Vegetarian Soon-To-Be-Mamas?

Rogue237 · August 2013

Hello! I'm actually a pescetarian (I eat fish, but no meat), and I was just wondering if there were any other non-meat eaters with April 2014 due dates? I'm already worried that I'm going to end up craving a steak or something lol. Have you guys thought at all about what you'd do if a meat craving hits? (a la Phoebe from Friends

)

ZebNMichelle · August 2013

Hey I'm veg ... I think I was kinda wanting fried chicken last night... But it was easy to pass up.

Rogue237 · August 2013

Would you eat meat if you really started craving it? I don't think I would, but my hubs (a vegetarian of 16 years) is like "if you want chicken, I'm giving you chicken immediately." haha

tushjhav · August 2013

Im vegetarian-always have been..no fish or meat. I do eat eggs and dairy. Dr. warned me about too much tofu/soy converts to estrogen, which is not good if im carrying a boy! Other than that, lots of milk, yogurt, lentils and beans:-)

fiendelle · August 2013

i'm a veggie too- no, no cravings for meat ever lol! I picked up Mc D's for hubby last week and his disgusting big mac smelled SO GOOD but I would never take a bite. :-&

Rogue237 · August 2013

tushjhav said:

Im vegetarian-always have been..no fish or meat. I do eat eggs and dairy. Dr. warned me about too much tofu/soy converts to estrogen, which is not good if im carrying a boy! Other than that, lots of milk, yogurt, lentils and beans:-)

Interesting - I didn't think about too much soy. I'm not big into tofu, but I love tempeh. I'll have to talk to my doctor about that!

KNSATX · August 2013

I've been vegetarian for 15 years and vegan for five. I guarantee I'll never crave meat Non issue.

nikki912 · August 2013

I've been a lazy vegetarian/vegan for the last three years or so. Lazy as in if someone else is cooking for me i wont turn down anything but pork- thats a no go. But when im cooking for myself i usually go vegan...unless im being lazy then its probably vegetarian.

ETA: typo

kangstadt · August 2013

I'm a first time mom and a vegetarian. I've been a veghead since I was a kid, off and on, but steady vegetarian the last five years. I found myself craving KFC popcorn chicken the other day (a weakness of mine when I was a kid) but I don't think I'll give in. I haven't actually thrown up yet, and I know introducing chicken after so long would probably make me ill. Any suggestions for alternative high protein foods? I've been nauseated for the past three weeks and have actually lost weight.

Rogue237 · August 2013

kangstadt said:

I'm a first time mom and a vegetarian. I've been a veghead since I was a kid, off and on, but steady vegetarian the last five years. I found myself craving KFC popcorn chicken the other day (a weakness of mine when I was a kid) but I don't think I'll give in. I haven't actually thrown up yet, and I know introducing chicken after so long would probably make me ill. Any suggestions for alternative high protein foods? I've been nauseated for the past three weeks and have actually lost weight.

I like to cook with seitan for high protein - it's closest to beef. I use the crumbles from Uptown Naturals. The only warning is that you shouldn't eat it if you have a wheat/gluten issue. It's soy-free, but it's basically wheat gluten, so if you're sensitive to that, I'd avoid it. As far as something closer to poultry, I like the Quorn brand - it's also soy-free and tastes semi-close.

mdarmetko · August 2013

I've been vegan for a little over 3 years and vegetarian for about 22 years. I never crave meat, so I don't see it happening. If I did, I would not give in and would try to find a substitute instead. I'm morally against it, so I wouldn't think it's "okay" for me just because of a craving, but again I don't see it happening. I try to eat a plant based diet for the most part.

Rogue237 · August 2013

@mdarmetko - I am vegetarian for moral reasons as well (slaughterhouse practices), so i think the same - that I wouldn't give in to a craving. But I do see some horror stories on how serious those cravings can get later on and - as someone who's never been pregnant before - I don't know how crazy that gets haha.

Has anyway gone through a pregnancy previously where they've had some serious cravings?

mdarmetko · August 2013

Rogue237 Yeah, I hear cravings can be a b****! A woman I know who has been vegetarian for 20-something years craved ribs during her first pregnancy. She allowed herself to have some some and report that it wasn't very satisfying. Here is a blogger I follow that talk about her pregnancy cravings as a vegetarian: https://www.dailygarnish.com/2011/04/pregnancy-cravings-vegetarianism.html.

