I have been vegetarian now for almost five years, that means no meat and no fish. I have been healthy and vegetarian for five years, but despite this, from the moment I announced my pregnancy, my family (mostly my inlaws) have been on at me to eat meat 'for the baby'.
Clearly, I'm not going to do that. It's been five years, I have no intention of changing my lifestyle and my values to make others happy. I can have a positive pregnancy while still maintaining my vegetarian diet. I've been doing it for the last 24 weeks, and I'm not suffering yet. Yes. it might be a choice, but it is my choice to make, and I don't appreciate the constant comments about this choice. As far as I can tell, my pregnancy is going well. I had horrible morning sickness for a while, and I still have the occasional bout now, but my bad days are becoming more and more spread apart. But other than that, I am just as healthy now as I was before I got pregnant.
I eat no differently now that I did before I was pregnant, and I have always enjoyed a fun and varied diet. Contrary to my inlaw's belief, I do not live purely on vegetables.
It has been a lot of the same comments I got when I first became a vegetarian 5 years ago. You need your protein, need the meat for iron. Since becoming pregnant, it's been that plus some. Now, I should apparently be eating a steak everyday so that the baby can grow properly. First off, my baby is growing. And the amount I feel him moving around tells me that the baby is not suffering from the absence of meat in my diet. I get plenty of iron from the foods I do eat, spinach, cabbage, broccoli, most green foods have some amount of iron in them. There is protein in virtually every item of food you can consume, I have never recorded my daily diet, but I am sure I am getting more than enough protein to feed me and baby.
I have always been a strong advocate in listening to your body, your body tells you what it needs. Those random cravings you get (pregnant or not) are your body telling you it needs something specific. I once went through a stage where all I wanted to eat for 2 weeks was a baked potato with coleslaw, I did just that, and I was more than fine. Now, I still get cravings, craving what I and the baby need, but I've never craved meat, mostly it is things like salty fries and dark chocolate. Or broccoli. Last weekend, all I ate for the entire 3 days was just bowls of steamed broccoli with a cheesy sauce. Delicious, and not as if it is completely unhealthy either.
Listen to what your body tells you. Your baby is doing just fine whatever your dietary restrictions (assuming you don't eat only chips and chocolate), your body knows what you need. You are rarely lacking in protein, trace amounts are in everything and it adds up.
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