Plant based and Pregnant: Nourishing Mom and Baby for a Healthy Journey

PLANT-BASED NUTRITION DURING THE PREGNANCY?
WHY NOT!

Is it possible to spend those nine months eating vegetable?

We will discuss with Dr. Silvia Goggi, nutrition science specialist and gynecologist.

Dr Goggi, can you help us to answer this question?

Of course.

Despite the fact that there is now consensus in the scientific community that a well-planned all-vegetarian diet supplemented with vitamin B12 is feasible and beneficial even during pregnancy, there are still many doubts that plague vegan mothers-to-be (often discouraged by their gynecologists to maintain such a diet during their expectancy and to "eat at least a little meat now and then"). But spending those nine months following a plant-based diet is absolutely possible.

As with any pregnancy, however, regardless of the mother's dietary choices, nutrition will need to be planned a little more carefully than in the past, including the use of some supplements.


Which are these supplements?

First among them is folic acid, which in the dose of 400 micrograms per day should be taken as early as three months at least before conception until the third month of pregnancy.

100% herbal products are also available on the market in excipients: ask your gynecologist or pharmacist of choice.

All pregnant women also benefit from the daily intake of an additional share of DHA to that already present in food, to meet the increased demand for long-chain omega-3 fatty acids useful in supporting the development of the unborn child's nervous system. Again, a plant-based choice is possible, opting for an algae-derived DHA supplement instead of a fish oil-based one.

Now we come to vitamin B12, which should definitely be supplemented in a vegan pregnancy (but also vegetarian or one that involves occasional consumption of animal products), and beware, it is not necessarily the case that in an omnivorous pregnancy there is no need for it.

Ideally, pregnancy should begin with blood levels greater than 450-500 pg/ml, so that vitamin B12 supplementation can continue at a maintenance dosage (50 mcg daily or 1000 mcg 2 times a week for B12 as cyanocobalamin).

In case of deficiency, however, your doctor will increase the dosage for a few months.

Are there benefits in a plant-based alimentation during pregnancy?

One has a lower risk of developing gestational diabetes to begin with.In a plant-based diet, moreover, the concentration of substances that go to "switch off" the genes responsible for chronic diseases and give the so-called epigenetic imprinting is highest.

If the mother achieves her nutritional needs through plant-based foods, the fetus will be exposed during the delicate stage of development to fewer environmental pollutants, pesticides and heavy metals (all molecules that concentrate along the food chain).

What about fertility?

The main reason behind the recommendation to eat meat and fish to improve fertility is the need for sufficient protein and omega-3 intake. 

Actually it is by no means necessary to eat meat and fish to get these nutrients!

A well-balanced plant-based diet is an excellent source of both. 

You can find omega 3 in flaxseeds, flaxseed oil, chia seeds and walnuts, while protein in legumes, seeds, nuts, grains and vegetables. 

Let us also not forget that the plant-based diet is rich in antioxidants and low in endocrine disruptors, additional factors that promote fertility!