Rogue237 · August 2013

mdarmetko said:

Rogue237 Yeah, I hear cravings can be a b****! A woman I know who has been vegetarian for 20-something years craved ribs during her first pregnancy. She allowed herself to have some some and report that it wasn't very satisfying. Here is a blogger I follow that talk about her pregnancy cravings as a vegetarian: https://www.dailygarnish.com/2011/04/pregnancy-cravings-vegetarianism.html.

Awesome find, thanks! That leads me to another question that hopefully won't start too much of a hot debate - will you guys be raising your kids as vegetarians/pescetarians/vegans/whatever you are? My husband has been a vegetarian for a very long time, but we've always agreed to let our kid grow up with meat (sparingly and the most humane kind we can find), so that they can stomach it, and let them make the decision when they're old enough.

Thoughts?

mdarmetko · August 2013

If I have my way, I will be raising them vegan. DH is not vegan at all, and is not 100% convinced it is "safe". My personal belief is that a plant based vegan is healthier than a non-vegan diet, if done correctly. I'm definitely healthier than most meat eaters I know. I understand there are some vegans or vegetarians who are junk food vegans/vegetarians, and I'd try to avoid my kids becoming that at all costs. That being said, when my child is old enough to make dietary requests for themselves, I will let them. However, I will educate them on where the meat is coming from and how they get milk for cheese. We'll see how that goes

.

mdarmetko · August 2013

I also want to add that even though I'm a big believer in the vegan diet, I in no way mean to offend anyone with my beliefs. I'm not a vegan who tries to turn everyone around me vegan. People are allowed to make their own choices. I mean, I married a meat-eater, so that has to be obvious! Anyway, I just didn't want to come off as a dick.

Rogue237 · August 2013

mdarmetko said:

If I have my way, I will be raising them vegan. DH is not vegan at all, and is not 100% convinced it is "safe". My personal belief is that a plant based vegan is healthier than a non-vegan diet, if done correctly. I'm definitely healthier than most meat eaters I know. I understand there are some vegans or vegetarians who are junk food vegans/vegetarians, and I'd try to avoid my kids becoming that at all costs. That being said, when my child is old enough to make dietary requests for themselves, I will let them. However, I will educate them on where the meat is coming from and how they get milk for cheese. We'll see how that goes .

I've heard that kids can have issues digesting meat when they're older if they haven't been exposed to it earlier on - have you looked into that at all? I'm actually just curious, because it's one of those things I've always heard, but I don't know where people are getting those facts from...

mdarmetko · August 2013

Rogue237 said:

mdarmetko said:

If I have my way, I will be raising them vegan. DH is not vegan at all, and is not 100% convinced it is "safe". My personal belief is that a plant based vegan is healthier than a non-vegan diet, if done correctly. I'm definitely healthier than most meat eaters I know. I understand there are some vegans or vegetarians who are junk food vegans/vegetarians, and I'd try to avoid my kids becoming that at all costs. That being said, when my child is old enough to make dietary requests for themselves, I will let them. However, I will educate them on where the meat is coming from and how they get milk for cheese. We'll see how that goes .

I've heard that kids can have issues digesting meat when they're older if they haven't been exposed to it earlier on - have you looked into that at all? I'm actually just curious, because it's one of those things I've always heard, but I don't know where people are getting those facts from...

I haven't researched it, but it makes sense. A humans body has to do a lot of extra work to break down meat (hence why they say vegans live longer because the body doesn't expend unneeded energy -- but who knows right?). And (again in my personal beliefs) we aren't necessarily born to eat meat or dairy from another mammal. A lot of infants have issue digesting cow's milk at first because their systems aren't built for it. They have to get use to it. My SIL has raised both of my nieces vegan and their development and health are above average. She has done a ton of research herself (I just a little), but once I'm further along I'll definitely do some heavy research of my own. If I decide it's unsafe, I'll have to revisit my plan. I also have no problem involving a help of a nutritionist if I need professional opinions.

