Raw Vegan and Pregnant - Page 2

[xzaviers_mama]

Originally Posted by wombjuice 

Oh c'mon, mamas, really?  I am the first one to tell pregnant mamas to listen to their bodies, but sometimes we crave things that are not necessarily good for us.  I crave salt and vinegar potato chips and cheesecake every time I have PMS...does that mean my body needs it?  No.  Now, I am not saying this mama does not need beef...only she can make that decision.  But just because we are "craving" something doesn't mean our bodies really need it.  What is a craving, anyway?  Is it a signal from the body-in-need or a desire-for-pleasure from the brain?  When we crave a burger, are we craving a lump of meat, unseasoned, lying on a plate...or are we craving the combination of the burger bun with the cheese and the mustard and pickles and the salt and pepper and...etc.?

To the OP, if you are truly interested in maintaining a healthy raw vegan diet during pregnancy (which, contrary to popular belief, can be a BUILDING diet if done well and if consuming enough calories--mainly through fruit with some greens and some overt fats thrown in there), I recommend you check out the book, "Creating Healthy Children" by Karen Ranzi (and if even more interested, "The 80-10-10 Diet" by Dr. Douglas Graham).  Raw is the natural diet of all the great apes, including humans.  We are the only species on the planet that cooks our food.  And we are the only species (with the exception of domesticated animals now, who also eat cooked foods) with degenerative disease.  Raw makes sense.  But don't believe me...do your own research so you can make an informed decision regarding the best foods for you and your little one in-utero.

I wish you many blessings for a beautiful pregnancy and birth!

I was thinking the same thing!  I crave sweets.  All. The. Time.  lol... that certainly doesn't mean I need to give in to the craving, because "my body" says so.  

[ahimsamom]

Just wanted to see how all the pregnant raw moms are doing! Hope you are all hanging in there, I know it is tough.

[wombjuice]

I haven't been doing very well on the raw front.  I'm probably only 25% raw at the moment and 15 weeks pregnant.  I wasn't able to stomach the thought of anything raw my first trimester, and now I can but still haven't gotten back into the swing of things.  I want to eat 75% raw for the rest of my pregnancy (in fact, I was instructed to by my (pregnant) self in a dream) and then go back to 100% after babe is born. 

[celeste kp]

I've been vegan for 7 years and have been vegetarian since '91,so I,too,haven't had meat in a very long time. Also,I'm 16 weeks pregnant. I have been lucky to not have had any out-of-control cravings,so far,but I have had some "normal" cravings for meat. Early on in my pregnancy,I had an intense craving for a roast chicken dinner. I had seen a big family,on t.v., passing around a plate of roast chicken and all the fixings. I thought that this was exactly what I wanted/needed. Then I got to thinking. I didn't want the actual chicken. The idea of eating meat repulsed me too much to do that. What I realized what I wanted was what the roast chicken dinner represented. It,to me,represented simpler times.  Being fed wonderful meals by my mom. Eating dinner with my family. Being driven to school and other functions. Someone else paying for everything-bills,clothes, food. Someone else doing the laundry. Basically,being cared for. To me,a roast chicken dinner is the ultimate symbol of comfort. So,instead of making up a big roast dinner (which would have completely freaked out my husband),I made the vegan version of it. I made my own "chicken" with vital wheat gluten and spices, vegan mashed potatoes,corn on the cob, and even some cranberry sauce. Everything my mom would have made with out the animal. Somtimes,I crave a burger,but then I realize,once again,that I want what that burger represents to me-big family functions,summer time, freedom from responsibility,etc. So,I just make a vegan burger with all the condiments. I can't even tell that it's not a burger by the time I'm done putting all the ketchup,mustard,pickles,etc,on it.

I think that since your body is going through so much change and it's all so overwhelming at times,your cravings could be coming from the desire to hold on to the simpler times. I don't even have the best relationship with my mom,but I have had some serious moments where I wanted my mom (or my mommy,as I call her in my child mind) to comfort me and make it all better. Also,pregnancy and the changing of your body represents something even scarier-the end of life as you know it. That's scary as hell,if you ask me. Of course you want/need comfort,and what is the first thing we all run to when we need comfort? Food. More specifically,food from our youth. It represents all that our mind is craving at this huge life-changing moment. It's scary. It's overwhelming as hell. And it's all normal.

I hope that this can help you. But,I would also say that if you can't find a way to take care of your cravings in a veg way,you're just going to have to forgive yourself for eating meat while pregnant. I hope,if it's what you want,that you will find your way back to this lifestyle once you get things back under control (whatever that means). If you "have" to eat meat in order to save your sanity,so be it as long as you know that you don't need it and your baby doesn't need it (just mentioning this in case you've been being "brainwashed" by others who don't believe in the veg way). Good luck

[foxsmama]

When I was pregant with DS, I would sometimes crave turkey. I have been vegetarian/vegan for 14 years. When I got those cravings for meat, I made a point of upping my protein intake (beans, green leafies, nuts, avacado), and the cravings would go away.