Thursday, June 19, 2008

a vegetarian pregnancy

My main concern during my pregnancy has been and will continue to be my diet.  I know there are thousands of vegetarian women who have had healthy pregnancies, but it's still a concern (I'm a very moody eater.) Seventy grams of protein each day seems like a daily mini Mt. Everest, but I feel very weak if I don't get my full dose -- and I know that need for protein will increase as the baby grows. 

My doctor suggested I would be eating a ton of eggs over the next year, and I think she literally meant a ton -- good thing I'm lacto-ovo!  I have been eating at least two eggs a day, but they only have 6 grams of protein each.  A cup of kefir (much more pleasant than eggs) has 14 grams of protein, so that gives me at least 20 grams of protein to start off the day.  The breakfast issue?  I am tired of eggs and have to choke them down in between bites of fruit (I constantly crave figs, blueberries, kiwi, mango and cold pineapple and watermelon.)  This weekend, I plan to look for a high-protein cereal I may also try mixing some protein powder into my hot cereal, and I am open to any additional suggestions.

Lunch in the office can be challenging, but our corporate gym has delicious protein smoothies, so I pop over when I need a pick-me-up.  

Dinner at home is easy, but dinner on the run isn't.  I've learned that Mediterranean food may be my best bet for a quick dinner.  Last night I had to eat while I was driving between meetings, and I enjoyed a fabulous falafel sandwich from Afrah.  

On the cooking front - I am looking for suggestions of good vegan (or vegetarian) recipes that boast high grams of protein.  I found one for a lentil, lime and spinach soup that I am eager to make tonight, but I need a lot of variety to match my eating moods.  Any and all suggestions are welcome!

2 comments:

T. Ward said...

I'm not at all sure if this is compatible with pregnancy, so you will want to check with your doc. A non-prego friend of mine is using a protein by Lean Body. It's 40 grams/serving.

http://labrada.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=labrada&Product_Code=MR-0101&Category_Code=mrp_shakes

Hope you're kicking back and relaxing some where!

Unknown said...

Hi-- I'm a friend of Robin's from high school. I maintained a vegetarian diet throughout my pregnancy and gave birth to a beautiful and perfectly healthy girl. I generally did eggs for breakfast, a high-protein smoothie for a mid-morning supplement, some "fake meat" and a bit of cheese for lunch, and to be honest, quite a bit of pizza for dinner! I still supplement my diet with whey powder and try to keep up my protein with meat substitutes. Try not to worry about it too much.... just be as healthy as you can and send happy thoughts to your baby!
Good luck!!

-Justine