Vegan Pregnancy: Safe Diet Or Health Risk?

Vegan diets are associated with a lower risk of heart disease, obesity, hypertension, and diabetes. However, they are naturally low in nutrients like vitamin B12, omega-3 fats, iron, iodine, calcium, and zinc — all of which are especially important during pregnancy.

A well-planned vegan diet can be safe during pregnancy and may even protect against complications like postpartum depression, C-section delivery, and maternal or infant death. However, an improperly planned vegan diet may increase the risk of nutrient deficiencies, as well as preterm birth, low birth weight, and the improper development of your baby.

Therefore, it is crucial for pregnant women who follow a vegan diet to carefully plan their meals to ensure they are getting all the nutrients they need.

A vegan diet during pregnancy can be safe

Benefits of a vegan diet during pregnancy

Vegan diets are associated with lower risks of heart disease, obesity, hypertension, and diabetes. A vegan diet during pregnancy may also reduce the risk of:

• Preeclampsia: a serious pregnancy complication associated with high blood pressure and organ damage.
• Gestational diabetes: a vegan diet that is high in fibre and low in saturated fat may reduce the risk of excessive weight gain and gestational diabetes.
• Some neural tube defects and brain tumours: neural tube defects have been associated with a high nitrate intake during pregnancy, and cured meat and smoked fish are the main sources of nitrates in most diets.

Risks of a vegan diet during pregnancy

A vegan diet that is not well-planned may lack essential nutrients such as protein, vitamin B12, vitamin D, calcium, DHA, and iron. This can increase the risk of low birth weight or birth defects.

Tips for a healthy vegan diet during pregnancy

• Eat a variety of foods: include lots of different vegetables, fruits, and whole grains.
• Limit vegetable fats: choose vegetable fats with plenty of omega-3 fats and limit trans fats and tropical oils such as coconut, palm, and palm kernel oil.
• Get enough calcium and vitamin D: eat plenty of plants that are high in calcium, and consider taking a vitamin D supplement if you are not getting enough from sunlight.
• Supplement vitamin B12: as vitamin B12 comes primarily from animal sources, you will need to supplement it regularly.

Balanced vegan diets are considered safe for all periods of life, including pregnancy

Vegan diets have been criticised for lacking nutrients and being inappropriate for more sensitive life stages, such as pregnancy. However, balanced vegan diets are considered safe for all periods of life, including pregnancy. This is because they can provide all the nutrients that are important during pregnancy, such as protein, calcium, iron, vitamin B12 and vitamin D.

Benefits of a vegan diet during pregnancy

A vegan diet can offer benefits to both mother and baby. These include:

• Reduced risk of preeclampsia, a serious pregnancy complication associated with high blood pressure and organ damage.
• Reduced risk of gestational diabetes, as vegan diets tend to be high in fibre and low in saturated fat.
• Reduced risk of some neural tube defects and brain tumours, as vegan diets are not usually high in nitrates, which are found in cured meat and smoked fish.

Risks of a vegan diet during pregnancy

A vegan diet during pregnancy needs to be healthy, diverse and well-planned. If not, it will likely lack essential nutrients such as protein, vitamin B12, vitamin D, calcium, DHA and iron. This increases the risk that the baby may have low birth weight or birth defects.

Tips for a healthy vegan diet

To ensure a vegan diet is healthy and meets all nutritional needs during pregnancy, it is recommended to:

• Eat a variety of foods, focusing on vegetables, fruits and whole grains.
• Limit vegetable fats, especially trans fats and tropical oils such as coconut, palm and palm kernel oil.
• Get enough calcium and vitamin D, either from diet or supplements.
• Supplement vitamin B12, as this is not found in most plant foods.

If you’re following a vegan diet while pregnant, you’ll want to avoid a few foods beyond meat, fish, eggs, and dairy

If you're following a vegan diet while pregnant, you'll want to avoid a few foods beyond meat, fish, eggs, and dairy. These include:

• Alcohol. Although occasional light drinking may be safe during pregnancy, more research is needed. To be on the safe side, you should consider abstaining from all alcohol during pregnancy.
• Caffeine. Experts recommend that you limit your caffeine intake to 200–300 mg per day during pregnancy — equivalent to 1–2 cups (240–480 mL) of coffee.
• Overly processed foods. Mock meats, vegan cheeses, and plant-based pastries and desserts often pack sugar or other additives and lack nutrients. As such, you should eat them sparingly.
• Raw sprouts, unwashed produce, and unpasteurized juice. These items are at high risk of bacterial contamination, which may raise your risk of food poisoning and harm your baby.

