Sun 27 Aug 2006
Pregnancy is a time of increased nutritional needs, both to support the rapidly growing fetus and to allow for the changes occurring in the pregnant woman’s body. Throughout pregnancy, recommended intakes of vitamins and minerals are higher than for the non-pregnant state. For example, the recommendation for folic acid is 50 percent higher (1) and the recommendation for iron is doubled (2) in pregnancy. Vegetarian and vegan diets can easily meet these nutrient needsIt is important that all pregnant women have adequate weight gain. Weight gain recommendations vary depending on the prepregnancy weight and needs of the woman, therefore energy needs vary as well. A general trend is to have little weight gain (less than 5 pounds) for the first 12 weeks. Then, in the second and third trimesters, a weight gain of a pound or two a week is suggested. Current weight gain recommendations (4) are applicable to vegetarians.
