- Pregnancy
- Baby & Toddler
- Parents
- Getting Pregnant
- Baby Names
- Product Reviews
-
Registry
- Community
-
More
Want a personalized experience?
Download the free app
April 2020 Moms
kath1414
member
Vegetarian Mamas
kath1414
member
I noticed in other threads there was quite a few fellow vegetarians! I thought we could use this as a support thread for meal ideas, supplements etc.
Ive only been vegetarian for a year and since then I’ve been trying to transition to a fully plant based diet. It’s been tough but I just do the best I can!
I had bloodwork done a few months ago and B12 and iron levels were fine.. so I’m hoping they hold up during pregnancy. I take a B complex (daily since I’ve been pregnant).
Ive found it a bit harder being pregnant and consuming enough calories due to food aversions! Especially the last week I’ve been living off carbs mostly and have been soo hungry (but turned off of food at the same time).
Does everyone else plan on feeding their baby vegetarian? Is your SO vegetarian?
Mine is not but very supportive and trying to make more plant based choices/ meat free meals. He’s Slightly hesitant about having a vegetarian child but he realizes I’ll be the one home the most and feeding the child. There definitely could be some arguments about this in the future. So I’m looking for ideas / support from STM + !
Im also curious why everyone became vegetarian!?
For me it was a combination of health reasons, environmental and mainly ethical. I’ve never really liked meat but I always thought if I quit eating it I’d lose too much weight! I finally did some research and made the commitment and it’s been so great! I’ve really expanded the foods I eat and feel I eat so much healthier. I’ve maintained my weight and feel so much better (better digestion, more energy). I also feel like I’m doing some good for the planet and animals!
Ive only been vegetarian for a year and since then I’ve been trying to transition to a fully plant based diet. It’s been tough but I just do the best I can!
I had bloodwork done a few months ago and B12 and iron levels were fine.. so I’m hoping they hold up during pregnancy. I take a B complex (daily since I’ve been pregnant).
Ive found it a bit harder being pregnant and consuming enough calories due to food aversions! Especially the last week I’ve been living off carbs mostly and have been soo hungry (but turned off of food at the same time).
Does everyone else plan on feeding their baby vegetarian? Is your SO vegetarian?
Mine is not but very supportive and trying to make more plant based choices/ meat free meals. He’s Slightly hesitant about having a vegetarian child but he realizes I’ll be the one home the most and feeding the child. There definitely could be some arguments about this in the future. So I’m looking for ideas / support from STM + !
Im also curious why everyone became vegetarian!?
For me it was a combination of health reasons, environmental and mainly ethical. I’ve never really liked meat but I always thought if I quit eating it I’d lose too much weight! I finally did some research and made the commitment and it’s been so great! I’ve really expanded the foods I eat and feel I eat so much healthier. I’ve maintained my weight and feel so much better (better digestion, more energy). I also feel like I’m doing some good for the planet and animals!
Re: Vegetarian Mamas
I live in Philadelphia which is amazingly pro-vegan (I'm a 5 minute walk from 3 separate all vegan businesses: coffee shop/bakery, grocery/convenience store, and restaurant) so I'm very lucky to have lots of options, support and inspiration.
I went vegan for ethical reasons but environmental/health concerns have definitely become more of a factor for me in later life.
I've been tracking my nutrient intake in MyFitnessPal to make sure I'm doing well and so far have just been knocking it out of the park without much effort.
I take prenatals and b12, and drink fortified "milks" as well as OJ.
My main concern right now is how I will fit everything in my stomach as my belly gets bigger as I typically eat a very large volume of veggies😂😂😂.
Typical day rn looks like:
English muffin + avocado/hummus around 6am
Walk 2.5 miles to work
Breakfast burrito + protein shake around 9 or 10am
Lunch at 12 has been high quality frozen entrees for now but hoping to go back to leftovers once my energy goes back up 🤦♀️
Fruit + nuts and/or hummus + pretzels as afternoon snack
Possible gym session and/or Walk 2.5 miles home
Homemade dinner with lots of protein (beans, tempeh, seitan, tofu) and veggies; fanciness depending on energy.
Fruit + nuts or granola for dessert... or ice cream 😊
My sister is also vegetarian, and my brother and SIL are vegan, so I've had a great support system.
When people ask if MH is a vegetarian, I say, "no, he's Italian." Both DS (1 1/2) and DH eat both meat/fish and substitutes. Actually DS likes quorn chick'n better than real chicken. 😆
DS is also on a partial dairy free diet due to stomach issues, so he does nut milk, yogurt, and cheeses.
I've never, in all 18 years, taken any B supplements, and the doctors always say my levels are fine 🤷.
I will add, my prenatals are not vegetarian. They have fish oil in them. But I've decided that's ok for medical reasons.
But I'm excited to see so many vegetarians!
@emibemily a great vegan Chinese place in Philly just closed. New Harmony. I hope you got to go!
