Any other vegans/vegetarians here? « Back to Group Discussions

[OtherSoul]

I'm a gluten free vegetarian. Since being pregnant it's been strictly vegan though.

Anyone else a veghead here?

[mrsandmrs]

I'm a vegetarian, 19 years & counting! I have been vegan in the past and a lot of the food we eat is vegan, but we keep a small flock of chickens and eat dairy at this point. 

I'd be interested in hearing how other veggies get protein during pregnancy. We try hard to diversify the soy/nut/dairy/egg/bean proteins in our diet so we never eat too much of any one type. We have a list of food options in each category and cycle them through the week. My wife has been vegetarian during her pregnancy in the past. The product of that pregnancy is now 6'3" and growing and outrageously brilliant and healthy, so I'm not worried about the outcomes, but I have to eat a literal ton of protein with this twin pregnancy and I will admit it's a challenge. Especially when all I want to eat is waffles and grilled cheese.

[OtherSoul]

That's so awesome you are able to have your own chickens!   I don't eat eggs often but if I do they are always from a neighbors happy free-roaming hens.   My other animal product that I eat (though not since being pregnant....just don't want it now) is goat cheese from grass fed goats.  Also from a neighboring farm!  I don't do cow dairy at all due to an intolerance to it. 

I was strict vegan for 4 years, and then switched to a vegetarian diet when I got pregnant with my son.   My husband is also vegetarian and we decided that we want our family to be vegetarian and raise our son veggie.  We still pretty much eat vegan...but occasionally eggs and goat cheese from ethical sources.  We don't eat any gluten, no breads or pastries or cookies or anything. No soy either, I have never been able to like it.   Mostly fruit and avocados, potatoes, veggies like carrots, broccoli and kale, olives, celery, almond butter, lentils, A LOT of rice and beans.   I do like salt-free rice crackers.  I think that's my only "processed" food.  Everything else is whole.  My biggest problem is just trying to get enough variety in my and my son's diet.  I could easily eat rice and beans every day...especially since being pregnant!

ooo...twins!   Do you eat a lot of beans?  I think that's where the majority of my protein is coming from lately...though I'm not carrying twins! (to my knowledge).  Do you find you are quite hungry a lot of the time? 

19 years vegetarian...that's awesome.  I really aspire to be veggie for that long.  There's no doubt in my mind it's the right diet for me. 

[vegrunr]

I am also a vegan.  Every now and then I will cheat with a homemade dessert (or ice cream), though I've tried to make a pact with myself to work very hard to be a strict vegan during this pregnancy. With my first pregnancy my midwife was very set on numbers and said I should try to eat 100g of protein every day.  That number consumed me and it was a chore just to figure out what to eat. It was also an impossible task for me.  I found a protein bar with 20g of protein that I would eat every day but after about a month of that I couldn't even stand to look at the box. I have a different midwife and though I have yet to see her for my first appointment (next week).  I do my best to eat a protein with every lunch and dinner, mostly beans, tofu, or tempeh.  I also eat oatmeal for breakfast and stir peanut butter into it.  I eat soy yogurt occasionally and try to snack on nuts throughout the day.  I know I am not getting 100g but I am doing my best and think that just being a vegan makes me much more aware of what I am putting into my body.  

mrsandmrs- I cannot imagine how much protein you are supposed to be eating for twins...at least you eat eggs, that definitely helps!  

[mrsandmrs]

unfortunately, eggs are "too eggy" for me to eat this week, but you're right, it really helps during more normal/less food averse times. i have been trying to learn from the dr.barbara luke book on multiple pregnancies. she says i should be eating like 175g per day for a twin pregnancy. hitting 100 g a day is hard but i can do it.... 175 is virtually impossible. i can't even eat that much FOOD because i'm so sick. i am relying on stuff like protein bars and protein powder in smoothies, which does not feel very authentic to our diet. 

steel cut oatmeal is actually pretty good for protein. 1/4 of a cup (uncooked) has something like 8g of protein. put some nut butter on top, sprinkle on some walnuts, and have a glass of kefir or a serving of yogurt. that's not bad for a breakfast. we do eat a lot of beans, although we try to vary things. beans are relatively carby. there is no perfect protein, so i just try to rotate them.

i love having chickens. beyond the local/ethical protein source, they are really the best pets ever. they are so curious and hilarious. one of our hens is in love with my wife. she flies up to her shoulder and preens her hair. they have really enriched our lives. 

[optimaggie]

I have been eating an almost entirely vegan diet since last March. Since becoming pregnant though I have eaten venison a few times. One night i just had a craving for it (I had never before, since going vegan, craved meat). I feel better about eating wild game over all than any farmed meat, but it was still a little weird. I have also eaten a bit if dairy on a few occasions as well which makes me feel terribly guilty, but I think it is the fat that I crave as I don't get a ton as a vegan, especially since I am now trying to eat a lot less peanut butter. I have been so fortunate thus far and have had no nausea so I've been able to eat a pretty well balanced diet and I am feeling pretty confident about a plant- based pregnancy, but I'm glad this board is here! We had a little sit down with a client of mine who is a midwife just to get some info and when I told her I was vegan she seemed really hesitant to approve. I have my first appointment on Monday with my CNM and I'm hoping she will be more supportive. I don't know anyone personally who is currently vegan or anyone who ever had a vegan pregnancy!

