NS325 Unit 2 Vegetarian Prenatal Plan Example

Course	NS325 Nutrition Through the Life Cycle
Unit	Unit 2
Paper type	Prenatal nutrition plan
Length	About 890 words, 6 pages double-spaced
Format	APA 7 student paper
School	Purdue University Global
Program	BS in Nutrition Science
Updated	October 2026

Free sample paper for NS325 Unit 2

Meals Between Two Bus Routes: A Unit 2 Prenatal Nutrition Plan for a Lacto-Ovo Vegetarian at 16 Weeks

[Student Name]

Purdue University Global

NS325: Nutrition Through the Life Cycle

Unit 2 Prenatal Nutrition Plan

[Instructor Name]

[Date]

The client, her schedule and her diet are composite; the dietary reference intake reports, weight gain guidelines, caffeine opinion and vegetarian position paper cited are real.

What this part is doingNaming her schedule and diet in the lead shows the plan will be fitted to a real day, not to a generic pregnancy.

Profile

A.R. is 27 and 16 weeks pregnant with her first child. Her pre-pregnancy body mass index was 22.4. She has eaten a lacto-ovo vegetarian diet since her teens: dairy and eggs, no meat, poultry or fish. She drives a school bus on a split shift, leaving the depot at 6:15 a.m., parking in the bus lot from about 9:00 to 1:30, and driving again until 4:30 p.m. She drinks four 8-ounce cups of brewed coffee a day. Her prenatal vitamin contains folic acid, iron and iodine. She has no complications.

Physiology Behind the Requirements

The second trimester is when the mother's blood volume and red cell mass expand most rapidly and fetal growth begins to accelerate. Each requirement below follows from that.

1. Energy. Needs rise by about 340 kcal a day in the second trimester (Institute of Medicine, 2005). With a normal pre-pregnancy BMI, a total gain of 25 to 35 pounds is recommended, about a pound a week from now on (Institute of Medicine & National Research Council, 2009).

2. Protein. The Recommended Dietary Allowance rises to 71 g a day to build placental, fetal and maternal tissue (Institute of Medicine, 2005).

3. Iron. Red cell expansion and the fetus's own stores raise the RDA to 27 mg. Iron from plant foods is absorbed less well than iron from meat, so the reference intakes apply a factor of 1.8 for vegetarians, giving about 49 mg (Institute of Medicine, 2001).

4. Iodine. Thyroid hormone production rises in pregnancy, and the fetus depends on it for brain development; the RDA is 220 mcg (Institute of Medicine, 2001).

5. Choline. Needed for fetal brain and nerve development; the Adequate Intake is 450 mg, and eggs are her richest source (Institute of Medicine, 1998).

6. Vitamin B12. Found naturally only in animal foods; her dairy and eggs supply some, and the RDA is 2.6 mcg (Institute of Medicine, 1998).

7. Folate. 600 mcg dietary folate equivalents, much of it from her prenatal vitamin.

Well-planned vegetarian diets are appropriate during pregnancy, with attention to iron, B12, iodine, zinc and omega-3 fats (Melina et al., 2016).

Because her iron need is nearly doubled by the vegetarian factor and she eats no meat, iron is the nutrient this plan works hardest on, pairing every iron-rich meal with vitamin C and keeping her coffee away from it.

What this part is doingThe highlighted sentence names the plan's main priority and the reason for it.

Caffeine

Four cups of brewed coffee contain roughly 380 mg of caffeine. Moderate intake of less than 200 mg a day does not appear to be a major contributing factor in miscarriage or preterm birth (American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, 2010). The plan reduces her coffee to two cups, one before the morning route and one in the bus lot, and suggests decaffeinated coffee for the afternoon. Coffee also reduces nonheme iron absorption, so it is moved at least an hour away from her iron-rich meals.

A Day That Fits the Routes

1. 5:45 a.m., at home: two scrambled eggs, whole-wheat toast with peanut butter, an orange and one cup of coffee. Choline from the eggs, vitamin C from the orange with the iron in the toast and egg.

2. 9:15 a.m., bus lot: Greek yogurt with iron-fortified cereal and strawberries, from a small cooler bag.

3. 11:30 a.m., bus lot: a lentil and vegetable soup from a thermos, a whole-grain roll and a cup of cheese. Lentils are her main iron source; tomatoes in the soup add vitamin C.

4. 1:15 p.m., before the afternoon route: one cup of coffee or decaf, hummus and carrot sticks.

5. 5:15 p.m., at home: black bean and cheese burritos with peppers and salsa, sautéed spinach and a glass of milk.

6. 8:30 p.m.: a hard-boiled egg or a handful of almonds and a cup of milk.

This day supplies roughly 2,400 kcal and about 95 g of protein. Iron from food reaches about 25 mg; her prenatal vitamin adds 27 mg, which together meet the adjusted target. Iodine comes from milk, yogurt, eggs and iodized salt in cooking, with her vitamin covering the rest.

What this part is doingTotaling the day against the targets shows the plan was checked, not just written.

Shopping and Preparation

The plan uses foods already in her kitchen: eggs, yogurt, cheese, lentils, beans, whole-grain bread and fortified cereal. Soup and burrito filling are made on Sunday in large batches and frozen in single portions. A cooler bag with an ice pack keeps the bus lot meals safe for the four hours she is parked.

Monitoring

Weight is checked at each prenatal visit against the expected gain of about a pound a week. Her provider's hemoglobin test at 24 to 28 weeks will show whether the iron plan is working. If she cannot keep to two cups of coffee, the plan suggests tracking caffeine from all sources for a week.

