10 Tips For A Healthy Vegan Pregnancy

Last Updated: January 16, 2025

Congratulations on your pregnancy!

There is so much information out there about what you should and shouldn’t do during pregnancy that you can be forgiven for feeling overwhelmed. Most mainstream pregnancy advice isn’t tailored to vegans, so we thought we’d put together this helpful guide for pregnant vegans (and those who would like to go vegan while pregnant)

With a focus on exercise, rest, and proper nutrition, we hope this guide will contain all the hints and tips you need for a stress-free, healthy vegan pregnancy.

Key Takeaways

  • Experts agree that you can get all the nutrients you need during pregnancy on a vegetarian or vegan diet. You should pay close attention to your diet during pregnancy to ensure you get enough of the essential vitamins and minerals.
  • Choose a healthcare provider who supports veganism and will help you enjoy a healthy vegan pregnancy.
  • Reach out to other pregnant vegans and vegan mamas to find a support system that knows everything there is to know about vegan pregnancy and parenting.

Staying Vegan While Pregnant

While the next nine months may feature pregnancy sickness, aches and pains, and restless nights, it will all be worth it when you’re cuddling your gorgeous vegan baby for the first time.

Many women start to pay more attention to their lifestyle choices during pregnancy. You may increase how often you exercise, reduce your stress levels, and try to eat a better diet. Eating healthy food during pregnancy is suitable for both you and your baby. 

If you’ve been vegan for a while, you probably already know that a vegan diet is good for your health. A plant-based diet reduces your risk of cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and certain cancers.

The health benefits of vegan or plant based diets continue during pregnancy, and you’ll be pleased to hear your vegan diet can provide all the nutrients your growing baby needs.

1. Make Sure You’re Eating The Right Nutrients

During pregnancy, you’ll likely pay closer attention to the foods you’re eating. Proper nutrition is vital to a healthy pregnancy, so make sure you eat a variety of fresh plant foods. Try to eat a mix of fruits and vegetables throughout the week, with plenty of healthy grains and protein sources. 

Use a food-tracking app to calculate the nutrients in your diet. This will reassure you that you’re eating the right foods and highlight areas for improvement. Don’t get into the habit of doing this every day, as it’s not necessary, but do it every so often to give a brief overview of your diet. 

A 2019 study published in Nutrients found that a well-planned, healthy vegan diet is safe during pregnancy. The key to ensuring your vegan diet is healthy is knowing the nutrients your body needs during pregnancy. Here are the plant based sources of nutrients you should pay close attention to during a vegan pregnancy:

Nutrient

where to find it

what it's good for

Iron

Pulses, dark green vegetables, nuts, dried fruit

Healthy red blood cells

b12

Fortified plant milks, nutritional yeast, fortified breakfast cereals, yeast extract

Healthy brain and spine development

vitamin d

fortified plant milks, daily supplement

healthy bones

calcium

leafy Vegetables, fortified plant milks, Fortified Foods, nuts and seeds (ground flaxseeds and Chia Seeds Are Rich in Calcium), pulses, calcium-set tofu

healthy bones and teeth

iodine

cereals and Whole grains, fortified plant milks, daily supplement

brain and nervous system development

omega-3 fatty acids

flaxseed, leafy green vegetables, walnuts

eye and brain development

2. Increase Your Protein Intake 

Growing a baby is tiring work, and you need to eat an additional 6 g of dietary protein per day during pregnancy. Protein is crucial for the optimal development of your baby’s cells, including their teeny tiny fingernails.

Good vegan protein sources include tofu, beans, peanut butter, nuts, and seeds. Protein sources are filling foods, so they're ideal for keeping that pregnancy hunger at bay.

Use a food tracker app to calculate your daily protein intake every so often to ensure you are getting enough protein.

3. Take A Prenatal Vitamin for Optimal Vegan Nutrition

It's crucial to take dietary supplements, especially prenatal supplements during pregnancy. Choose a vegan formula specially formulated for pregnant vegans.

A good prenatal vitamin should contain folic acid (or folate), vitamin D, vitamin B12, iodine, and other essential nutrients.

Check the nutritional content to ensure it contains enough of each ingredient (shockingly, they don't always), and choose natural sources over manmade alternatives where possible.

