foods can more than adequately meet many of your increased nutritional needs. Just simply up your number of servings of fruits, vegetables, leafy greens, legumes, whole grains, and nuts and seeds. Also, you’ll have less excess weight to take off after your pregnancy if you make an effort not to give into those junk food cravings too much.
Eat a rainbow
Also, strive to eat a wide variety of plant-based foods, in every color of the rainbow and preferably organic, to be sure you’re getting all the vital phytochemicals, EFA’s, protein, calcium, iron, zinc, B vitamins, as well as other vitamins and minerals that you need. It’s also recommended that pregnant women, vegan or otherwise, take proper prenatal supplements to avoid nutrient deficiencies, which have been linked to many birth defects. In most natural foods stores and retailers, you can find several good vegan brands of prenatal supplements such as Deva, Garden of Life, Rainbow Light, and Simply One.
For more information on vegan living, visit VeganChef.com.
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