Article: The green leafy kind like spinach, kale, collard greens, chard, and lettuce are best. Broccoli, asparagus, turnip greens, lentils, and kidney beans can fulfill your folate requirements to some extent, too. Beans and pumpkin seeds are good sources of iron as well. Try to mix up your sources so you get a variety of other nutrients, too. Having a wide variety of vegetables, nuts, and beans in your diet will ensure that you're on the right track. Whole meal bread and dried fruit, like apricots and raisins, are also good for iron. Fenugreek, oatmeal, dates, and fruits such as bananas, apples, and pomegranates are rich in non heme iron and folates, too. Make sure you have cereals, fruit juices, pastas, and breads fortified with iron, folic acid, and folates. Many products now come fortified with iron, often for this purpose. The pregnant vegan may need to take supplements to help meet the daily requirements of iron in the body. Supplements are usually taken after the first twenty weeks of pregnancy. However, you should be advised by your obstetrician or a nutritionist before taking any supplements. Dietary iron comes in two varieties: heme and non heme. Heme is easier to absorb but it is found only in animal sources. However, you can increase your intake of non heme iron through plant sources and/or through a supplement to compensate for a lack of heme iron. Folates play a crucial role in fetal development; in fact folate deficiency can lead to neural tube defect and incomplete development of the fetal spine. Folates are present in some of the foods listed above, but a supplement may also be wise. A daily folate supplement containing 400 micrograms of folate is recommended as soon as you start planning your pregnancy and should be continued through the 1st trimester. Your doctor will likely suggest a multi-vitamin and multi-mineral supplement containing 18 mg of iron, along with vitamin B12 and folates in the 2nd and 3rd trimesters. Ferrous, ferrous sulfate, ferrous citrate, ferric gluconate, and ferric sulfate are the types of iron frequently used in these supplements. You require 45 mg of iron daily to compensate for increased blood volume and the baby's requirements. Ideally, your hemoglobin should be above 11grams/dl. The need of iron in the body is higher in pregnancy than normal because of the blood formation that is taking place in the baby and the increase in blood volume for the mother. Blood helps in the transport of the important nutrients that are needed by the body and therefore more of the blood is required to transport the nutrients while one is pregnant. A vegan pregnant woman should watch out for signs of reduced blood in the body. This includes pale eyes, hands, having shortness of breath and getting tired easily. This is because iron helps in transformation of oxygen to the vital organs and therefore when it is reduced, the mother will have problems breathing.

What is a summary?
Load up on your vegetables. Eat more grains and fruits, too. Take an iron supplement. Take a folate supplement. Know how much iron your baby requires.