A friend of mine has just told me that she's pregnant and due in April thing is she doesn't eat meat, diary or eggs and when I asked her how she was changing her diet she said she didn't need to. I was under the impression that the developing foetus will need everything that you get in a 'normal' diet. has any one any thoughts on this cos I was trying to get her to consider fish but she's adamant it's not needed.
Well, I think a "normal" diet is vegetarian/vegan. She will, however, need to up her protein-intake while she's pregnant and nursing. Tell her to find a good nutritionist. I wouldn't recommend discussing it with a doctor because most of them are bias and will tell her she needs to eat meat. My sister was vegan throughout her entire pregnancy, and her and her baby are both very healthy. Just tell your friend to be extra-careful about the amount of protein and nutrients that she's getting. There's really no need for her to start eating fish and meat.
You don't need meat or dairy for protein, soy and a variety of nuts will give you more than enough. Dairy shouldn't even be giving to a infant under the age of one if at all. There are many sites out there about the negative effects of dairy CHECK THIS OUT... The biggest lie promoted by the dairy industry in North America is that dairy products are good for us. Due to pressures from a variety of groups, the dairy industry has had to increase their volume of advertising to an unbelievable level, hiring some of the most popular faces in show business to promote their products. 1. FAT AND CHOLESTEROL Dairy products are high in saturated fat and cholesterol . The dairy industry has cleverly expressed fat content as a % of weight. Using this system, 2%-milk sounds like a low fat product. However, expressed as a % of total calories, 2%-milk is in fact 31% fat! Whole milk is 49% fat, cheese is 60-70% fat and butter is 100% fat. Eating such foods contributes to the development of heart disease, cancer and stroke. 2. IRON DEFICIENCY Iron deficiency is more likely on a dairy-rich diet. Cow's milk is very low in iron . In addition, clinical studies have shown that infants consuming cow's milk lose some blood from their digestive tracts. For this reason pediatricians recommend that infants below one year of age not be given cow's milk. 3. DIABETES Insulin dependent diabetes (Type I) is linked to dairy products. A specific dairy protein sparks an auto immune reaction which destroys the insulin producing cells of the pancreas. 4. OVARIAN CANCER Ovarian cancer is linked to dairy products. The milk sugar lactose is broken down in the body into another sugar, galactose. In turn, galactose is broken down further by enzymes. According to studies done at Harward, when dairy product consumption exceeds the enzymes' capacity to break down galactose, there is a build-up of galactose in the blood, which may affect a woman's ovaries. Some women have low levels of these enzymes, and when they consume dairy products on a regular basis, their risk of ovarian cancer can be triple that of other women. The problem is the milk sugar, not the milk fat, so low fat dairy products cannot solve this problem. In fact, yogurt and cottage cheese seem to be of most concern because the bacteria used in their manufacture increase the production of galactose from lactose. 5. CATARACTS Cataracts are also linked to dairy products. The galactose that is a breakdown product of lactose also appears to be capable of damaging the lens of the eye, leading to cataracts. 6. LACTOSE INTOLERANCE Many people are unable to digest the milk sugar, lactose. Diarrhea and gas can result. On the other hand, they may consider themselves lucky. Those who can tolerate lactose, cannot rapidly breakdown the galactose which circulates in their blood, contributing to cataracts and ovarian cancer, as noted above. Lactose intolerance may be nature's early warning system. 7. FOOD ALLERGIES Milk is one of the most common causes of food allergies. Respiratory problems, canker sores, skin conditions, and other allergies can be caused by dairy products. The sad thing is that many people never know that their problems are caused by dairy sensitivity. A break from dairy products often leads to surprising improvements. Asthmatics, in particular, should give themselves a long vacation from dairy products to see whether their condition improves. 8. TOXINS Like any other animal product, mammary secretions contain frequent contaminant, from pesticides to drugs. About a third of all milk products are contaminated with antibiotic traces. The dairy industry slogan "something for every body" takes on a different meaning, doesn't it? 9. OSTEOPOROSIS Dairy products, despite common myths, do not stop osteoporosis. Evidence shows that the rate of bone loss is largely unaffected by dairy products . Numerous studies have shown that the countries with the highest intake of dairy products also have the highest incidence of osteoporosis. High protein foods, such as meat, eggs and dairy products leach calcium from the body by causing excessive calcium loss through the kidneys, making the kidneys work harder and causing loss of minerals such as calcium. 