A question for vegetarian and vegan women…?
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Mar 6, 2011
I would be interested to find out what you know about vegetarianism/veganism and pregnancy. If you are a vegetarian or vegan, did you eat any meat during your pregnancy?
My spouse is a vegetarian (ovo-lacto) and has a pretty healthy diet and lifestyle. While I completely support her choice, we have been having some discussions about her diet during pregnancy. I feel that the health of both the mother and developing child should trump food ethics for the duration of the pregnancy and possibly nursing as well. I do not want my son or daughter to have any developmental disadvantages that could be traced to missing something crucial during those all-important months, and obviously there are extra strains placed on the woman as well.
Does anyone have any studies or even just anecdotal evidence regarding this?
Thank you!
Tags: anecdotal evidence, developing child, duration, ethics, health, healthy diet, lacto, lifestyle, missing something, pregnancy, strains, veganism, vegetarian ovo
Kim N
Mar 06, 2011
The main concern will be keeping your B12 levels up durring pregnancy, but that’s easy with B12 fortified foods and products like nutritional yeast.
Vegetarian Diets for Pregnancy
Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine
http://www.pcrm.org/health/veginfo/pregnancy.html
Some cookbooks for veggie moms -
Your Vegetarian Pregnancy – Holly Roberts
New Vegetarian Baby – Sharon K. Yntema
The Vegetarian Mother’s Cookbook – Cathe Olson
Raising Vegetarian Children – Joanne Stepaniak
Corvinus
Mar 06, 2011
Do you not think vegans are the terrorists of the food world?
Put them all in Gitmo!
kitty143cat
Mar 06, 2011
Well-planned vegan diets "appropriate for all stages of the life cycle, including pregnancy and lactation," vegan mothers should supplement for iron, vitamin D, and vitamin B12. Vitamin B12 deficiency in lactating vegetarian mothers has been linked to deficiencies and neurological disorders in their children. Some research suggests that the essential omega-3 fatty acid α-linolenic acid and its derivatives should also be supplemented in pregnant and lactating vegan mothers, since they are very low in most vegan diets, and the metabolically related docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) is essential to the developing visual system.
Mistress K
Mar 06, 2011
I am a vegan and have a 5 month old son. I have been a vegan for 15 years before conceiving within 3 months of trying, I had a trouble free pregnancy with a 7lb 3oz baby. my son has been completely breastfeed and weighed 16lb 11oz by 4 months.
He was laughing by 4 weeks old and rolling over by 3 1/2 months as well so no developmental issues at all! he is just about ready to start being weaned,
I did take a pregnancy multivitamin/mineral while pregnant and occasionally still take it. I also occasionally take vit D supplement (as it is winter here) and eat ground hemp/linseed/pumpkin seeds added to meals for omega 3 and 6 oils. Not every day but more than once a week.
There is no reason your wife can’t remain a veggie and have a nice healthy baby!
duzziebat
Mar 06, 2011
Actually its probably healthier for her to stic to what she is eating. All the hormones and chemicals and anti-biotics in meat are FAR more liely to damage the development of your child then not eating meat.
A proper veg diet is perfectly healthy for any stage of life.
(as the girl before me said)
There are books and sites you can look at if you want more information.
Heres one: http://www.vrg.org/nutrition/veganpregnancy.htm
★single serving friend★
Mar 06, 2011
Being vegetarian (as long as you’re eating healthy, not a junk food veg’n) does not do any harm whatsoever to a fetus or nursing child. It’s actually much better for the child just as it is for the mom. I’ve never been pregnant so I don’t have a personal story regarding this, but there are probably at least a dozen books available that are specifically about veg’nism during pregnancy. I suggest you stop being so ignorant & purchase one of them so both you & your wife can read it.
Alex
Mar 06, 2011
Veganism is perfectly fine for pregnant women. Like on all diets, pregnant women should make sure they get plenty of the right nutrients.
Andromache
Mar 06, 2011
It’s a myth that humans need to consume any animal products to be healthy. Anything of nutritional benefit in meat can be found in plant sources. If your partner eats sensibly, ensuring she gets adequate nutrition (as should any mother-to-be), she’ll be fine. It is probably healthier for your child than meat-eating because meat contains a lot of fat and cholesterol.
Barack Hussein Obama bin Laden
Mar 06, 2011
You’re risking the fetus’s life if you don’t eat meat
white wolf
Mar 06, 2011
as long as she has a very healthy varied and supplemented vegetarian diet she should be fine. my auntie gave birth to my cousin and the pregnancy was very successful, she was of optimum health, had a quick birth and recovered extremely quickly, the doctors said it was because she had a well planned diet. she not only went to prenatal classes, but a dietician too, that was very helpful, she let me and my mum come too and it was an eye opener to me ( im vegetarian, but live on junk food… =z… must add, i have a much better diet now!)
when my mum was pregnant with me she was also a vegetarian and she craved for chicken so it was very hard for her. of course, back then the midwife said ‘just go and eat some meat or you’ll have a slow, small or deformed baby’ my mum is still very upset to this day that the midwife was so unhelpful. my mum did eat meat after that, and still does occasionally (=[) but she made sure it was a free range chicken which she saw whilst it was alive on a farm in cheshire in a field. its home for the night was very clean and she tells me the farmer massaged the chicken so it was calm, took it away to a dark room and ended it more humanely than regulations say other farmers have to.
i still hate the fact that she ate it and still does eat meat, but im glad she isnt contributing to mass producing cruel animal factories.
Julia S
Mar 06, 2011
If you look at most health/nutritional websites (the A.D.A., the A.H.A., heck, even the Mayo clinic’s!), you’ll see that a balanced vegetarian diet is a-okay for pregnant women.
The fact that almost half of all Hindu households in India are vegetarian (meaning they never eat anything non-vegetarian… apparently a good portion of the remainder are "mostly veg") should also be a good indicator that it’s possible.
If, however, a qualified nutritionist (preferably specializing in nutrition during pregnancy/nursing and/or vegetarian nutrition) thinks that there is a specific set of circumstances that apply and for some reason that a healthy vegetarian pregnancy would not be possible for your wife (I honestly can’t think of anything, unless she developed some sort of gestational allergy), I suggest offering to give up meat yourself a la Joey on Friends. That would be, at least, a nice gesture that would acknowledge the fact that she is making a significant sacrifice. It would show that you recognize the sacrifice and are willing to try to lessen it (as well as make a sacrifice along with her).
Don’t worry… the rules that apply for meat-eaters apply for vegetarians: get enough nutrients and you’ll be fine. Remember that meat is not a nutrient any more than oranges are. You can get the nutrients in meat (like protein, fat, and iron) from other sources, just like you can get the nutrients in oranges (vitamin C and fiber, for example) from other foods.