Rogue237 · August 2013

mdarmetko said:

Rogue237 said:

mdarmetko said:

If I have my way, I will be raising them vegan. DH is not vegan at all, and is not 100% convinced it is "safe". My personal belief is that a plant based vegan is healthier than a non-vegan diet, if done correctly. I'm definitely healthier than most meat eaters I know. I understand there are some vegans or vegetarians who are junk food vegans/vegetarians, and I'd try to avoid my kids becoming that at all costs. That being said, when my child is old enough to make dietary requests for themselves, I will let them. However, I will educate them on where the meat is coming from and how they get milk for cheese. We'll see how that goes .

I've heard that kids can have issues digesting meat when they're older if they haven't been exposed to it earlier on - have you looked into that at all? I'm actually just curious, because it's one of those things I've always heard, but I don't know where people are getting those facts from...

I haven't researched it, but it makes sense. A humans body has to do a lot of extra work to break down meat (hence why they say vegans live longer because the body doesn't expend unneeded energy -- but who knows right?). And (again in my personal beliefs) we aren't necessarily born to eat meat or dairy from another mammal. A lot of infants have issue digesting cow's milk at first because their systems aren't built for it. They have to get use to it. My SIL has raised both of my nieces vegan and their development and health are above average. She has done a ton of research herself (I just a little), but once I'm further along I'll definitely do some heavy research of my own. If I decide it's unsafe, I'll have to revisit my plan. I also have no problem involving a help of a nutritionist if I need professional opinions.

I'd be interested to hear what you find out if you think to check back down the road!

KNSATX · August 2013

We'll be raising our kid(s) vegan. My husband is vegetarian but our home is vegan. I'm not a dictator; he's just respectful and is pretty much in agreement values-wise. His rule for me is I need to feed him well in order to keep the house vegan. No complaints on that front in the past five years- I think I'm good! There will be plenty of age-appropriate discussions when the time comes and of course we know our kid(s) will make their own decisions some day, but I trust our future guidance will allow them to make educated decisions that are best all around.

SB31 · August 2013

Vegetarian for over 20 years and I craved zero meat last pregnancy. The thought was even more repulsive than usual. So far, this one has been the same.

ZebNMichelle · August 2013

Rogue237 said:
Would you eat meat if you really started craving it? I don't think I would, but my hubs (a vegetarian of 16 years) is like "if you want chicken, I'm giving you chicken immediately." haha

No I would not ... Yuck!

ZebNMichelle · August 2013

I had a photographer that was a veg and when she was pregnant she craved KFC she would drive by and inhal the smell.

Rogue237 · August 2013

ZebNMichelle said:
I had a photographer that was a veg and when she was pregnant she craved KFC she would drive by and inhal the smell.

Haha that's a good solution!

nikki912 · August 2013

Video of a kid finding out where meat comes from. Kind of heartbreaking!

https://www.essentialkids.com.au/preschoolers/preschooler-development/boy-realises-where-meat-comes-from-20130626-2ovxt.html

kangstadt · August 2013

Rogue237 said:
Awesome find, thanks! That leads me to another question that hopefully won't start too much of a hot debate - will you guys be raising your kids as vegetarians/pescetarians/vegans/whatever you are? My husband has been a vegetarian for a very long time, but we've always agreed to let our kid grow up with meat (sparingly and the most humane kind we can find), so that they can stomach it, and let them make the decision when they're old enough.

Thoughts?

I'm planning on allowing some meat - as you say, the most organic/humane kind possible - for the nutritional reasons and so there are no digestive problems later on if the child does choose to eat meat, and also because I don't believe in forcing anyone to follow one path in life just because I do. However, I'd really hope that once my child is old enough, they're able to make their own choice (and I'd secretly hope that would be to stick with vegetarianism). My significant other is a meat-eater, so our baby will be exposed to both sides of the argument in a sense. Hopefully with his nursing/health background and my chef career, our kid will grow up with a good appreciation of healthy food - vegetarian or not.

pdilly2b · August 2013

Veg here too, as is DS. I believe the soy thing is a myth. Lots of other cultures have heavy soy diets and their men are just fine.

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