Wednesday, March 10, 2010

I'm pregnant - and yes, still vegan....

From Anita:
I will be 20 weeks pregnant in a couple of days, and this week, I had my first craving. I kept thinking I had cravings before, but now I get what a REAL craving is. All I want is fruit cups. With chile and lime if you've got it. I spent $80 on fruit this weekend and have been chopping 'em up. I went to the pulga (the flea market) in Brownsville, got a fruit cup - and I think that is what set it off. Yum! I went to Paletera today at 3:00 -- could not contain myself. I just HAD to go and knowing it is so close to my work - I think I'll be going back.

I keep googling "vegan pregnancy," trying to see some useful info or at least something interesting. SO many articles about celebrities giving up their vegan or vegetarian diets while pregnant. How? I don't get it. I was near some fried mozzarella cheese about 14 weeks in, and that made me ill. I have had very little nausea, unless I smell BBQ or that sickening raw meat smell at the grocery store. They made tripas (cow intestines) at work -- I was gagging worse than I have the whole pregnancy so far. (but if you know the smell of tripas, that is probably a view shared by many non-pregnant folks).

Actually - it's not that I don't get it. I get the whole pregnancy - I want it and I want it NOW syndrome. I am living it every two hours these days. I can see that those that see their veganism as a nice way to keep trim and be "pure" will not want to - not really be ABLE to, during a pregnancy. I just don't see veganism as a sacrifice. I did at first, but I quickly learned I can still be a glutton and be a vegan. Yum yum yum!

Thank goodness Andrew is such a good cook, and is still willing to cook - because I hate cooking now!

3 comments:

  1. Congrats! In the next few months my husband and I are going to start trying to get pregnant too, and I've been looking up info on vegan nutrition for pregnant women... I found this vitamin supplement... http://www.cosmosveganshoppe.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Product_Code=DVPM&Category_Code=WH&Product_Count=2

    are you taking any prenatal vitamins? Or have any other words of advice? Again congrats, I'm so happy for you and you vegan baby :)

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  2. Hi Tyler - I have those vitamins - they are OK, definitely horse pills that I have to split in 1/2 to swallow. I am taking NuTru O-Mega-Zen pills for DHA, Deva Vegan Cal-Mag Plus for calcium and Garden of Life Raw Prenanal (my fav!) - for all around vitamin needs. I am not very good about taking them every day and I don't take nearly as many as they insist you need to take. I really think DHA are critical and I am a little worried about my calcuim intake b/c I don't like vegan dairy products much.

    I try to avoid processed foods and refined foods for the most part. I think that helps a lot - not to eat too many empty calories - which is just as easy as a vegan as for a meat-eater. I am a firm believer you should be getting the vast majority of your vitamins from food. There are just so many wonderful foods out there - I really don't eat fake meats (rarely), but we do tofu and tempeh in all kinds of different ways. We have learned so much from vegan cookbooks and we modify, modify.

    But I still eat cheeseless pizza from Pappa Johns, and sometimes french fries from Whataburger and I try not to stress out too much when I am in a hurry or tired and I eat something bad. Pregnancy is tough enough!

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  3. Wow finally someone who knows what Vegan/vegetarian means! and you live in the valley. I live in weslaco and I'm very excited about the new vegetarian restaurant. I love being vegtarian. Congrats on your baby :)

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