Vegan Baby

Could a vegan diet in pregnancy actually be healthy? Louise Palmer Masterton of Stem & Glory explains more.

There’s a widely-held belief that, because we are omnivorous, a vegan diet cannot be safe in pregnancy. Obviously one that I, and many others, wholeheartedly disagree with.

In fact, when I became pregnant with my first daughter, I was almost 40. I followed a vegan diet and I continued eating in exactly the same way throughout my pregnancy. I had no morning sickness, no cravings, no complications, no deficiencies and delivered both my children safely at home.

I started to wonder if my experience was an isolated one, or if many vegan women experience completely problem free pregnancies too. So I spoke to seven women who had also been vegan through pregnancy.

Vegan staples

Every woman I’ve spoken to followed a wholefood natural diet during pregnancy and none experienced cravings.

Soups and stews were frequently mentioned as ‘go to’ meals. Often also mentioned were Marmite, tofu, tempeh, brown rice, aduki beans, fresh organic veg, nuts, miso soup, peppermint tea and ginger.

For Holly who was diagnosed with gestational diabetes in her second trimester, nut butters were a life saver due to their high fat/protein and low carb content.

Danielle developed cholestasis in her second trimester which meant she could only eat low fat foods “so the vegan diet was great for this”.

Can you get the right nutrition?

All the vegan women I spoke to were very well researched on the subject of vegan nutrition and aware of the need to increase protein intake in pregnancy by 10-20%, and did so with greater attention to eating balanced meals.

It’s recommended in pregnancy for all mothers to take folic acid. With vegan pregnancy it’s also recommended to take B12 and vitamin D. Half of the women I spoke to did take supplements, but half did not, only taking the recommended folic acid.

Helen, who has been vegan for many years, said: “I always try to follow a balanced diet. Supplements are recommended to pregnant people of all persuasions. I took vegan vitamins and iron before, during and after my pregnancy.”

Angie, who was pregnant twice 33 and 40 years ago, and has raised four vegan children, says she “just ate sensibly, mainly fruit and veg. I’d been vegan for 13 years before I became pregnant and had never been unwell so assumed all was ok”.

Neither myself nor any of the women I spoke to reported any nutritional issues during their pregnancies.

What did the health professionals think of pregnant women following a vegan diet?

Surprisingly, every woman I spoke to remarked on how helpful and understanding their health care team were of their vegan diet. Not one of them was advised to eat animal products.

Emma: “I didn’t tell the midwives that I was vegan because I expected a negative response that I didn’t want to have to deal with at that time. However, in hospital after the birth the team were very supportive in providing me with decent vegan food.”

If you’re vegan or vegetarian, don’t let the myth that we need animal products put you off sticking to your plant-based diet. Eating a healthy vegan diet during your pregnancy can be good for you and your baby.

Louise Palmer-Masterton is founder of multiple award-winning restaurants Stem & Glory; hip and trendy but accessible plant-based restaurants, serving delicious gourmet vegan food from locally sourced ingredients, 100% made on site. Stem & Glory also offers click-and-collect and local delivery in London and Cambridge. www.stemandglory.uk and www.seedrs.com/stemglory