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Plant-Based Pregnancy: Tips for Meatless Moms-to-Be

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September 10, 2025 Women
sofia's story Healthy Pregnancy on a Plant-Based Diet
bac_Healthy Pregnancy_diet

Eating well during pregnancy is important for you and your baby. If you’re a vegetarian or vegan, you can still have a healthy pregnancy – you may just need to take a little extra care to get the nutrients your body needs.

Plant-based foods are full of good things like fiber, but some nutrients can be harder to get without meat or dairy.

These include:

  • Protein
  • Iron
  • Vitamin B12
  • Vitamin D
  • Calcium
  • Folate (also called folic acid)
  • Zinc
  • Omega-3s
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A daily prenatal vitamin is important for all pregnant women.

If you eat a vegetarian or vegan diet, you may also need extra supplements. Always talk to your doctor or WIC nutritionist before taking any vitamins or supplements. Taking too much can be harmful.

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Nutrients during Pregnancy Nutrients You Need During Pregnancy
Protein
Protein-bottom-flowers
Protein
Protein helps your baby grow and keeps your body strong.

Women typically need about 46 grams of protein each day, but pregnant women need more, especially in the second and third trimesters. During pregnancy, you need about 71 to 75 grams of protein each day.

Protein

Try these protein-rich foods:

  • Beans, lentils, and peas
  • Tofu, tempeh, and soy milk
  • Nuts and seeds (like almonds, chia, flax, or peanuts)
  • Nut butters
  • Eggs
  • Milk, cheese, and yogurt
  • Whole grains like oatmeal and brown rice
Nutrients-Iron
Protein-bottom-flowers
Iron
Iron helps your body make blood and carry oxygen.

You need 27 mg of iron each day. Low iron can make you feel tired.

Your doctor may suggest an iron supplement if your levels are low.
Nutrients-Iron

Good plant sources of iron:

  • Beans and lentils
  • Dark leafy greens (like spinach and kale)
  • Dried fruit and nuts
  • Iron-fortified cereals
1Vitamin-B12
Protein-bottom-flowers
Vitamin B12
B12 helps your baby’s brain grow and keeps your nerves and blood healthy.

You need about 2.6 micrograms each day.

Check the food label to make sure it’s fortified with B12.

1Vitamin-B12

B12 is only found in animal foods.

You can also get it from:

  • Fortified soy milk or other plant milks
  • Fortified cereal
  • Fortified nutritional yeast
Vitamin D
Protein-bottom-flowers
Vitamin D
Vitamin D helps your baby’s bones grow strong and helps your body use calcium.

You need 600 IU of vitamin D each day during pregnancy.

Your doctor may suggest a supplement if you aren’t able to get enough vitamin D from the sun or from food.

Vitamin D

You can get vitamin D from:

  • Sunlight
  • Fortified cow’s milk or soy milk
  • Eggs (the yolk)
  • Fortified cereal
Pregnancy-Calcium
Protein-bottom-flowers
Calcium
Calcium builds strong bones and teeth. It also helps your heart and muscles.

You need 1,000 mg of calcium each day.

Pregnancy-Calcium

Try:

  • Milk, cheese, and yogurt
  • Calcium-fortified soy or rice milk
  • Tofu
  • Broccoli, kale, spinach
  • Almonds and sesame seeds
  • Fortified orange juice
Folate (Folic Acid) copy
Protein-bottom-flowers
Folate (Folic Acid)
Folate helps prevent birth defects in your baby’s brain and spine.

You need 400 micrograms each day.

Eat foods with vitamin C (like oranges or strawberries) to help your body absorb folate better.

Folate (Folic Acid) copy

You can get folate from:

  • Beans and lentils
  • Dark leafy greens
  • Prunes
  • Tofu
  • Fortified bread, pasta, rice, and cereal
Pregnancy-Zinc
Protein-bottom-flowers
Zinc
Zinc helps your baby grow.

You need at least 11 mg each day.

It can be harder to absorb zinc from plants, so your prenatal vitamin should include it.
Pregnancy-Zinc

Foods with zinc:

  • Fortified cereals
  • Soy foods
  • Whole grains and oatmeal
  • Nuts and seeds
  • Milk, cheese, and yogurt
Pregnancy-Omega-3s
Protein-bottom-flowers
Omega-3s (Healthy Fats)
Omega-3s help your baby’s brain and eyes grow.

You need 200–300 mg of omega-3s each day.

