Vegan Mommy To Be

Re: Vegan Mommy To Be

• ljanette85 member

  July 2012

  I am   I was a strict vegan prior to pregnancy and through most of it (I may have cheated a bit with the cake here and there lol)

  I have just kept the diet well balanced, no big deal... no anemia or any issues. I say if your healthy just keep doing what your doing

  

  Report0 Reply
• Loading the player...
• AlyssaMicheal member

  July 2012

  Thanks so much!  congrats!

  Warning No formatter is installed for the format bbhtml

  Report0 Reply
• julie1408 member

  July 2012

  I would let your doctor know and have him check your vitamin levels when you do your other blood work.  Depending on how long you have been vegan, you might have a deficiency that you are unaware of.
  

  

  Report0 Reply
• MelissaMiso member

  July 2012

  If you eat a good variety, enough calories and take a good vegan prenatal with DHA (usually algae derived) you will be good to go. The only thing I was deficient in was vitamin D (I'm very fair skinned and don't go in the sun unprotected). Supplementing for a few months got my level up, then I stopped. Other than that, I had a completely uneventful pregnancy! Best of luck to you! Enjoy the journey.
  

  
  

  Report0 Reply
• Estee Mor

  July 2012

  I'm vegan too, and generally try to steer clear of processed foods and keep a healthy diet. Prior to getting pregnant, I used to eat tons of fresh vegetables and fruit throughout the day, some form of carb for lunch (pita with falafel and hummus, an avocado sandwich) and at night cooked carb, protein and vegetables (whole-grain rice with lentils, and a side of broccoli, couscous with a veg soup made from zucchini, onion, carrot, pumpkin and garbanzo beans). This was all great until I became pregnant and couldn't eat ANYTHING. I didn't vomit, but anything I ate caused terrible stomach aches, I had no appetite and didn't even feel hunger. For the first 12-13 weeks I ate horribly, small amounts of bread, mashed potatoes, crackers or some other plain carb. For energy (I felt faint most of the time) I resorted to Coke, apple juice and a few squares of dark chocolate here and there. I was afraid I wasn't taking care of my baby, but understood that at those early stages, the most important things are energy (= sugar) and folate. As I didn't eat folate (explained later), I took a B12 and folic acid supplement daily. This is because at this early stage folic acid is used by the baby to develop neural tube, spine etc. and most women don't have enough of it.
  Now that I'm feeling up for a little more food and able to look at healthier options, I consulted a dietitian. I actually eat slightly less now than before (metabolism slows, much more of the food is absorbed by the body and you feel full much faster and for longer). I eat several fruits a day (peaches, apples, melon, grapes). It's important to eat nuts and seeds for all the calcium, Omega-3 and other nutrients, so I bought almond butter (unprocessed, just ground almonds) which is great as a spread or on its own, walnuts, sunflower seeds and unroasted unsalted peanuts. Tahini (a spread from sesame seeds) is also full of calcium and iron, and great for you. For your protein, my dietitian said it's important to eat whole grains with proteins, that way your body absorbs whole protein. The examples I gave of my dinners are some, as are pasta with peas, rice with baked beans and more. Also, dark leafy greens are great for natural folate (- the safe equivalent of folic acid. half a cup of broccoli or spinach has more than the daily recommended amount of folate), iron and vitamin C. Vitamin C apparently assists with absorption of iron. I know it sounds like a lot, and up until last week I couldn't even think of eating a healthy and balanced diet. But generally, eating one or two small cooked meals with the 3 components: carb, protein, vegetable, and throughout the day getting your fresh veggies, fruit, nuts and seeds. I'm also considering a vitamin D supplement because I'm low on that (only low on my blood work!). Drinks - water is always the best. I treat myself with soy chocolate milk, no more Coke, but some juices too when I feel a craving for sweet. I also juice veggies now and then, like carrots. I haven't yet confronted any serious cravings, but I had my share of unhealthy eating and baby seems to be doing fine, thank goodness! Sorry for babbling so much, it's just that I just went through the same thing over the past few weeks, not eating right, worrying about nutrition, health, baby development etc., so I felt I have to share. Good luck and feel free to ask anything!

  

  Report0 Reply