5 Easy Steps to Being Vegan and Pregnant: Secrets for Feeling Prepared for Baby!
written by Johanna Bye, edited by Maya Bach, MPH, RDN
The author with baby on board!
Let’s face it- no pregnancy is “easy” in any sense.
We may feel nauseous, have random cravings in the middle of the night, and food aversions that simultaneously leave us starving though nothing sounds good to eat, and our bodies rapidly change and ache.
Add to this pressure from friends and family regarding the choices we’ll make pre-and post-baby, and it’s enough for any woman to question her decisions. The mom-guilt is real, and it begins even before the births of our babies!
One area that many vegan women struggle is with their diet. And this doesn’t just have to do with ensuring that you’re taking in the right macro and micronutrients for you and your baby but also dealing with pressure from outside forces that may leave you feeling judged. The tips below can help you master your vegan pregnancy, leaving you feeling healthy, empowered, and ready to take on motherhood.
1. Plan ahead.
As with most things in life, planning ahead is essential for an easy vegan pregnancy. While we should always expect the unexpected, it never hurts to be prepared.
For me, this meant beginning my vegan pregnancy research even before conceiving. While my husband and I were trying for a baby, I started researching how nutritional needs change for women when they are pregnant and better understanding what micronutrients were most important so that I could put this knowledge into place once I conceived. Also keep in mind that you don’t have to be pregnant to begin working with a dietician, like Maya, who specializes in vegan pregnancy; working with one before you’re pregnant can help you feel confident and knowledgeable the moment you learn you’re going to have a baby.
Meal plan and have a stash of non-perishable snacks and ingredients available at all times. I’ve found that during pregnancy, I will be perfectly content one minute, and absolutely ravenous the next. It’s always best to have easy, nutritious snacks like protein bars in your purse or pantry for when intense hunger hits! One favorite go-to for the women in the Vegan Pregnancy Collective is the GoMacro protein bar. Whatever bar you choose, just make sure it has at least 10 grams of protein or more, has 15 grams of carbs or more, and doesn’t contain a lot of artificial sweeteners like erythritol (these can have a laxative-like effect and may lead to bloating which isn’t fun, pregnant or not!)
2. Have your go-to meals.
One of the best parts of working with Maya at the beginning of my pregnancy was her help in identifying healthy, nutritious meals and snacks that would not only nourish me and baby but also make my taste buds and tummy happy. We went through each meal of the day, as well as snacks, to identify the recipes I already loved and modify them for an even healthier vegan pregnancy. This often meant coming up with ways to increase the amount of protein I was taking in and balancing carbs and fats.
By doing this, I was able to create an arsenal of “go-to” meals for those days when I just didn’t feel like being creative in the kitchen. When ordering our weekly groceries, I’d always make sure to include the ingredients for these go-to’s so that I’d have everything on hand for a quick, easy, nutritious meal.
Curious about my favorite meals? For breakfast, I love fortified oatmeal prepared with soy milk, to which I’ll add chia seeds, flax seeds, and berries when done cooking (if you have frozen berries, add them in at the start so they have time to warm and soften). I’ll top the oatmeal with sliced banana, walnuts, agave, etc.- whatever I have on hand and sounds good to me that day. For lunch, I live off of tofu and veggie wraps. I start with a whole wheat wrap, then add hummus, slices of smoked or roasted tofu, loads of fresh veggies (tomato, spinach, cucumber, carrots, etc.), avocado, and mustard. So delicious and easy, and because the above two recipes can be modified with various toppings, I never seem to get sick of them!
3. Surround yourself with supportive friends, family, and other women going through the same thing.
It’s true what they say, it takes a village to raise a child! And that includes the nine months before baby is born as well.
One of my favorite parts of Maya’s program was getting to know the other women in the Collective. As part of her program, you get access to a private Facebook group with all of the women who have previously been in the program or are currently a part of it. Not only does Maya give advice in this group, but also members are encouraged to ask questions, share favorite recipes, give updates on their pregnancies, etc. However, you don’t have to be a part of Maya’s program to get similar benefits though. Search Facebook for vegan pregnancy and parenting groups in your area to help you find a community of like-minded women that can encourage you on your journey.
Beyond the Collective, it’s important to surround yourself with friends and family that uplift and support your choices as a mom-to-be. If you’re not feeling supported by someone, it’s ok to create space between you and them. Creating firm boundaries is a part of having a healthy vegan pregnancy, and beyond!
Finally, it’s also important to have encouraging medical providers that trust and support your decision to have a vegan pregnancy. If your medical team is dismissive of your vegan diet and/or encourages you to eat certain animal products during pregnancy, then please consider switching to a different doctor’s office, if possible. Our OBs, nurses, and midwives should be advocating for us, not shaming our decisions. The additional stress this brings is not healthy or productive during pregnancy.
4. Use an app to track meals.
Tracking meals can be triggering for many; in my experience, we’ve been conditioned to use it as a restrictive tool for losing weight by means of counting calories. However, in the context of pregnancy, tracking meals is the best way to ensure that you’re eating enough and getting the right macro and micronutrients for you and baby.
There are so many free apps and websites that you can use to easily track your meals and snacks. My personal favorite is MyFitnessPal. It’s easy to use and already has the most common grocery store products listed in the app for easy input and tracking.
After inputting a meal or snack, you can see not only how many calories you’ve consumed, but also the ratio of carbs, fats, and protein and the breakdown of micronutrients as well. This easily allows you to adjust your intake for the rest of the day to make sure you’re getting enough of your daily essentials. When I started tracking meals during pregnancy, I found that most of my meals were actually fairly balanced and that with the addition of a prenatal multivitamin, I was getting enough of my recommended daily micronutrients.
In the past, I viewed tracking meals as a restrictive tool simply meant for counting calories; however, during pregnancy, tracking my meals has been the easiest and best way to feel good about my food choices!
5. Be confident.
There’s nothing sexier than confidence, and this extends into pregnancy as well! Don’t feel like you have to justify your choices to anyone but yourself and your partner. You know what is best for you and your baby.
Please remember that just because someone eats meat, seafood and dairy does not mean they will automatically have a healthy pregnancy. A healthy, happy vegan pregnancy is 100% possible; you got this, mama!
I hope these tips help you feel healthy, empowered, and ready to take on motherhood.
Ready to feel amazing about YOUR vegan pregnancy?
Join like-minded women inside the Vegan Pregnancy Collective to get the tools you need so you can stop worrying and wasting time Googling all things vegan pregnancy!
