Pregnancy
A balanced vegetarian or vegan diet provides all the nutrients needed for a healthy pregnancy. Healthy babies are being born to sixth – and seventh – generation vegetarians and vegans in the UK, and, of course, around the world whole cultures have been vegetarian for thousands of years! It is the most natural, healthful diet and perfect for nurturing your unborn child. If you would like more easy-to- read and reassuring information on what is a natural, healthy diet for mums-to-be and all people, read Viva!’s guide, Wheat-eaters or Meat-eaters?
www.viva.org.uk/guides/ Wheat-Eaters-guide.pdf A healthy pregnancy should just be an
extension of your normally healthy diet. If you eat well anyway, then eating right for your unborn child won’t be such a radical change. If, however, your diet has always been based around junk food, meat and dairy produce, then it’s time it wasn’t, for both your sakes! The secret of a healthy diet is to eat a variety
of foods, focusing on wholegrains, pulses (peas, beans and lentils of all types), unsalted mixed nuts and seeds, and fresh fruit and vegetables. The table on page 6 shows what you need to eat each day. Eggs, meats, milk and cheese are high in cholesterol, animal fats and hormones (cows’ milk contains 35 hormones and 11 growth
factors!) and are not needed (or even desirable) for a healthy diet, so they are not included. There is plenty of scope for adventurous,
creative cookery. With herbs, spices, stock cubes, flavourings such as soya sauce and creamed coconut, soya cheese and a host of other extras, you can create the most wonderfully exotic dishes, as well as all the traditional favourites.
Many studies show that mums who undereat increase their child’s risk of developing obesity and related diseases (eg heart disease, diabetes, cancer). It is believed that the foetus makes physiological adaptations to the ‘famine’ to prepare him or herself for life after birth. Far from being protective, these changes make the child more vulnerable to obesity and disease. Recent research has also shown that when
Being underweight or overweight affects your baby
mums eat a high fat and/or high sugar diet during pregnancy it can result in their baby being predisposed to obesity and their children having metabolic syndrome (the precursor to diabetes type 2).
Viva! and Vegetarian & Vegan Foundation 5 To state the obvious,
it’s important to not undereat or overeat during pregnancy! And it’s important to eat the right types of foods.
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