Pregnant and Vegetarian - Controlling Your Weight Gain
When you are pregnant, your body needs at least twice the nutrients that you needed when you were not.
This is because more nutrients are necessary in order to ensure a healthy pregnancy for you and proper development for your baby.
However, keep in mind that consuming more nutrients does not mean that you should eat more.
Your doctor would usually tell you the ideal weight gain depending on your pre-pregnancy weight.
If you weigh close to your ideal weight, then your ideal weight gain during your pregnancy would be around 25 to 35 pounds.
If you are overweight before you became pregnant, then you should gain less, around 15 to 25 pounds.
If you are underweight before you got pregnant, then a good weight gain for you would around 28 to 40 pounds.
These numbers could vary depending on your nutrition and dietary needs and if you have any existing medical conditions.
It is important that you follow the instructions of your physician.
Vegetarian women who get pregnant are often confused at the start of their pregnancy.
Most of them wonder whether it is fine for both them and their developing babies if they continue to be vegetarians.
Fortunately, because more and more companies are responding to the demand for vegan food options, it is a lot easier now to look for vegetarian foods and meal options which are tasty and nutritious at the same, even for expecting women.
Aside from this, there are also plenty of things that you can do to make sure that you would be able to eat and gain an ideal amount of weight to ensure a healthy pregnancy while continuing to be a vegetarian.
Here are a couple of tips.
1.
First, make sure that you are eating small snack between your meals.
Choose healthy and easy-to-prepare snack choices such as cereal with soymilk, some peanut butter on crackers or wheat bread, a bowl of split pea or lentil soup or a bean burrito.
2.
Make sure that you are getting enough protein from your diet.
Some foods which are rich in amino acids and protein that you could add to your diet would include soy products, legumes, grains, beans and cereals.
3.
Instead of eating foods which are low in calories, go for starchy and calorie-dense food choices such as a hearty soup with barley and vegetables.
You can also eat dishes which are made with starchy vegetables like potatoes, peas, sweet potatoes and corn.
4.
Increase your consumption of fruits and vegetables which are rich in folic acid including asparagus, spinach, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, broccoli, parsnips, eggplant, papaya, kiwi, figs, dates and bananas.
Folic acid is vital before, during and after pregnancy as it helps the body to provide all the nutrients needed by your baby as it develops.
Folic acid helps in preventing neural tube defects and other birth defects.
It also helps in ensuring the adequate production of red blood cells, preventing anemia in both you and your baby.
This is because more nutrients are necessary in order to ensure a healthy pregnancy for you and proper development for your baby.
However, keep in mind that consuming more nutrients does not mean that you should eat more.
Your doctor would usually tell you the ideal weight gain depending on your pre-pregnancy weight.
If you weigh close to your ideal weight, then your ideal weight gain during your pregnancy would be around 25 to 35 pounds.
If you are overweight before you became pregnant, then you should gain less, around 15 to 25 pounds.
If you are underweight before you got pregnant, then a good weight gain for you would around 28 to 40 pounds.
These numbers could vary depending on your nutrition and dietary needs and if you have any existing medical conditions.
It is important that you follow the instructions of your physician.
Vegetarian women who get pregnant are often confused at the start of their pregnancy.
Most of them wonder whether it is fine for both them and their developing babies if they continue to be vegetarians.
Fortunately, because more and more companies are responding to the demand for vegan food options, it is a lot easier now to look for vegetarian foods and meal options which are tasty and nutritious at the same, even for expecting women.
Aside from this, there are also plenty of things that you can do to make sure that you would be able to eat and gain an ideal amount of weight to ensure a healthy pregnancy while continuing to be a vegetarian.
Here are a couple of tips.
1.
First, make sure that you are eating small snack between your meals.
Choose healthy and easy-to-prepare snack choices such as cereal with soymilk, some peanut butter on crackers or wheat bread, a bowl of split pea or lentil soup or a bean burrito.
2.
Make sure that you are getting enough protein from your diet.
Some foods which are rich in amino acids and protein that you could add to your diet would include soy products, legumes, grains, beans and cereals.
3.
Instead of eating foods which are low in calories, go for starchy and calorie-dense food choices such as a hearty soup with barley and vegetables.
You can also eat dishes which are made with starchy vegetables like potatoes, peas, sweet potatoes and corn.
4.
Increase your consumption of fruits and vegetables which are rich in folic acid including asparagus, spinach, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, broccoli, parsnips, eggplant, papaya, kiwi, figs, dates and bananas.
Folic acid is vital before, during and after pregnancy as it helps the body to provide all the nutrients needed by your baby as it develops.
Folic acid helps in preventing neural tube defects and other birth defects.
It also helps in ensuring the adequate production of red blood cells, preventing anemia in both you and your baby.
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