The Impact of a Strict Vegetarian Diet on Pregnancy
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🥩 Hello Meatlings,
Thankfully, the noise around meat=bad is quieting down, and I have fewer and fewer clients asking me about how to reduce their meat intake “for health.”
Not too long ago, I even had vegetarians reach out to me for help, as suggested by their pregnancy medical providers, for their diet-induced B-12 and iron deficiencies (the main 2 micronutrients mainstream medicine routinely tests in pregnant women), but who were not interested in eating meat.
Needless to say I have to say in good conscience I cannot work with them and not recommend eating meat. However, recently, I’ve had a handful of clients reach out to convert their vegetarian diets to INCLUDE meat. 👏👏👏
A new systematic review and meta-analysis examined how strict vegetarian diets affect pregnancy outcomes, revealing potential risks and benefits. Researchers found that pregnant individuals following a strict vegetarian diet had a significantly higher risk of delivering small-for-gestational-age (SGA) infants and lower birth weights. The study highlighted the risk of nutrient deficiencies in vegetarian women, particularly vitamin B12, iron, omega-3 fatty acids, and iodine.
Protein needs in pregnancy are also higher than expected. As RDN Lily Nichols points out: Proteins are quite literally the building blocks of human life. Every cell in your body contains protein, and you require the amino acids in protein to build new cells. Thanks to scientific advancement with the indicator amino acid oxidation method (IAAO), we’re now able to safely quantify needs for protein (and even individual amino acid,s aka the “building blocks of protein”) in different stages of pregnancy.
Generally, the most accepted standard for protein requirements is the RDA. However, protein researchers point out that the RDA is set at a bare minimum level, and it’s likely that optimal protein intake is much higher than the RDA. The first-ever study to directly measure protein needs in pregnant women (circa 2015) found that true protein needs were 39% higher in early pregnancy and 73% higher in late pregnancy than the estimated average requirement. They found the estimated average requirement (EAR) should be set at 1.22 g/kg in early pregnancy and 1.52 g/kg in late pregnancy.*
Since nutrient requirements are calculated based on prepregnancy weight, a woman who started her pregnancy at 150 pounds would need 83 g of protein in early pregnancy and 104 g of protein/day in late pregnancy to meet this updated EAR.
For simplicity’s sake, round it to >80 g in early pregnancy and >100 g in late pregnancy. Notably, 40% of 2nd-trimester mothers and 67% of 3rd-trimester mothers fell below optimal intake levels, averaging only ~82 g protein/day.
Want more pregnancy nutrition resources? Check mine out here!
✌🏻and ribeyes,
Miranda Ebner MS, LN and The Yes2Meat Team
📰 News & 🔬 Research
🔬 Can Mitochondria Unlock a Cure for Diabetes? New research is shedding light on how mitochondrial dysfunction may be a key driver of type 2 diabetes. Scientists have found that when mitochondria in pancreatic β-cells become damaged, they trigger a stress response that disrupts cell function—causing β-cells to lose their ability to produce insulin effectively.
This process appears to affect other metabolic tissues, including the liver and fat cells, which could explain the systemic nature of diabetes. The most exciting part?
Researchers restored β-cell function in mice by blocking this stress response, hinting at a potential therapeutic strategy for reversing diabetes at its root. These findings highlight mitochondria's critical role in metabolic health and open the door for new approaches to treating the disease.
🧠 How gut microbes influence anxiety: A fascinating study from Duke-NUS Medical School uncovered a key mechanism linking gut bacteria to anxiety-related behaviors. The research shows that mice without gut microbes exhibit increased anxiety and hyperactive neurons in the basolateral amygdala, a brain region central to emotional processing.
These effects could be reversed by either reintroducing beneficial bacteria or supplementing with indoles, metabolites produced by gut microbes. Indoles help regulate specialized proteins called SK channels in brain cells, preventing them from becoming overexcited.
These findings point to promising possibilities for anxiety treatment through probiotic supplementation or dietary changes that support beneficial gut bacteria. The work adds to the growing evidence that maintaining a healthy gut microbiome is crucial for digestion and mental well-being.
☹️ Is protein powder a scam? The New York Times recently argued that most Americans get plenty of protein and don’t need to consume more. Citing a nutrition scientist where no one in her laboratory/clinical group is conducting any specific protein powder or supplement research, rather general dietary intake research.
However, skeletal health experts and muscle physiologists disagree. Like Dr. Nima Alamdari: "I've spent over two decades studying how protein impacts health, and the current protein recommendations are the bare minimum to prevent deficiency," he wrote.
"Research shows that most adults benefit from higher intake, between .54 to .73 grams per pound. Higher protein intake can be essential for adults at every life stage, particularly during pregnancy, postpartum, aging, and for active individuals or those following reduced-calorie diets."
20% of women between the ages of 18 and 22 are below the RDA level for dietary protein, and 40% of women over the age of 65 are not meeting the minimum requirement for dietary protein.
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