Is a vegetarian diet safe in pregnancy?

Yes, as long as you plan carefully. If you eat a variety of healthy vegetarian foods, you should be able to get all the vitamins, minerals, protein and other nutrients that you and your baby need.

Have something from each of these four main food groups every day:

Fruit and vegetables, which can be fresh, frozen, or canned. Try to have five portions a day. A glass of fresh fruit or vegetable juice is one portion.
Starchy, filling foods (carbohydrates), such as whole-grain bread, pasta, rice, and potatoes. Plan your meals around these. Whole-grain options will fill you up and help prevent constipation.
Protein-rich foods such as eggs, legumes (kidney beans, black beans, chickpeas, and lentils, for example), and nuts. These are also good sources of iron.
Dairy foods such as milk, cheese, and yogurt, which contain calcium.
It's especially important to include enough protein, iron, and calcium in your diet. Try to eat one or more of these sources of iron every day:

fortified breakfast cereals
green vegetables
beans
bread
Avoid having tea and coffee with your meals, as these drinks contain tannins and polyphenols, which make it harder for your body to absorb iron from vegetables. However, if you have food or drink that's rich in vitamin C with your meals, such as orange juice or broccoli, it helps your body absorb iron.

You'll have several blood tests during pregnancy to check your iron levels. If your healthcare provider finds that you're too low in iron, iron supplements may be prescribed.

Dairy foods are the best source of calcium, so try to have at least three servings of dairy foods a day. These could be:

milk on your breakfast cereal
yogurt with your lunch
a matchbox-size piece of cheese after dinner
Skim and low-fat milk contain as much calcium as whole milk.

If you don't eat dairy products, you can get calcium from these - although it's harder for your body to absorb calcium from them:

dark green leafy vegetables such as kale, Swiss chard, and collard greens
sesame seeds, nuts, and dried fruit
tofu and calcium-fortified soy products, such as soy milk and yogurt
If you don't eat dairy foods at all – for example, if you're vegan – you may need to take a supplement. However, you should talk to a midwife, doctor, or dietitian before taking supplements in pregnancy.

Fish oils contain long-chain omega-3 fatty acids that help with the development of your unborn baby's eyes and brain. Very few vegetarian foods contain the essential omega-3 fats that the body can convert into long-chain omega-3 fats. Walnuts and flax seeds are about the nearest you can get.

So if you don't eat fish, you may want to take a fish oil supplement or a prenatal vitamin that contains fish oils. However, don't take supplements made from fish liver, such as cod liver oil. These contain the retinol form of vitamin A, which may harm your unborn baby.

If you don't want to take fish oil supplements, look for a vegetarian microalgae supplement that is safe to take in pregnancy. Oily fish get their omega-3 oils from feeding on algae.

If you eat eggs and dairy foods regularly, you should be getting enough vitamins B12, B2, and iodine. Iodine is important for your baby's brain development. If you are vegan, eat fortified foods that contain these nutrients. Yeast extract, soy milk, breakfast cereals, and some rice and oat milk drinks contain vitamins B12 and B2. Iodized salt, fish, dairy products, and nuts provide iodine.

Tweet