Vegan Pregnancy Information

Vegan Pregnancy links and information from our Executive Director who is celebrating the birth of her new baby, Arrow!

I knew things were getting better when I found out there was a vegan midwife at the hospital I was considering for my birth. Sure, it was 2004, but Richmond, Virginia is behind the times in many ways.

Having been vegan for eight years, I was confident in maintaining my vegan diet throughout my pregnancy however, some folks were questioning it. Having a ‘professional’ to back me up was not a necessity but it sure made it easier. I had an amazing and healthy pregnancy and gave birth to a healthy baby boy exactly on his due date. Below I have included suggestions that worked well for me:

I. DIET
- Take a daily prenatal vitamin, B-12 supplement and calcium supplement.
- Get a daily dose of omega-3 either through flax seed oil or a capsule.
- Make sure you are eating three meals and snacking in between. Don’t skip any meals; even when you don’t feel like eating you can make a great smoothie.
- Read Pregnancy, Children and the Vegan Diet and Conscious Eating to learn more about an optimal vegan meal plan.
- When increasing your protein intake use a variety of sources, do not depend on soy alone. Eat lentils, peanut butter, nuts, other legumes and lots of vegetables (remember they have protein too).
- Eat at least one serving of uncooked vegetables and some kind of leafy green every day.
- Watch fruit and juice intake, as they are high in sugar.
- Eat natural and organic as much as possible. It is more expensive but if you can swing it, the next nine months are so important for your baby’s long-term health.
- Omit caffeine from your diet at least the first trimester and limit during the second and third.

II. YOUR HEALTH
- Choose a midwife for your prenatal care.
- Read women positive, holistic books such as Birthing from Within, Our Bodies, Ourselves and Ina May's Guide to Childbirth.
- Take it easy and sleep when your body tells you.
- Drink prenatal tea.
- Drinking a lot of water reduces edema (swelling).
- Take prenatal yoga.
- Find other veggie mommas to meet with, talk to, or email for support and suggestions.

III. TIPS
- Crystallized ginger helps with nausea and upset stomach, not carbonation.
- Make yourself exercise, even just walking, every day.
- Antacid tablets help with heartburn but also remember not to rest after eating and drink small amounts of liquid spaced out many times a day.
- Don’t stress about stretch marks, they are genetic and either you get them or you don’t. If you do, they are a mark of your great achievement and hard work.
-Many folks will question your diet and the best thing is to be positive and be educated in order to offer them information .There are also many resources for vegetarian and vegan women regarding pregnancy, products and breastfeeding. Here are my favorites:

VegFamily
Vegan Nutrition in Pregnancy and Childhood
http://www.lalecheleague.org
A Successful Veg Pregnancy
Growth of vegetarian children: The Farm Study

Stores:

http://www.kidbean.com

Additional Books:

Healthy Eating for Life for Children
Raising Vegan Children in a non-vegan world
Raising Vegetarian Children: A Guide to Good Health and Family Harmony

Stay informed and stay strong.

"I think the first and best thing that anyone could do is setting a really great example of a happy, content, positive vegan. Why wouldn't you want to be like that person?"-Krissi Vandenberg, Vegan Action

Teaching by example:
Host a Meatless Dinner Party

Setting a healthy and positive example of a vegan or vegetarian is the best that we can all do to help the veg movement grow. A lot of negative stereotypes and misconceptions about vegetarians abound in our society. We have all heard someone, who has never tried tofu, say, "Tofu tastes like cardboard." It is up to us to work to disprove these stereotypes that prevent people from trying a meatless diet.

Vegan Action is challenging our supporters to host a delicious, and enlightening, vegan/vegetarian dinner party for 3 or more non-veg friends and/or co-workers. Dinner parties don't have to be fancy or expensive, but the food should be tasty! If you accept our challenge, and you send a photo with a 150 word or more description of your dinner party, Vegan Action will send you some goodies. Each person that sends a photo with a 150 word (minimum) description will receive a free bumper sticker and button from us. The person that hosts the best party, as judged by our panel of office volunteers, will receive a $20 gift certificate to Amazon.com and a McVegan T-shirt. Deadline is March 20th, 2005. Void where prohibited by law.

Here are some tips for hosting a vegan/vegetarian dinner party:

-Stick to recipes that you have tried before so that you don't end up with any funny tasting surprises.

-Don't overload on using pre-made products that are supposed to taste like meat, these items can end up disappointing your meat eating guests. Instead, you can try great dishes that are not meant to imitate meat.

-Play a game like Charades, Pictionary, or Mad Gab before the meal. These games really "break the ice" and allow people to feel much more free to ask questions about the hosts diet.

-At the end of the night, leave out free recipes for your guests and copies of "Why Vegan" for them to take. It is good to point out that by simply reducing their regular intake of animal products, they may help reduce animal suffering. Be sure not to overemphasize factory farm information. Too much too soon is very overwhelming. Just talk about how great the food is and how they can try veg cooking at home. If you provide them with literature, they can absorb the information at their own pace.

Recipes from Vegan Action's Recipes Archive

Warm Winter Recipe:
Chickenless Soup

• 1 cup cooked rice (or cooked Ditalini or Alphabet style pasta)
• 2 Tbsp canola oil
• 2 Tbsp Nutritional yeast (found at health food stores)
• 1 tbs poultry seasoning
• 1 Tbsp or more flour for thickening
• 1 Tbsp vegetable broth or Bouillon
• 1/2 cup chopped mushrooms, diced carrots, and peas (peas can be bought frozen and thawed before using, but mushrooms and carrots should be fresh)
• 1 tsp diced onions
• Salt to taste

Combine all ingredients over low heat, simmer for 10 minutes and serve.

Things you can do...

• This year you can strive to be an example of a good and healthy vegan. Take your vitamins as needed (especially B-12) and eat well. Read http://www.veganhealth.org/
• Spread the vegan message and alter any negative perceptions about vegans, in a positive manner.
  • Host a vegan dinner party for non-vegans
  • Host a McVegan event
  • Leaflet a marathon
  • Enter a marathon and tell the media you are a super vegan athlete when you win!
• Set up a library display about vegetarianism at your local library (contact information@vegan.org if you need help)
• Leave literature in the waiting area of your doctor and dentist offices. To order good vegan literature go here.
• Write letters of praise to companies and restaurants that offer veg food. Alternatively, write letters requesting veg food at non-veg establishments.