Vegetarianism & Pregnancy

Just thought I'd put up a few links to sites that have some good info on maintaining a healthy and balanced vegetarian diet during pregnancy, more as an FYI than trying to be 'in your face'.

This is mostly inspired by a phone conversation I had with my mum this morning, as she has invited us over for dinner and was wondering if I was 'still' vegetarian LOL (As I haven't been vegetarian AND pregnant at the same time before...)

Enjoy!

http://www.vegsoc.org/info/preg.html

http://chealth.canoe.ca/channel_health_features_details.asp?health_feature_id=97&article_id=261&channel_id=39&relation_id=2114

http://action.web.ca/home/nutritio/attach/pn-veg-preg.pdf

http://www.vegetarianwomen.com/articles/catheolson.htm (the main website here is also a good one for general info on women and vegetarianism)

http://vegetarianchristchurch.org.nz/uploads/vegetarian_pregnancy%20(3).pdf

Pearls- that is classic about your Mum...mine is the same! She keeps asking on the phone if I'd like to try a piece of steak or pepperoni...  lol so funny!  I can imagine what she'd say if I'd have chosen to stay vegan for my pg......

Thanks for the links anyway.... Will check them out.

Pearls - I am lacto-vegetarian. The dead animal part refers to things like gelatine (which is derived from the skin and bones of cows, lambs, pigs, chicken and fish) and rennet (which comes from the stomachs of dead male calves) in cheese. I only buy cheese that contains vegetarian rennet (which is made from bacteria). I use to be vegan, due to my dairy allergy. At the moment, I can consume dairy without reacting too badly to it. But if my son ends up with the same allergy, I will have to go back to my vegan diet.

In terms of dairy, I still limit my consumption of it, and stick to organic products, or substitute with goat milk products. I don't support the production of dairy (in a non-organic way) due to the stresses it places on the environment (the use of fertilisers, antibiotics, chemical wormers, methane gas).

In terms of eggs, I have never liked the taste of eggs, nor I support the production of battery eggs. Sure, I could eat free range eggs, but I prefer not to.

OMG, you should buy the DIY kit instead You can buy direct from the Angel Foods website, or buy from any good organic store. I buy it whenever I have a marshmallow craving, and they are soooo good And the good thing is that they are completely free of any animal products. I love making them, and eating them fresh...

Most of the time, I eat about 90% vegan, and indulge in the odd treat with dairy in it (which is normally a really good goat milk cheese. Puhoi Valley have just released a fresh goat milk cheese, and it is heaven. The freshness means it easily spreads on crackers, or, a nice piece of crusty bread).

I think because I have always been so careful with my diet, I have never have anaemia. Throughout this pregnancy, my iron levels have been perfect, and this is due to consuming veges high in iron, and making sure I have enough vitamin c to metabolise the iron. I do take an iron supplement as well, but that is just to make sure I get enough during the pregnancy. My midwife has this chronic fear that I don't get enough iron in my diet.

One common misconception amongst people is that iron is more easily absorbed if in meat than in veges. The ionic form of the iron in both meat and plants is the same. It is the amount of vit c you consume that determines how much you absorb.

I did have a brief two week period where I craved meat (for some strange reason), but never gave in. I couldn't justify it. In the end, it was the smell I liked (weird, I know).

I used to be vegan too but now am also lacto ovo- I only eat organic dairy and organic free range eggs (occassionally). I have had the odd craving for fish during this pg which I have succumbed to...so technically I am no longer a vegetarian  .

I'm not overly worried about that though as weirdly enough I eat vegan 80-90% of the rest of the time anyway lol.

Speaking of those marshmallow kits- we sell them at work but I haven't tried the DIY ones yet.... they are SO good though...mmmm melt in your mouth lol

Emmecat - sadly DH is a staunch 'meatatarian' LOL And we're not raising DD to be vege at this point, I'll wait until she's a bit older and then think about talking it over and letting her make the choice.

DH is a pescetarian (the only animal he eats is fish), but he said to me last night that he wants to go the whole hog and become a vegetarian.

Both DH and I have agreed to raise our child vegetarian, as it reflects our values and morals.

On the topic of raising kids as vego, this has been a bit of a sticking point in our house as DH loves his meat.

I think it's each to their own so I'll buy it, cook it and serve it, I just wont eat it but the thought of giving dead animal to my baby makes me feel sick.

So, we've come to a compromise. I was raised vego and given the choice to eat mean when I was about 4-5 years old. I chose to stay veg and my sister decided to eat meat. We've agreed that she can have chicken and fish but no red meat or pork. When she reaches the age where we believe she can possibly understand what she is eating and where it comes from, then we will give her the choice to eat it or not. I'm not going to scare her with the abattoir video like my dad did to me lol (bless him) but I think it's important that she is given all the info before she makes the choice.

I've been vego pretty much all my life. Last time I had meat I was 2. DH is a meat eater and so is Daniel. I don't mind a bit. I just won't touch with my fingers anything other than sausage. Grosses me out lol

I cook a two or three meat meals a week for DH too and DD gets the same, at the moment it's the smell that really gets me - but mostly because of my Super Nose!