[brightstarshine]

I seem to dance between being vegan and vegi.I have been more into a little dairy since being pregnant,boon a vegi forever :)

[OtherSoul]

Brightstarshine that's exactly how I am too. I am often vegan (and sometimes even raw vegan) for months but will occasionally eat eggs and goat cheese. I have a lot of food intolerances though so I have to be careful with food. I seem to get very ill every time I have cow dairy with IBS but goat dairy doesn't hurt me at all as long as I am moderate with it. Gluten is another one that causes suffering for me...I get a yeast reaction in my body every time I eat it so I avoid. I eat a lot of fruit, rice and potatoes.

How have you veggies been doing with nausea in your pregnancies? Mine has been very mild with very few food aversions. So far.

[naturallyme]

HI! I have been vegetarian for almost 4 years and this is my first pregnancy being one. I eat little dairy and since I have slight nausea at times its hard to eat much. I eat vegan often, especially in the summer months, but since I know I need to eat more protein and fat, I eat eggs almost every day right now. Breakfast food is usually pretty easy for me to handle while pregnant. I am concerned about iron intake and I try. Any suggestions on how to get more iron would be appreciated. Unfortunately my usual love of greens has diminshed for now. I love beans though and I hope the nausea doesn't get worse.

[brightstarshine]

I read about eggs and now I fancy egg on toast.I blame y'all hehehehe:)

[OtherSoul]

Mmmm...rice crackers and avocado!!!!!!! My fav snack lately.

[Nicolette507]

I almost started a thread like this a few weeks back, I have been a vegan for about four years now.  No one questions me this time around as my "vegan since conception" daughter is growing like a weed, is never sick, and is rather intelligent (though family members like to attribute all of those things to their genes and not our lifestyle!)  

I have really been wanting to eat fresh vs. cooked food lately.  Unfortunately, I have had a general aversion to all food for the past several weeks.  

[OtherSoul]

Every food I was enjoying I'm turned off of now. Any snack or meal ideas? What have you all been eating? I'm having a hell of a time eating lately. I simply don't know what to eat.

[naturallyme]

Othersoul, I hear ya and I am right there with you. My food aversions are so bad that I barely eat. I force down cereal and frozen waffles. Yesterday, I tolerated pierogies for lunch and felt stronger just from some calories. I drink orange juice and ginger ale. I forced down pizza but the cheese was making me gag. I don't have nausea and vomitting just tremendous food aversions. If I find something good, truly I am going to stick with it. Dairy gags me. I don't eat meat. Eggs, I force them down. I have no appetite for any of my usual foods. Today, I am going to try a smoothie and see how that goes. I can get it at work and even though they make them with yogurt, I might be able to handle it since it isn't on a spoon. After work, I will be wandering around the grocery store, looking for anything. I think nuts might be okay too.

UGH, I just want to feed my baby. I worry.

[rrs]

I'm a vegetarian, too!  With my own chickens, too!

During my first 2 pregnancies I was open to and did eat meat when I craved it.  With my 3rd , I never ate any meat.  Anecdotally, she was my biggest baby at 9lbs 1oz.  Her brothers were 7lbs 15oz and 8lbs 2oz.

Right now, I am struggling with hyperemisis, so I definitely get you all on the food aversions. 
 

[vc2013]

I'm a lacto-vegetarian. I know I have to get a lot of protein in, so before my nausea set in about 2 weeks ago, I was consciously trying to eat double the amount of tofu, fake meat, beans and nuts. It worked well, but now I'm queasy every day and just the thought of fake meat makes me nauseous. 

So I don't know if it makes any difference, but I've been trying to eat a lot of cheese and other dairy products, just because they don't make me nauseous. 

Has anyone talked to a doctor or gotten any nutritional advice? Is there anything we should watch out for more than meat eaters, besides the protein intake?

[mrsandmrs]

vc - protein is a concern, as well as various B vitamins and Iron. when i told the OB i am vegetarian, she had them run some blood tests for some of the b vitamins and something else. I was also tested for anemia around 8 weeks. i have passed all the bloodwork with flying colors, but that's not a surprise to me - i eat a pretty well-balanced diet and i take prenatals. the OB asked me how long i'd been a vegetarian and i said - as if it were completely true - "oh, a long time, like 9 years." good thing my wife was there to correct me, "she means 20 years." ooof, pregnancy brain strikes again.

as far as protein goes, i think a singleton pregnancy requires ~70g of protein a day. i find it fairly easy to hit that. i can get up to 100g if i try. it is really, really difficult for me to hit the levels they recommend for twins, though. i am not sure how that's going to work out. i'm eating protein bars for body builders, putting protein powder in my smoothies, eating greek yogurt and kefir, etc. but i just can't eat enough food to hit my protein goals. hopefully in the 2nd trimester, when i am less nauseous and more hungry, i can pack it in. the babes are measuring on track or a few days ahead, though, so i'm not freaking out.