Limit fried and processed foods – they make it harder for your body to use omega-3s.
Pregnancy-Omega-3s

Try:

  • Fish (limit white/albacore tuna to 6 oz per week; avoid shark, swordfish, king mackerel, and tilefish)
  • Chia seeds
  • Flaxseeds
1bac_Prenatal-Vitamins_Final-tip

Final Tip

You don’t have to eat meat to have a healthy pregnancy.

With good planning, a plant-based diet can give you and your baby everything you need.

Just be sure to:

  • ✓ Take a prenatal vitamin every day
  • ✓ Eat a mix of healthy foods
  • ✓ Talk to your doctor or WIC nutritionist about supplements you may need

And don’t forget to remind yourself that you’re doing a great job taking care of yourself and your baby!

REFERENCES:

U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. (2023). Vegetarian diets in pregnancy.
https://www.va.gov/files/2023-09/Pregnancy%20and%20Vegetarian%20Diet.pdf

Sebastiani, G., Herranz Barbero, A., Borrás-Novell, C., Alsina Casanova, M., Aldecoa-Bilbao, V., Andreu-Fernández, V., Pascual Tutusaus, M., Ferrero Martínez, S., Gómez Roig, M. D., & García-Algar, O. (2019). The effects of vegetarian and vegan diet during pregnancy on the health of mothers and offspring. Nutrients, 11(3), 557.
https://doi.org/10.3390/nu11030557

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SIDE-LYING HOLD

Side-Lying Hold

  1. For the right breast, lie on your right side with your baby facing you.
  2. Pull your baby close. Your baby’s mouth should be level with your nipple.
  3. In this position, you can cradle your baby’s back with your left arm and support yourself with your right arm and/or pillows.
  4. Keep loose clothing and bedding away from your baby.
  5. Reverse for the left breast.

This hold is useful when:

  • You had a C-section
  • You want to rest while baby feeds
  • You are breastfeeding in the middle of the night
  • You and your baby are comfortable in this position
CROSS-CRADLE HOLD

Cross-Cradle Hold

  1. For the right breast, use your left arm to hold your baby’s head at your right breast and baby’s body toward your left side. A pillow across your lap can help support your left arm.
  2. Gently place your left hand behind your baby’s ears and neck, with your thumb and index finger behind each ear and your palm between baby’s shoulder blades. Turn your baby’s body toward yours so your tummies are touching.
  3. Hold your breast as if you are squeezing a sandwich. To protect your back, avoid leaning down to your baby. Instead, bring your baby to you.
  4. As your baby’s mouth opens, push gently with your left palm on baby’s head to help them latch on. Make sure you keep your fingers out of the way.
  5. Reverse for the left breast.

This hold is useful when:

  • Your baby is premature
  • Your baby has a weak suck
  • Your baby needs help to stay latched
  • Your baby needs extra head support
  • You and your baby are comfortable in this position
CLUTCH OR “FOOTBALL” HOLD

Clutch or “Football” Hold

  1. For the right breast, hold your baby level, facing up, at your right side.
  2. Put your baby’s head near your right nipple and support their back and legs under your right arm.
  3. Hold the base of your baby’s head with your right palm. A pillow underneath your right arm can help support your baby’s weight.
  4. To protect your back, avoid leaning down to your baby. Bring baby to you instead.
  5. Reverse for the left breast.

This hold is useful when:

  • You had a C-section
  • You have large breasts
  • You have flat or inverted nipples
  • You have a strong milk let-down
  • You are breastfeeding twins
  • Your baby likes to feed in an upright position
  • Your baby has reflux
  • You and your baby are comfortable in this position
CRADLE HOLD

Cradle Hold

  1. For the right breast, cradle your baby with your right arm. Your baby will be on their left side across your lap, facing you at nipple level.
  2. Your baby’s head will rest on your right forearm with your baby’s back along your inner arm and palm.
  3. Turn your baby’s tummy toward your tummy. Your left hand is free to support your breast, if needed. Pillows can help support your arm and elbow.
  4. To protect your back, avoid leaning down to your baby. Instead, bring your baby to you.
  5. Reverse for the left breast.

This hold is useful when:

  • Your baby needs help latching on
  • You and your baby are comfortable in this position
Laid-Back Hold

Laid-Back Hold

  1. Lean back on a pillow with your baby’s tummy touching yours and their head at breast level. Some moms find that sitting up nearly straight works well. Others prefer to lean back and lie almost flat.
  2. You can place your baby’s cheek near your breast, or you may want to use one hand to hold your breast near your baby. It’s up to you and what you think feels best.
  3. Your baby will naturally find your nipple, latch, and begin to suckle.

This hold is useful when:

  • Your baby is placed on your chest right after birth
  • You have a strong milk let-down
  • You have large breasts
  • You and your baby are comfortable in this position