The vegetarian mother and baby

The first thing to assure you of is that a vegetarian diet provides all the nutrients you need during pregnancy, just as it does at other times in your life. Many, many women have gone through successful vegetarian pregnancies, and there is no risk factor involved in being vegetarian. You do have to be careful what you eat, but then so do meat-eaters. The most difficult thing about being pregnant and vegetarian is the attitude of well-meaning family, friends and medical personnel. Without knowing much (or sometimes anything) about it, people often think that vegetarianism is a risky undertaking, and they are amazed that you would continue this lifestyle whilst pregnant. Hopefully this book will reassure you, and help you to convince others.

Below is a list of the major nutrients you require during pregnancy, and the vegetarian sources:

Protein

This is not be a problem, as all foods, with the exception of fruit, contain some protein, and therefore extra protein will be obtained from the extra food you eat as your pregnancy advances and your appetite increases.

Iron

This is an extremely important nutrient, and your iron needs increase during pregnancy. Iron-rich foods include: wholegrain cereals, pulses (i.e. beans and lentils), green vegetables and dried fruit. During my pregnancy I found that drinking prune juice was an easy, palatable way of increasing my iron intake. Blackstrap molasses is a very rich source of iron, although it is quite strong tasting, and wouldn't appeal to everyone. As your iron needs grow, your body increases its efficiency at extracting iron from plant foods, so once you include these foods in your diet you should be getting plenty of iron.

Calcium

This mineral is found in many foods. Dairy products, especially cheese, are the most obvious source. However, there are many plant sources of this mineral. These include: pulses (especially soya beans), almonds, sesame seeds (and tahini, which is creamed sesame seeds and comes in a jar), dried fruit, green vegetables, carob powder and molasses.

B vitamins

These are also very important. The best source of B vitamins is brewer's yeast, which is available from health food shops. It is excellent nutritionally - unfortunately it tastes vile! I used to mix a tablespoon with just enough orange juice to make it drinkable, and then simply knock it back. It provides a large percentage of your daily B vitamin requirement (except for vitamin B12 - see below), as well as extra iron. Most vegetarian foods contain B vitamins - the only ones for vegans to worry about are B2 (riboflavin) and B12. Sources of B2 include: millet, wholewheat pasta, fortified breakfast cereals, leafy read more