Following The Planetary Health Diet in pregnancy can meet key nutrient requirements, suggesting that women who eat more sustainably in pregnancy may have higher intakes of several key-pregnancy-related nutrients, including folate, iron, calcium, and dietary fibre.

Due to the environmental impact of food production, there is an urgent need to rethink how and what we eat, and the researchers in this study wanted to explore whether sustainable dietary patterns are feasible in pregnancy.

The Planetary Health Diet is a mostly plant-based diet that aims to optimise human health whilst minimising the environmental impact of food production. The diet differs from that of vegan and vegetarian diets as it emphasises plant-based foods, with reduced intake of animal-based food products such as red and processed meats.

Limited studies have investigated whether the Planetary Health Diet fulfils key nutritional requirements in early pregnancy. This study, entitled 'Alignment of the Planetary Health Diet with Pregnancy Dietary Guidelines: Insights from Two Cohorts', is among the first studies to investigate the Planetary Health Diet in pregnancy, and how it aligns with daily nutrient intakes and European Food Safety Authority dietary guidelines; it was recently published in the British Journal of Nutrition.

The study, conducted at UCD Perinatal Research Centre, included 678 pregnant women from two Irish cohorts who attended The National Maternity Hospital in Dublin for their pregnancy care. Women completed dietary assessments in the first trimester of pregnancy, and this data was used to calculate Planetary Health Diet Index scores.

The study found that women with higher adherence to the Planetary Health Diet in early pregnancy had daily higher intakes of key nutrients including dietary folate, iron, calcium, and fibre.

Senior author, Full Professor of Obstetrics and Gynaecology at UCD School of Medicine and the National Maternity Hospital, and leading expert in perinatal health research, Prof Fionnuala McAuliffe said: "The findings showed that adhering to a planetary health diet in pregnancy results in better intakes of many important nutrients in pregnancy and, at the same time, supports environmental sustainability."

Pregnancy is a time when nutrition needs to be carefully considered and there is a need for the population as a whole to move toward a more sustainable diet. The researchers conclude from their findings that the Planetary Health Diet in pregnancy meets most, but not all, nutrient requirements.

Although intakes were higher in the Planetary Health Diet Index scores for many nutrients, as for all pregnant women, it is still advised that additional supplements of folate, vitamin D and iodine are taken during pregnancy to meet the additional nutritional needs of Mum and baby.

The study was conducted by researchers at UCD Perinatal Research Centre, The National Maternity Hospital, Technological University Dublin and University College Dublin.