Nutrient deficiencies before and during pregnancy increase the risk of adverse outcomes for mother and baby. As a result, there are a range of specific recommendations for intakes of various vitamins and minerals in pregnancy. However, the recent emergence of popular diets that restrict the intake of specific nutrients, foods or food groups may therefore pose risks to a healthy pregnancy, specifically through inadequate or low intakes of iron, zinc, iodine, folic acid, vitamin B12, vitamin D, and/or omega-3 fatty acids. This project will (i) investigate the prevalence of adherence to vegetarian, vegan, low carbohydrate, ketogenic, and intermittent fasting dietary patterns among pregnant women; and (ii) analyse the nutrient intakes of mothers adhering to these diets in order to identify whether potential nutrient deficiencies exist in these populations. These outcomes will inform future research, practice and information dissemination to clinicians and patients around mitigating the potential risk of nutrient deficiencies during adherence to popular diets.