Referral

A.R. would benefit from a visit with a registered dietitian through her prenatal clinic, particularly to review B12 and omega-3 intake, since she eats no fish and her prenatal vitamin may not contain DHA.

References

American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. (2010). ACOG Committee Opinion No. 462: Moderate caffeine consumption during pregnancy. Obstetrics & Gynecology, 116(2), 467-468. https://doi.org/10.1097/AOG.0b013e3181eeb2a1

Institute of Medicine. (1998). Dietary reference intakes for thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, vitamin B6, folate, vitamin B12, pantothenic acid, biotin, and choline. National Academies Press. https://doi.org/10.17226/6015

Institute of Medicine. (2001). Dietary reference intakes for vitamin A, vitamin K, arsenic, boron, chromium, copper, iodine, iron, manganese, molybdenum, nickel, silicon, vanadium, and zinc. National Academies Press. https://doi.org/10.17226/10026

Institute of Medicine. (2005). Dietary reference intakes for energy, carbohydrate, fiber, fat, fatty acids, cholesterol, protein, and amino acids. National Academies Press. https://doi.org/10.17226/10490

Institute of Medicine & National Research Council. (2009). Weight gain during pregnancy: Reexamining the guidelines. National Academies Press. https://doi.org/10.17226/12584

Melina, V., Craig, W., & Levin, S. (2016). Position of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics: Vegetarian diets. Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, 116(12), 1970-1980. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jand.2016.09.025

The Purdue Global NS325 Unit 2 instructions

The prenatal plan asks students to describe a pregnant client, set out her changing needs and translate them into food. Prompts usually require a profile, requirements with sources, a sample day or menu and a rationale. Lead each requirement with the physiology that drives it. Use the dietary reference intakes for pregnancy and note any adjustments, such as the vegetarian iron factor. State the recommended weight gain for her pre-pregnancy BMI. Address habits that matter, such as caffeine, with a sourced limit. Build meals from foods she already eats and fit them to her schedule. Total the day against the targets. Refer to her prenatal care team for supplements and complications. Plans of four to five pages are common.

How this NS325 Unit 2 example is built

The plan opens with a profile covering her age, week of pregnancy, BMI, diet, schedule, coffee and prenatal vitamin. Seven numbered requirements follow, each tied to physiology and a reference intake. The highlighted sentence makes iron the plan's main priority. A caffeine section estimates her intake at about 380 mg and halves it. Six eating occasions fit her day, from 5:45 a.m. at home to an evening snack, with two meals eaten in the bus lot. A total shows roughly 2,400 kcal, 95 g of protein and iron that meets the adjusted target with her vitamin. Shopping, monitoring and a referral close the plan, including a note on omega-3 fats.

Where the points sit in the NS325 Unit 2 rubric

Prenatal plans are usually graded on accuracy of requirements, use of physiology, practicality of meals and attention to the client's circumstances. Points go to applying the right reference values and adjustments, such as the vegetarian factor for iron. Explaining why each need rises earns credit beyond listing numbers. Meals should fit the client's schedule and food preferences. A sourced caffeine limit is often expected. Checking the sample day against targets shows rigor. Organization and citations are also assessed. Plans built around foods the client does not eat usually lose practicality points. Separating iron-rich meals from coffee is a detail graders often credit. Planning batch cooking around a real schedule is often credited as practical thinking.

NS325 Unit 2 help from the desk

Prenatal plans often list requirements without explaining the physiology behind them. Another common gap is ignoring the vegetarian iron factor. Some plans use foods the client never eats, which makes them unrealistic. Caffeine is mentioned without a number or a source. Meals are written for a nine-to-five day when the client's schedule is different. Weight gain targets are omitted. Supplements are prescribed rather than referred. If you have the client's details but are unsure where to begin, list what is building in her body this trimester. A writer can turn that list into a full plan. Starting from her actual day, not an ideal one, makes the plan far more likely to be followed.

Get an NS325 Unit 2 example written to your instructions

Send the Unit 2 case exactly as the prompt describes her, including the detail that makes the pregnancy particular, along with your instructions and rubric. That detail organizes the whole plan, whether it is a vegetarian pattern, a teenage pregnancy, twins or a night shift. The first custom sample costs nothing and arrives in 24-48h. The paper above is an original model document written by our desk, not a submitted student paper and not an official Purdue University Global document.

More NS325 papers and BS in Nutrition Science samples

NS325 Unit 2 questions, answered

Should the plan give exact calorie numbers?

It should give the increment the course's reference source uses, with the source, the year and the point at which it begins. The National Academies revised the energy equations in 2023, so an older textbook figure may differ from a newer one, and naming the edition settles that. Individual calorie targets for a real person belong with her prenatal team.

Can the plan name specific supplements?

It can describe what prenatal supplements typically contain and why, citing a source, but choosing a product or dose for a described woman crosses into her prenatal care. Most rubrics reward a plan that names the question, such as whether an algae-based omega-3 fits a diet without fish, and routes it, over one that answers it.

Does the plan need a full week of menus?

Only when the prompt requests one. Many sections want requirements explained and translated into a typical day or two, and a full week adds length without adding marks unless it is requested. Where a menu does appear, it should use foods the described woman already eats and fit the hours she actually has.

Where can I find a free NS325 Unit 2 sample paper?

This page has a complete Unit 2 prenatal plan for a lacto-ovo vegetarian at 16 weeks, with requirements, a caffeine plan and a day of meals fitted to a split shift.

How much iron do vegetarians need in pregnancy?

The pregnancy RDA is 27 mg, and the reference intakes multiply iron needs by 1.8 for vegetarians because plant iron is absorbed less well, giving about 49 mg.