10. COLIC One out of every five babies suffers from colic. Pediatricians learned long ago that cows' milk was often the reason. Moreover, breast feeding mothers can have colicky babies if the mothers are consuming cow's milk. The cows' antibodies can pass through the mother's blood stream into her breast milk and to the baby . Even though the USDA dietary standards are nothing resembling what one should Really put into there body if you want to be healthy The average American eats nothing resembling the USDA recommended dietary guidelines. According to the USDA itself, in 1994 the average American ate the following: 586 pounds of milk and dairy products 394 pounds of vegetables 199 pounds of meat, and 193 pounds of products containing flour and cereal 121 pounds of fresh fruit. The average American, rather than following health guidelines of having little or no milk and dairy products -- has milk and dairy as the BASE of their diet. Milk and dairy are the chief ingredient in the Standard American Diet. It is little wonder, then, that heart disease and cancer run rampant in the U.S. Recombinant Bovine Growth Hormone (rBGH) is a genetically engineered growth hormone many dairy farmers inject into cows to increase milk production. There is evidence that rBGH promotes tumor growth in laboratory animals. Of even greater concern, rBGH significantly stimulates a cow's production of another hormone that's secreted in milk, insulin growth factor-1 (IGF-1); when we consume dairy products that contain IGF-1, we're overdosing ourselves with a hormone that prompts cells in our bodies to multiply -- including cancer cells. It is impossible to know whether the milk, ice cream, cheese, butter or other dairy products you may consume contains rBGH. This is because Monsanto, the maker of rBGH, successfully lobbied the government to outlaw labeling which would draw attention to milk which is rBGH-free. "The casein content of cow's milk is 300% more than is contained in mother's milk. Casein is a milk by-product used as one of the most tenacious glues for gluing wood together. "Dr. N.W. Walker "I would call milk perhaps the most unhealthful vehicle for calcium that one could possibly imagine, which is the only thing people really drink it for, but whenever you challenge existing dogma... people are resistant."Neal Barnard, M.D. Originally Posted by The Wanderer on Myspace
Neither pregnant women nor babies and children need animal products to be healthy. http://www.veganhealth.org/articles/realveganchildren
Due to how polluted our waters are fish pose a serious threat of containing mercury, which can damage developing fetus's nervous system. Fish should actually be avoided by pregnant women.
All pregnant woman (including meat eaters) should avoid fish because of mercury contamination. It's always in the news...
Your friend is right, she can carry a healthy baby on a vegan diet, as long as she knows her stuff which most vegans/expectant mothers do. If anything, the baby will be healthier at birth because of its mothers dietary choice. You should really stop pushing until you know your stuff too An average vegan diet, in terms of nutrition, is like a standard diet without all the overdoses and bad stuff (assuming she eats plenty of fruit, veg, nuts, seeds, sprouts, soy/other beans etc, and assuming shes not a junk food junkie) That is how adults can survive and even thrive on the diet. All she must do, just as regular mothers need to do, is up her intake of certain vitamins, minerals and of protein, and her and the baby will be just fine
Actually, fish is one of those things the doctors specifically tell you to LIMIT eating while pregnant because of all the mercury & other contaminants! I don't remember what all the freshwater fish rules were 'cause I never ate them anyway, but I remember I could only eat canned tuna once every 4 weeks... and several kinds of fish were to be completely avoided! That was 8 years ago, and I'm guessing the rules have only gotten "stricter" since then. Seriously, she'll be fine. ESPECIALLY if she's avoiding fish! love, mom
NEVER EVER EAT FISH DURING PREGNANCY!!! sorry I get very PISSED at the fact that doctors and others promote fish consumption. Non-organic fish has heavy metals that promote rapid brain growth which is the leading cause of autism and behavioral disorders. and yes, it is very possible for a woman to be on a vegetarian/vegan diet. grrrrr
Hey Bumble, I don't think there is such a thing as organic fish. I would not eat farmed fish even if it were 'organic' The best fish you could eat is wild alaskan salmon and it is actually very healthy to eat during pregnancy... I agree, I would not just start guzzling fish at every chance and think that it is doing you good... Only cold water fish contains large amounts of omega 3 and very few dont contain mercury, which is a super potent nerve toxin that pretty much negates all the benefits you would otherwise obtain... You can get long chain omega 3 in things like algae and algae extracts..and short chain omega 3 from hemp and flax oil, but that is not the same as fish oil and not what is really needed as much during pregnancy...even though its super beneficial to consume. I do really recommend learning a lot about nutrition if you are pregnant, and especially a pregnant vegetarian...One of the best resources and source for reliable and very usable info imo is David Wolfe and you can learn more about his work here - http://www.1shoppingcart.com/app/?af=650623 Hope this helped!
You know tons avocado People like you give veg/vegans/raw foodies a good name, doing your research and teaching people too! Just wanted to say
