The Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM) has confirmed that a well-balanced vegan or vegetarian diet can be a good choice for women who are expecting a baby as well as the baby itself.
These diets are healthy for both mother and child, and although they may be deficient in vitamin B 12, supplements can be had through enriched food products or in multivitamins.
The PCRM issued this report in connection with an earlier article on the risks of neural tube defects in babies whose mothers had low levels of vitamin B 12.
The article in Pediatrics was not precise and caused quite a lot of concern amongst pregnant women, who were starting to have doubts as to whether they were getting enough vitamin B 12.
The PCRM confirms that women who are on a vegetarian diet can find all the necessary vitamins they need in these food types, added to the fact that a vegetarian diet is nutritiously beneficial, for it has less cholesterol content and saturated fats and offers more fibre, foliate and other antioxidants as well as phytochemicals that help curb cancer.
You may find vitamin B 12 in many other food products, such as cereals, soymilk, and in other leafy vegetables. Women who are following a vegetarian regimen are probably healthier than others who are eating meat, as is the baby.
In addition, breastfed babies whose mothers are vegetarians are less at risk of being polluted by chemicals present in dairy foods.
