Vegetarian Diets During Pregnancy

Grains: 1 slice of bread;1/2 cup cooked cereal, grain or pasta; 3/4 to 1 cup ready-to-eat cereal
Legumes, nuts, seeds, milks: 1/2 cup cooked beans, tofu, tempeh; 3 oz of meat analogue; or 2 Tbsp nuts, seeds, nut or seed butter; 1 cup fortified soy milk; 1cup cow's milk, 1 cup yogurt)
Vegetables: 1/2 cup. Calcium-rich foods such as kale, collard greens, mustard greens, broccoli, and bok choy, should be chosen often.
Fruits: 1/2 cup canned fruit or juice or 1 medium fruit

Essential requirements during pregnancy
- more weight gain
- more energy

Use of balanced diet
1. Proteins: Protein is needed during pregnancy to support the rapid growth of the fetus and placenta
2. Iron: Iron needs are high during pregnancy because of both the increase in the mother's blood volume and the blood formed for the fetus.
3. Calcium: Calcium is needed in pregnancy for synthesis of fetal bones and teeth.
4. Vitamin D: Vitamin D plays an important role in maintenance of maternal calcium absorption.
5. Folate: The central nervous system develops in the fetus during the first weeks of gestation. By day 23 the neural tube that will become the spinal cord has closed. A lack of folate can keep the neural tube from closing properly, resulting in neural tube defects (NTDs).
6. Vitamin B-12: Vitamin B-12 is needed during pregnancy for normal cell division and protein synthesis.
7. Zinc: Mild zinc deficiency has been related to complications of labor and delivery including prolonged or inefficient first stage labor (cervical dilation) and protracted second stage labor (pushing) and premature rupture of the membranes (the sac of fluid that cushions the infant).