“I am currently two months pregnant,” writes Karima. “I eat and drink completely vegan. That has worked well for me for years and I notice that it makes me healthy, fit and happy. I also want to raise my child as a vegetarian at the very least and maybe even switch to veganism later on.”
“I just notice that I’ve been getting more and more questions from my environment lately. They then ask me whether my unborn child is missing something because I eat and drink vegan. Until now I thought it was fine. I’ve been taking enough supplements and replacements for years myself and assumed that they also work well during pregnancy. Now I’m starting to doubt: is my baby missing something? Are there things I should pay extra attention to?”
more animal
The Nutrition Center advises vegan pregnant women to seek the help of a dietician in all cases. “We follow the recommendations of the Health Council,” says Lolkje de Vries of the Nutrition Center. “The advice to pregnant women is to consume more of some animal products during pregnancy, because they are an important source of the nutrients you need more of when you are pregnant.”
Hire a dietitian
“We recommend that you always look at the options together with a dietician if you want to continue to eat vegan as a pregnant,” continues De Vries. “If you don’t eat animal products, you run a greater risk of deficiency. It’s harder to meet the recommendations if you eat vegan. This is especially true for iron, iodine, calcium, vitamin B12 and omega-3 fish fatty acids. These nutrients are important for the development of a child and are mainly found in meat, fish and dairy.”
Taking supplements
People who eat vegan often take nutritional supplements. Karima also took supplements herself for years before she became pregnant, she writes. Nevertheless, De Vries emphasizes that it cannot be said with certainty whether it is sufficient to supplement the diet in this way during pregnancy.
“The body needs more of certain nutrients during pregnancy and the same applies to pregnant vegans as to any pregnant woman: it depends entirely on the diet whether this is also sufficient during pregnancy. Partly for this reason, we therefore recommend that you examine your personal diet with a dietitian. This can look at the current intake of nutrients and what exactly needs to be supplemented. This is especially important because pregnancy is essential for a good start of a baby. If something turns out to be missing in the diet, it can have consequences for the development of your child.”
Not too much soy
Vegans often replace animal products with soy products. Too high a soy intake is not recommended for pregnant women as a precaution. Soy contains isoflavones. This is a component that is naturally present in many plant products, but it is mainly found in soy products. Isoflavones can have an influence on the development of the genitals of an unborn baby if taken too high. De Vries: “If you replace dairy products, such as milk or yogurt, with a plant-based alternative, we recommend that you do not consume more than four glasses of soy drink or yogurt per day. In addition, we recommend eating another soy product, such as tempeh or tofu, no more than twice a week.”
Check labels
With regard to supplements, De Vries recommends checking the labels of the jars. The following applies to all pregnant women: always take a supplement that states that it is suitable for pregnant women. It is important not to get too much vitamin A when you are pregnant. And do you need other supplements, for example to ensure that you get enough calcium, iodine or fish fatty acids? Check the label to see if a supplement contains enough of the nutrient in question.
More information can be found at this information page of the Nutrition Center.