If you're pregnant should u continue being a vegetarian?!
If you're pregnant should u continue being a vegetarian?
Answers:
“It is the position of the American Dietetic Association and Dietitians of Canada that appropriately planned vegetarian diets are healthful, nutritionally adequate and provide health benefits in the prevention and treatment of certain diseases.”
“Well-planned vegan and other types of vegetarian diets are appropriate for all stages of the life cycle, including during PREGNANCY, LACTATION, infancy, childhood and adolescence. Vegetarian diets offer a number of nutritional benefits, including lower levels of saturated fat, cholesterol, and animal protein as well as higher levels of carbohydrates, fiber, magnesium, potassium, folate, and antioxidants such as vitamins C and E and phytochemicals. Vegetarians have been reported to have lower body mass indices than nonvegetarians, as well as lower rates of death from ischemic heart disease; vegetarians also show lower blood cholesterol levels; lower blood pressure; and lower rates of hypertension, type 2 diabetes, and prostate and colon cancer.“
-ADA’s and Dietitians of Canada position on Vegetarian and Vegan diets
i wouldn't advise it. well, just make sure to eat the proteins you wouldn't get from meat.
I know that many children died because of vegan parents. I don't know about vegetarians... ask your doc?
as long as you're getting all the nutrients you need, there's no reason you can't mantain a vegetarian diet.
most important thing for a pregnant woman is folic acid, veg or not. make sure you take your prenatal vitamins, or at least folic acid supplements.
your physician has the final say, but a baby conceived on a vegetarian diet will probably be very healthy...
Vegetarian nutrition
Your baby can receive the nutrition needed to grow and develop while you follow a vegetarian meal plan. During pregnancy, it is important to choose a variety of foods that provide enough protein and calories for you and your baby. Depending on the type of vegetarian meal plan you follow, you might need to adjust your eating habits. Follow the guidelines below for healthy vegetarian eating during pregnancy.
Goals for healthy eating
During pregnancy, you need extra calories from nutrient-rich foods to help your baby grow. You should consume 200 to 300 more calories than you did before you became pregnant.
Eat a variety of foods to get all the nutrients you need. The "Vegetarian Foods to Choose" chart below provides the number of servings to eat from each food group every day. If you do not eat meat, poultry, fish, eggs, or dairy products, you will need to include other sources of protein in your daily diet. Other protein sources include nuts, peanut butter, legumes, soy products, and tofu.
Choose foods high in starch and fiber such as whole-grain breads, cereals, pasta, rice, fruits, and vegetables.
Eat and drink at least four servings of calcium-rich foods a day to help ensure that you are getting 1200 mg. of calcium in your daily diet. Sources of calcium include dairy products, seafood, leafy green vegetables, dried beans or peas, and tofu.
Vitamin D will help your body use calcium. Adequate amounts of vitamin D can be obtained through exposure to the sun and in fortified milk, eggs, and fish. Vegans should receive 10 to 15 minutes of direct sunlight to the hands, face, or arms three times per week or take a supplement as prescribed by their health care providers.
Eat at least three servings of iron-rich foods per day to ensure you are getting 18 mg. of iron in your daily diet. Sources of iron include enriched grain products (rice), eggs, leafy green vegetables, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, sweet potatoes, dried beans and peas, raisins, prunes, and peanuts.
Choose at least one source of vitamin C every day. Sources of vitamin C include oranges, grapefruits, strawberries, honeydew, broccoli, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, green peppers, tomatoes, and mustard greens.
Choose at least one source of folic acid every day. Sources of folic acid include dark, green, leafy vegetables, and legumes such as lima beans, black beans, black-eyed peas, and chickpeas.
Choose at least one source of vitamin A every other day. Sources of vitamin A include carrots, pumpkins, sweet potatoes, spinach, squash, turnip greens, beet greens, apricots, and cantaloupe.
Choose at least one source of vitamin B12 a day. Vitamin B12 is found in animal products including fish and shellfish, eggs, and dairy products. Vegans are at risk of not consuming enough vitamin B12. Your health care provider might recommend a vitamin B12 supplement.
Avoid alcohol during pregnancy. Alcohol has been linked to premature delivery and low birth weight babies. If you think you might have a problem with alcohol use, please talk to your health care provider so he or she can help protect you and your baby.
Limit caffeine to no more than 300 mg. per day (two 5-ounce cups of coffee, three 5-ounce cups of tea, or two 12-ounce glasses of caffeinated soda). Remember, chocolate contains caffeine -- the amount of caffeine in a chocolate bar is equal to 1/4 cup of coffee.
The use of non-nutritive or artificial sweeteners approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is acceptable during pregnancy. These FDA-approved sweeteners include aspartame and acesulfame-K. The use of saccharin is strongly discouraged during pregnancy because it can cross the placenta and might remain in fetal tissues. Talk with your health care provider about how much non-nutritive sweetener is acceptable during pregnancy.
Limit salty foods -- Salt causes your body to retain water. Although there is no documented risk to mother or baby, you might want to limit extra salty foods to avoid feeling overly bloated. Do not restrict salt unless prescribed by your health care provider.
