What to Eat When You're Pregnant and Vegetarian : Planning a healthy diet (part 2) - Protein foods,High-fat or high-sugar foods

3 Protein foods

Protein provides amino acids, the basic building blocks of human tissue. It is needed for the growth of the foetus and placenta and to allow changes in the mother’s body that occur during pregnancy. Protein is also required for the production of breast milk. When you are pregnant or breastfeeding, you need about 51g of protein a day. This is just 6g more than before pregnancy. In practice there is usually no need to increase your intake of protein during pregnancy, since the average (non-pregnant) vegetarian woman already consumes more than 51g a day. However, some women have low intakes as their diets consist mainly of vegetables and cereals. It’s important to include foods such as chickpeas or lentils whenever you make meals like vegetable curry or chilli to boost the protein content. Women sometimes consider taking a protein supplement, but these are unnecessary. It is much better to eat real foods; then you’ll also be getting a whole range of other vital nutrients too.

Lacto-ovo-vegetarians tend to get much of their protein from milk and milk products, but it’s important to eat a variety of different protein-rich foods, such as beans and lentils, as these provide iron, B vitamins and fibre too. Relying too heavily on cheese means having a high intake of salt and saturated fat. Plant sources of protein are sometimes described as being of low biological value because they contain fewer essential amino acids than proteins from animal sources. However, you can get all the amino acids you need by eating a variety of different cereals, peas, beans, lentils, seeds and nuts. If you don’t usually do this, it is a good idea to start trying to include a source of protein in every meal.

4 Milk, calcium-rich drinks and food products

Cow’s milk and dairy foods such as cheese and yogurt provide protein, calcium, iodine and vitamins A and B₁₂. Full-fat dairy foods also contain saturated fat and can be quite high in calories. It is healthier to choose semi-skimmed, 1% fat, or skimmed milk, as well as reduced-fat cheeses and low-fat yogurts. However, be careful with flavoured yogurts that are described as ‘diet’ or fat-free, as these can have lots of added sugar.

If you avoid dairy products, it’s important to have other foods that supply the same nutrients. A milk-alternative made from soya will provide almost as much protein as cow’s milk and, if it’s fortified, you’ll get calcium, vitamin D and vitamin B₁₂ as well. You can also get calcium and vitamin B₁₂ from other foods . Getting enough iodine on a vegan diet can be more difficult as it is found in only a small number of foods, but some seaweeds are very iodine-rich .

5 High-fat or high-sugar foods

Foods such as margarine, cooking oils, cakes, crisps and fizzy drinks are all included in this group.

Fat gets a bad press, but some fatty acids (the building blocks for fat) are essential for good health. There are three main types of fatty acid, which are found in varying amounts in foods:

• Saturated – the type found in meat and dairy products such as cheese. These are not essential, and a high intake increases the risk of heart disease.
• Monounsaturated – found in olive oil and rapeseed oil. These are considered healthy but are also not essential to health.
• Polyunsaturated – some polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) are known as ‘essential fatty acids’. They can’t be produced by the body and must be supplied by the diet.
  

As well as providing essential fatty acids, fat is needed for the absorption of the fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E and K. It is estimated that about 30g of fat is needed each day. However, fat shouldn’t make up more than 35% of your calorie intake.

Some sources of fat are obvious, such as cooking oils, but many foods like pastry, cheese, flapjacks and peanut butter have hidden fats. The fat in nuts and seeds is ‘good fat’, but eating too much still means having more calories than are needed.

High-sugar foods, such as cakes, sweets and fizzy drinks, are also in this group. They contain refined sugar and provide calories but few or no useful nutrients. Another problem is that these foods have a high GI, so they produce a spike in your blood sugar levels and affect the amount of sugar your baby is exposed to. If your blood glucose is too high then your baby will grow too fast and have an excess amount of body fat.

Sugars are also found in fruit and milk, but these foods are not included in this food group. They are considered healthy because the sugar in them is produced naturally and they also contain other nutrients, including vitamin C and calcium. They also have a lower GI, so have less impact on your blood sugar levels. With fruit, this is because the sugar is more difficult to digest than it is in products like biscuits, so it leads to a slower rise in blood glucose levels. For milk and milk products, the sugar is accompanied by protein, which has a similar effect. Fruit juice, however, has a higher GI and contains less fibre than fruit, so it is best to have no more than one glass of juice per day.