how do you get enough iron or protein if you're vegetarian or meat-averse?

missbryn · May 2012

I'm not a vegetarian (and usually love red meat), but this pregnancy I'm totally averse to meat -- just the thought (still at 25w!) makes me gaggy. But I'm really starting to worry about my iron intake, and I'm concerned about getting enough protein in general. (I have mentioned this to be midwife but she's kind of shrugged it off, even though the good old internet seems to share my concern.) Anyone have any non-meat meal ideas, recipes, or even snack foods that would add extra iron and/or protein to my diet? Thanks!

tetiananina · May 2012

I posted about this yesterday. Google Vegetarian while pregnant. They will give you good ideas. Lots of Beans, Peanut Butter, Dark Green Veggies. Eggs? I was worried but then I realized there are plenty of other ways to get protein. Greek Yogurt is good also or Cheese?

Petunia844 · May 2012

There was a thread about this yesterday that might help:

https://community.thebump.com/cs/ks/forums/thread/66258899.aspx

tetiananina · May 2012

DC2London:

Use quinoa. You can put it in/on anything. I make it for breakfast with fruit and agave. I also make quinoa muffins and baked quinoa. For lunch I eat it with beans, cheese, and avocado stirred in (I make a vinaigrette with red wine vinegar, lime juice, olive oil, cumin and chili powder for this). For dinner I mix finely chopped sauteed veggies with it, add Mediterranean spices, chopped olives and goat cheese and stuff it all inside bell peppers. Quinoa has protein AND iron, so it's basically a super food.

Spinach, carrots, and kale are great sources of iron. Legumes (especially lentils) have iron and protein as well.

I don't eat red meat, ever, and I have had aversions to all other animal protein sources during each of my pregnancies, so I always have ways to sneak extra iron and protein in.

Your Quinoa recipes sound yummy. Do you just do them from scratch or do you have recipes?

Chocodoxies · May 2012

I am a vegan usually, however for this pregnancy I crave eggs so I am more of a vegetarian. If you are vegetarian, you need a little more than an egg a day worth of protein (based on a 2000 calorie diet) which is about 50 grams of protein a day, and you need about 58. Now a lot of what you eat in a day has protein in it, and there is a huge misconception about how much protein a human needs in a day already, and yes we do need more when we are pregnant but by no means does that mean anything short of a steak is going to do us harm. I have been big on eggs, so that is quite a bit of protein, but normally I get my protein through beans, nuts (almond milk is great as is soy milk which I don't care for), veggies (broccoli, spinach, artichokes, avocados & asparagus), seitan, tempeh, and our various meat substitutes (tofurkey, beef-less ground beef, smart dogs) which are not to be used to supply the majority of your protein but do provide some. The majority of the same foods listed above provide the necessary iron for health. If these two things are worrying you I would suggest you meet with a nutritionist. As much as I know about my own healthy eating habits, it was all accumulated over years. The early stages of veganism and vegetarianism left me wanting until I found how to cook foods that fulfilled my needs both taste wise and health wise. If you are listening to your body and eating what you craving you are probably doing well. Best of luck to you!

Mrs Carbo · May 2012

I'm definitely not vegetarian but a while back I discovered Morning Star Farms chick patties. They're really yummy and nice and crispy when cooked in the oven. I usually make a mock burger with a slice of melted cheese, lettuce, tomato, onion, and ketchup on a roll. It's a healthy non meat alternative and a good way to get a bunch of food groups in.

Ladiebug710 · May 2012

I definately relied on dairy for a lot of my protein early on.

missbryn · June 2012

Thanks so much! Quinoa is great to know about -- I used to eat it to increase my milk supply while nursing DD during growth spurts, and I liked it; but I didn't pay attention to it's other attributes. Thanks for the other ideas and the link, too!

how do you get enough iron or protein if you're vegetarian or meat-averse?

Re: how do you get enough iron or protein if you're vegetarian or meat-averse?

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