It's very important to eat plenty of vegetables during pregnancy -- they provide vitamins and minerals that you and your baby need to stay healthy. Depending on how you define "vegetable," however, it may or may not be appropriate to consume an entirely vegetable-based diet during pregnancy. Your nutritional needs during pregnancy are very specific, and you need protein, fats and minerals that you can get from some -- but not all -- types of plants.
Pregnancy and Diets
While the word "diet" can refer to what you eat and drink on a daily basis, it's often used to refer to a pattern of eating used to accomplish weight loss. Few, if any, obstetricians recommend actively dieting during pregnancy, even if you were heavy before you got pregnant or are gaining weight faster than you'd like during your pregnancy. Drs. Michael Roizen and Mehmet Oz note in their book "You: Having A Baby" that the average woman needs to gain 25 to 35 lbs. during pregnancy. While it's reasonable to consider a diet -- meaning a pattern of eating -- composed largely of vegetables, it's not a good idea to use vegetables to diet for weight loss during pregnancy.
Nutritional Needs
During pregnancy, you need the same macronutrients you needed before pregnancy, where macronutrients are components of food that provide energy to your cells. Proteins, carbohydrates and fats are all types of macronutrients, and you probably need about 300 more calories per day than you did before you were pregnant, note Heidi Murkoff and Sharon Mazel in their book "What To Expect When You're Expecting." You also need micronutrients -- vitamins and minerals -- in amounts greater than you needed before pregnancy.
Vegetable-Based Diet
Vegetables are a healthy way to get many macro- and micronutrients, but not all vegetables can provide for all your nutritional needs. Consider what types of vegetables you're eating to determine whether your vegetable diet is healthy during pregnancy. Starchy vegetables, including beans and potatoes, provide carbohydrates and fiber. Colorful vegetables, like carrots and beets, contain plenty of vitamins. Few vegetables have much fat in them, but you can cook with olive oil to provide a heart-healthy source of fat in your diet. Finally, while many vegetables lack protein, beans are a good source. Whole grains also contain protein.
Considerations
If you're interested in a vegetable-based diet during pregnancy, talk to your obstetrician about what vegetables -- and in what amounts -- you should be eating. Your doctor can help ensure that you're getting adequate protein, carbohydrate, fat, vitamins and minerals. Your doctor will also likely recommend that you use an iron supplement -- possibly even a prenatal vitamin -- since while some vegetables like beans and leafy greens contain iron, it's hard to get enough iron to support pregnancy through vegetable sources alone.
References
- "You: Having A Baby"; Michael Roizen, M.D. and Mehmet Oz, M.D.; 2009
- "What to Expect When You're Expecting"; Heidi Murkoff and Sharon Mazel; 2008
