• I'm pregnant but I don't eat any meat, is that going to be a problem?
• What if I don't eat fish either?
• I'm worried because I'm pregnant and I don't eat any dairy foods, do I need to take calcium supplements?

I'm pregnant but I don't eat any meat, is that going to be a problem?

Meat is a good source of protein and other nutrients like iron and zinc. When you are pregnant it is important that your diet is ‘good quality' which means you are getting a balance from all of the five food groups. The group which meat belongs to is the meat, fish and alternatives group.

As the title suggests there are plenty of meat alternatives that can be included in your diet if you have decided that you do not wish to eat meat. These have advantages and disadvantages compared to meat.

Meat can be quite fatty and therefore high in calories. Processed meat products are often the worst with high levels of saturated fat and salt. These include sausages, burgers, pasties, corned beef and spam. It is a good idea for everyone to cut down on these types of meat products, whether they are pregnant or not, as they may contribute to excess weight gain and have been linked to an increased risk of bowel cancer.

Lean red meat however, is possibly the best source of iron, a nutrient that many young women lack and lean meat also provides protein and zinc. There is no link between lean meat and bowel cancer. There is iron in non meat foods, however this type of iron is not as easily absorbed by the body. See the iron page for more details.

There are many meat alternatives available including soya products and quorn. These, if prepared sensibly are an excellent alternative to meat as they tend to be low in fat and high in protein.

One of the obvious meat alternatives is fish. Fish tends to be lower in fat (though it does depend on how it has been prepared) and oily fish contain omega 3 which are thought to help your babies brain develop. The general guidelines for health are that we should eat more fish. There is no restriction about the amount of white fish that we can eat but, if you are pregnant you should only eat two portions of oily fish per week.

What if I don't eat fish either?

If you don't eat meat or fish your diet may need a bit more planning. There is no reason that a vegetarian diet can't be healthy, but a diet without meat is not automatically healthy. Many young women switch to a vegetarian diet in the hope that it will help them to loose weight, however if you cut out meat and fish and do not replace them with suitable alternatives then the diet can become boring and repetitive. This may mean that you miss out on some important nutrients.

Suitable alternatives that should be included in a vegetarian diet are eggs, nuts, seeds, quorn, soya products, beans and pulses (like lentils and chickpeas). You may also wish to include vegetarian sources of omega 3 which include oils of walnut, soybean, linseed and flax seed.

Many young women do not replace the meat in their diet with alternatives; they continue to eat exactly the same as before, just without meat. This can lead to an over reliance on dairy products as a source of protein. Dairy products can be just as high in fat as meat products and can contribute to weight gain.

When you are pregnant there are two considerations around eating a vegetarian diet. The first is that if you, your partner or siblings of your baby have an allergy then you should avoid peanuts. All other nuts are safe to eat in pregnancy. Secondly if you eat eggs you need to make sure that they are thoroughly cooked while you are pregnant to reduce the risk of salmonella poisoning.

I'm worried because I'm pregnant and I don't eat any dairy foods, do I need to take calcium supplements?

Dairy foods are rich in protein and calcium. According to the National Diet and Nutrition Survey they contribute most of women's daily calcium intakes. Calcium is needed for healthy bones and teeth and is especially important in the latter stages of pregnancy, when the babies bones are hardening.

There are many reasons that women exclude dairy products; one of the most common is lactose intolerance, however some women chose to exclude them either because they don't like them or because they feel they are high in fat, and not eating them may help them to lose weight.

While some cheeses can be high in fat, milk (even full fat milk) is a relatively low fat product. Interestingly skimmed and semi skimmed milk contain the same amount of calcium as full fat milk. Low fat cottage cheese is also a healthy choice that is low in fat and high in calcium.

During pregnancy a woman needs 800 mg daily of calcium if she is aged between 15 and 18 and 700mg daily if she is over 18. The easiest way of getting enough is to eat three portions of dairy foods or calcium enriched alternatives including rice or soya milk, soya yoghurts or vegetarian cheese. Not all dairy alternatives are enriched with calcium so make sure you check the labels.

A day might include; cereal with rice milk, soya yoghurt at lunch and vegetarian cheese with crackers as a snack before tea.

If you do not like these calcium enriched alternatives then it can be much more difficult to achieve the recommended intake. Other foods that are rich in calcium include canned fish with bones included (sardines or salmon for example) soya products such as tofu and green vegetables.

If you feel that you do not eat enough of the dairy alternatives then you may benefit from a calcium supplement. Always check with your pharmacist or GP when thinking about taking supplements as it is important to take one which is suitable for pregnancy.