Decrease the total amount of fat you eat to 30 percent or less of your total daily calories. For a person eating 2000 calories a day, this would be 65 grams of fat or less per day.
Limit cholesterol intake to 300 milligrams (mg) or less per day.
DO NOT DIET or try to lose weight during pregnancy. -- Both you and your baby need the proper nutrients in order to be healthy. Keep in mind that you will lose some weight the first week your baby is born.
shouldn't you be asking your doctor this ?
It is safe, jsut be sure you are getting enough nutrients. Proper nutrition is essensial weather eating your a vegetarian or not. Increase protien, irion, calcium, etc, the same you would if you were not vegetarian.
Contact your doctor! He will know exactly what you need to eat, and the amount you need to have a healthy pregnancy.
Congrats!
Sure. If you want to continue with your lifestyle it's completely acceptable and done quite often. Talk to your doctor and tell them that you are a vegetarian. They may suggest taking an extra supplements along with your prenatal vitamin. What to Expect while your Expecting actually talks about this.
it's okay....
just don't eat raw vegetables like salads...
no
Yes that's fine, providing you make sure you get plenty of protein through other food. Protein are the building blocks of life and essential for the proper growth of your baby.
Yes, it's perfectly fine. I know many mothers who are vegetarians and they are just fine and normal. Make sure you eat lots of nuts and tofu. Nuts, tofu, pulses, legumes contain lots of protein. You can satisfy the protein requirement intake just by nuts and tofu. It's not right to say that you MUST eat meat to get the proteins. A small handful of pumpkin seeds has about the same protein value as a ham patty. Plus, meat rots and decomposes inside you as it breaks down. I don't think that's good for the baby or for the mother (or anyone) no matter how people may try to convince you otherwise.
There are many vegan moms out there, who were vegan during pregnancy, breastfeeding and later. I cant imagine why the lack of meat would be negative, there are only benefits. I would also suggest that a child should never be fed cows or any other animals milk, (even if only vegetarian) but only human milk and vegan formulas designed for this purpose.
A calf is supposed to grow big in a short time, cows milk is not suited for human babies. Not to mention that milk is stuffed with hormones, and is not a compassionate choice. Why would a human baby drink the milk from another species? This is unnutural and cant be seen among any other species.
Meat (more hormones!) contains protein which can be found in plant life, like beans so there is no reason I can think of for eating meat while pregnant, or breastfeeding, or ever...
Most definitely. My Mum had 3 children & she was vegetarian with them all & all were healthy & a good birth weight. A balanced vegetarian diet provides all the nutrients a growing body needs. It is important, whether a vegetarian or not, to be certain to eat foods rich in folic acid & high in calcium & iron & most definitely not to use caffiene drinks & alcohol or smoke. Alcohol robs the body of nutrients & damages the unborn's developing brain, not to mention all the other things it does. Caffiene drinks rob the body of calcium & dairy products are not a good source of calcium, as commonly believed.
Email me if you want some good tasty, vegetarian recipes that are balanced & healthy.
I won't tell you what you "should" do; only you know that.
Be assured that a vegetarian diet, well-planned, provides, on average more nutrients than an omnivorous diet, and your breastmilk excretions will not have all of the PCBs and other toxins and cancer-causing materials as an omnivorous diet. Just stay away from cow milk and eggs as well, as one other person advised, or buy organic from LOCAL small farms that you can trust.
There's no reason why you have to start eating meat just because you're a vegetarian. My sister in law is in her 2nd, problem free vegan pregnancy. She's been vegan since she was a kid. Her 3 year old (from the first pregnancy, duh) is tall, healthy, well built, strong, and SUPER intelligent. (Well, her dad's IQ is in the 160's. )
The only thing, as a vegetarian or vegan, that you have to do while you're pregnant, is to know your nutritional needs while carrying a child. You have to do the research, get some advice. You can get all the right nutrition for you and your baby from completely non-animal sources, if you know what you're doing. Protien, calcium, everything can be found in plant products. You just have to know which ones and how much, etc. Anyone who says otherwise is a moron.
Wow, come one, there are whole countries out there full of vegans living in countries where being a vegan is just as normal as someone who likes to watch movies. Hm... there are millions upon millions of vegans in India alone. Even in a small country such as Taiwan there's an estimated 3+ million. In the USA there are millions upon millions too. Do they all suddenly switch their diet to include magical meat or dairy etc. during pregnancy, of course not.
I have a friend who remained a pescatarian (eats fish but no milk, eggs, poultry, or meat) during her pregnancy with no ill-results. She consulted a few books that she found on amazon.com about vegetarian parenting and also found an ob-gyn who was understanding of her dietary choices. I forget the exact length and weight of her son when he was born, but he was a good, healthy weight.
She is raising her son as a vegetarian, using the same parenting books and with the help of a veggie-friendly pediatrician, and he is growing to be a big, healthy boy.
Remember, some parts of the world (like southern India and parts of Asia), people are vegetarians because of religious reasons. They've been doing it for thousands of years and haven't all died off yet.
Keep an eye on your nutrients intake and speak with your doctor. You'll be fine!
Why not? If you ate properly before pregnancy, you just continue to do so.