4. Get Plenty Of Rest

It’s not always easy to get enough sleep, but pregnancy is the perfect time to try and hit that eight-hour goal. Rest, relax, and get plenty of sleep to ensure good health.

Rest is crucial for good mental health, too. It’s easy to feel the pressure to continue doing everything you did before, but there’s no shame in stepping back and slowing down during pregnancy.

Embrace the early nights and take care of yourself.

5. Go Easy On Yourself

If you’re suffering from pregnancy sickness, you won’t manage to eat a rainbow every day of the week.

You may not even manage to keep down your prenatal vitamins some mornings.

Try not to worry too much.

As long as you’re doing your best, that’s all you can do. When battling pregnancy sickness, you just have to get through the day. It’s not ideal, but it will pass eventually.

Soon, you’ll be back to eating everything and anything you fancy, but until then, cut yourself some slack.

6. Stay Active

With lower energy levels than normal, it can be tough to exercise during pregnancy, but staying active is vital for a healthy pregnancy.

Regular exercise can help improve your stamina before birth, make it easier to maintain a healthy weight and improve your mental health.

Low-impact exercises are ideal for pregnancy; brisk walking, swimming, and prenatal yoga will help you stay fit throughout your pregnancy. 

7. Find A Supportive Healthcare Provider

Choose a healthcare provider who is supportive of your vegan lifestyle. Sadly, some healthcare providers are still misinformed when it comes to veganism.

Ensure your OBGYN or midwife has experience caring for vegan patients and understands a vegan diet is conducive to a healthy pregnancy. Don’t forget you have a say in who your provider is, so make sure you pick one that feels right. 

It may help to ask what special considerations you should make as a vegan during pregnancy and see how they answer.

Eight years ago, my lovely midwife was completely supportive of my vegan diet during pregnancy and simply provided me with information about which nutrients I needed to pay attention to.

8. Get Your Partner's Support

Having a partner who is not supportive of your choices during pregnancy can be really tough. If you have a non-vegan partner, it’s crucial to educate them about vegan pregnancy and ensure they are on board.

It may help to make an appointment with a vegan dietician or take your partner to meet your supportive OBGYN to hear from an expert that plant rich diet patterns are safe during pregnancy.

9. Reach Out To Other Pregnant Vegans

Pregnancy can be daunting, and having friends who know what you’re going through can be a huge help.

Reach out to other pregnant vegans for support.

Those women know what you’re going through; they have exceptional vegan recipes to satisfy your cravings and can recommend the best vegan nipple creams for the postpartum period. 

It takes a village to raise a new mama, so make sure you populate yours with like-minded people.

Search online for vegan pregnancy and parenting support groups, and reach out to your local vegan groups to see if you can befriend any other mamas-to-be.

Having a support group during pregnancy will do wonders for your stress levels and help you prepare for life with a new baby.

10. Respond With Love

When you're pregnant, suddenly, everyone has an opinion on what you should and shouldn't be doing.

Even friends who have previously been supportive of your veganism may start questioning whether a vegan diet is safe for your developing baby.

You're probably already aware that the diets of vegans are under much more scrutiny than what meat-eaters are eating. People will judge your plate while chomping down on processed beige food.  

While it can be challenging to hear people questioning your parenting choices so early, try to pause for a second before you respond.

While their comments may sound critical, remember that they come from a place of love. The person is asking because they don't know that vegetarian and vegan diets are perfectly fine during pregnancy.

You do know, so tell them. Thank them for their concern, tell them it's great so many people care about your baby, and then firmly tell them that your diet is safe during pregnancy.

Plant Based Diets Are Safe for Pregnant Women

A vegan diet is safe during pregnancy, so you can relax and enjoy your pregnancy, knowing that your food provides all the nutrients your baby needs.

You’ll need to pay attention to your diet and eat a good mix of vegan foods throughout your pregnancy. Pregnancy is the perfect time to take stock of your health, to exercise more, eat better, and ensure you’re getting enough sleep. 

Share your thoughts below; what other top tips should we share with vegan parents-to-be?

About the author, fionapeacock

I became vegetarian aged 8 after my beloved guinea pig died, and I switched to a vegan lifestyle in 2004. I previously worked for animal rights organizations, and am now a freelance writer raising awareness of veganism with my mighty pen (keyboard).

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