In addition, it’s best to avoid unnecessarily restrictive versions of the vegan diet, such as fruitarian or raw vegan diets. These eating patterns may severely impair your nutrient intake.

Supplements to consider

A vegan diet during pregnancy can be safe, but it requires careful planning to ensure that you and your baby are getting all the nutrients you need. Here are some supplements that you may need to consider:

• Vitamin B12: This vitamin is essential for the synthesis of DNA and red blood cell division and is usually found in animal and dairy foods. While it may be possible to get enough vitamin B12 from fortified foods, a supplement is the most reliable way to ensure adequate intake.
• Vitamin D: This vitamin is important for maintaining healthy teeth and bones. Severe deficiency has been linked to complications such as congenital rickets and bone fractures in newborns. If you don't get enough vitamin D from sunlight, you may need to take a supplement.
• Omega-3 fats: Omega-3 fats, such as eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), are important for your baby's eyes, brain, and nervous system. Algae oil is a good vegan source of EPA and DHA.
• Iodine: Iodine is important for your baby's growth and development, especially for the thyroid and mental function. Iodine-poor soils can make it difficult to get enough iodine through plant foods, so a supplement may be the best option.
• Choline: Choline is essential for the development of your baby's nervous system, but most women don't get enough during pregnancy. A supplement is the best way to ensure adequate intake.
• Folate: Folate plays a crucial role in preventing birth defects, so all women who are pregnant or trying to become pregnant are encouraged to take folic acid.
• Iron: Iron is required to produce more red blood cells and is important for your baby's growth and development. You may need to take an iron supplement, especially in the second half of your pregnancy.
• Zinc: Most women don't get enough zinc during pregnancy, which can result in low birth weight, prolonged labour, and preterm birth. Plant-based zinc is more difficult to absorb, so a supplement may be necessary.
• Calcium: Calcium is key during pregnancy for building your baby's bones, muscles, heart, and nerves. If you're not getting enough calcium from plant sources, your body will take it from your bones, putting you at risk of osteoporosis later in life.

How will a vegetarian or vegan diet affect my baby?

A vegan or vegetarian diet during pregnancy can be safe and healthy for both the mother and the baby, but it requires careful planning to ensure that the mother and baby receive all the necessary nutrients.

A vegan or vegetarian diet during pregnancy can have both positive and negative effects on the baby.

Positive effects

• Reduced risk of preeclampsia: Preeclampsia is a serious pregnancy complication associated with high blood pressure and organ damage. Research has shown that a healthy vegan diet may protect against developing preeclampsia.
• Reduced risk of gestational diabetes: Vegan diets that are high in fibre and low in saturated fat may reduce the risk of excessive weight gain and gestational diabetes.
• Reduced risk of some neural tube defects and brain tumours: Neural tube defects are birth defects of the brain, spine, or spinal cord. Since cured meat and smoked fish are the main sources of nitrates, vegan diets reduce the risk of neural tube defects.

Negative effects

• Low birth weight: A vegan or vegetarian diet that lacks nutrients such as protein, vitamin B12, vitamin D, calcium, DHA, and iron may increase the risk of the baby having low birth weight or birth defects.
• Birth defects: Insufficient vitamin B12 levels during pregnancy may increase the risk of miscarriage, low birth weight, preterm birth, or birth defects.

Tips for a healthy vegan or vegetarian diet during pregnancy

• Eat a variety of foods: Include a lot of different vegetables, fruits, and whole grains in your diet.
• Limit vegetable fats: Choose vegetable fats carefully, making sure to get plenty of omega-3 fats. Limit trans fats and tropical oils such as coconut, palm, and palm kernel oil.
• Get enough calcium and vitamin D: Eat a lot of plants that are high in calcium, such as spinach, collard greens, and kale. Since no diet can provide vitamin D, make sure your levels are adequate.
• Supplement vitamin B12: Since vitamin B12 comes primarily from animal sources, you will need to supplement it regularly.

Frequently asked questions