I've been vegetarian my entire life, my parents raised me vegetarian. Since last year i've slowly tried to cut back on dairy because of my endo. I've heard its very inflammatory in nature. I'm not fully vegan, I still eat yogurt (for the probiotics) and the occasional butter and ghee. I've been trying to incorporate more yogurt and ghee these days to help my body and the pregnancy.
My family's vegetarian for ethical and health reasons, and they never forced me to be vegetarian, but I can't fathom eating meat, i just love animals and the earth too much. I would ideally want to be fully vegan one day.
Foods i eat include: protein smoothies with nut milk and fruits for breakfast. Stir fry veggies with rice or an avacado sandwich for lunch. Trail mix or nuts with chocolate as a snack. I recently had a couple of boiled eggs this week and i really loved how the yolk tasted. I gave up eggs last year but I think my body is liking it these days, so i might indulge in eggs every now and then. Dinner is typically a wrap with hummus or rice and beans with some salsa or some quinoa with veggies.
@emibemily - It's amazing you walk 5 miles everyday! i wish i would be doing that.
@babybison 18 years! That’s fantastic!
@sanpelligrino so awesome your parents raised you vegetarian! I’m curious what age you were when your parents started educating you about it and how they did it? I’ve always said I’d feed my kid plant-based until they were old enough to decide for themself.
Ive been getting the vegetarian hello fresh meal boxes for almost a year. Unfortunately they don’t have a vegan option but it’s really given me a lot of meal inspiration and introduced me to new foods that I now love!
I've started making my own seitan and it has been life changing. The Abbey in Philly always hosted the vegan wing bowl for roller derby and I so missed it after moving to Amish country. I am always battling getting enough protein while keeping my soy intake down. Love me some peanut butter!
The TWW is over and I just found out I'm expecting. I think I actually might be due early May, but I don't see a board. I hope it's okay to post here.
I switched to a vegetarian diet about 5 years ago. I sometimes go back and forth between being a vegetarian and a pescatarian. I rarely prepare seafood, but sometimes I'll have it if I'm eating out. Since it's so early I guess I'll just listen to my body and be grateful to eat anything that doesn't make my stomach upset. My appetite has been very low since about 7 DPO. I didn't associate it with pregnancy because I didn't know I was expecting lol. Part of me is wondering if I'll start craving meat like Phoebe in "Friends".
My DH is a proud meat eater. The adjustment was a little rough at first, but now we're used to it. A lot of time we make complimentary meals. For example, if we make tacos, I make a bean based filled and DH makes meat. Sometimes I'll make something and DH will make a side of meat to go with it. We make it work.
DH has been vegetarian for years at a time, though he isn’t right now. I do anticipate that we’ll start kiddo on a veggie diet and, like others have said, try to figure out how to help him/her navigate the decision to eat meat when older.
I love the meal ideas - morning sickness hit hard the last two weeks, and suddenly I was only eating carbs. Looking forward to getting back in a rhythm this week. I’ve found some great recipes over the years on Cookie and Kate, Yup It’s Vegan, and Minimalist Baker, etc. I would love to know where you all find inspiration!
@lizm1234 welcome! You’re certainly welcome to post here!! I felt great the first few weeks of my pregnancy and the food aversions/ nausea hit around week 7. Even the thought of meat would make me gag! I couldn’t even eat this beyond meat I had cooked!! I was watching TV yesterday though and someone had a sandwich with meat and I thought it looked good. It’s tough because I’m hungry constantly yet have so many aversions!
@babybison this is the second mention of macaroons today and I am feeling like I must have them now!
I used to use arbonne protein powder. I liked the taste of that much more!
@sanpelligrino I like Whole Foods brand pea protein isolate to add to smoothies or even oatmeal. It's super duper plain and only a tiny bit chalky which is an improvement over most that I've tried.
@kath1414 I tried the chocolate flavored Vega sometime last year and didnt quite liked how it mixed in my smoothies, so you're right! I'll have to look up the arbonne protein as well, never heard of that one.
Hows everyone doing with their diets? I know mine could be better.
Im not as nauseous or as sensitive to smells.. and I’m hungry all the time but as soon as I have a healthy dish to eat I have no appetite. Just pick away at it slowly. I’m still finding it easiest to eat carbs!
I know I need to eat more and healthier and I’m feeling guilty about it!
My OB recommends 30g of protein starting in the second trimester. It seems like an impossible task seeing as I can even drink the recommended amount of water.
Do you guys have any ideas? I thought about adding a protein shake, but they just taste so blech to me. 🤔
Otherwise I’m not much help right now. My diet mainly consists of bread and fruit. I’ve developed serious fruit cravings in this pregnancy! I’ve been adding some salads back in the last few weeks though.
I have hope that things will get better! I’m 15 weeks now and my nausea and food aversions are about 90% gone and I’m way less tired so might have some more kitchen motivation. I just have to get back into the habit.
I might add a chocolate milk. Not even a healthy one. Just a regular kids milk box. There's like 9g in there and it actually tastes worth it