Eating healthy is important for all of us,
but getting proper nutrition
is especially important for expecting moms.
Now, there are plenty of nutrients
that play a big role in the baby's development.
So, today, we learn how to find good sources of nutrition
if you're following a plant-based diet.
(gentle music)
Joining us to break it all down is
registered dietician and nutritionist, Maya Bach.
Now, Maya, we know it's important
to eat healthy when you're expecting,
but it's really important, because all of those foods
can impact the health of the baby.
- Absolutely, what you eat nourishes you for your pregnancy
and gives your baby nutrients
to support his or her growth and development,
and making sure you are addressing
all of your nutrient needs.
- So let's talk about the difference between,
let's say, a plant-based pregnant woman,
or a woman that was just eating a regular healthy diet.
Is there something more specific that
that vegan or plant-based expecting mom needs to focus on?
- When you are excluding these certain food products,
animal products specifically,
it means you need to be really mindful
of these other nutrients,
which I know we'll get to in a minute,
making sure that you are meeting your needs
through choosing different foods
that support your body and your baby and or supplement.
- So you picked four super important nutrients
that moms to be need to focus on,
and let's break those down.
The first one is protein.
- Protein is really important,
because your uterine tissue, breast tissue,
develops and grows, and you need more protein
to support your growing baby.
Different plant-based protein sources
include things like lentils, beans, tofu,
soy products, fortified breads, even.
How much protein you need
is going to depend on you and your body.
The range that we like to recommend is anywhere from
75 to 85 grams of protein per day.
- The next nutrient you recommend to focus on is iron.
- During pregnancy, your iron needs double,
because your blood supply increases,
and that blood supply is really important
to deliver oxygen and nutrients to your growing baby.
There are so many wonderful foods to choose from
on a plant-based pregnancy that are iron rich.
So, things like lentils.
Some soy products.
Also, cooked dark leafy greens.
In order to really increase the absorption of iron,
you want to add a little bit of Vitamin C to that iron.
So, for example,
adding a squeeze of lemon onto your cooked spinach.
- Our next nutrient is calcium.
- Your calcium needs are the same,
and don't change during pregnancy.
So, a thousand milligrams per day
is what is the recommendation
in order to support your baby's
own formation and development.
Great sources of calcium I like to recommend
include fortified plant milks,
calcium-set tofu, and things like kale.
Some of our greens can also really supply you
with the milligrams that you need.
- So let's move on to the final nutrient
that you say we need to focus on,
and it may not be very familiar to a lot of people,
and that is choline.
- Choline is really important,
because it plays a role in supporting
fetal brain development,
and there are newer studies that show that
getting enough can need to be a part of your nutrient needs.
Your body actually makes choline,
but you want to speak to your primary care physician,
your OB, if you are not eating eggs or animal products,
to make sure you are getting enough.
In addition to choosing choline-rich foods
like peanut butter, bananas, some of our soy products,
especially like edamame,
are really great, wonderful, choline-rich sources.
- Maya, thank you so much.
Do you want to learn more about
eating healthy at all stages of life?
Just head to our website, LivingHealthyTV.com.