The Everything Vegan Pregnancy Book: All You Need to Know for a Healthy Pregnancy

IT’S A GREAT TIME to be vegan. Many supermarkets carry specialty vegan foods that were once difficult to find. You can choose between vegan samosas, chorizo, hot and sour soup, and all sorts of other prepared and convenience foods. Gone are the days of steamed vegetable plates— restaurants, bakeries, cafeterias, and other eating establishments feature creative vegan dishes. Vegan cookbooks and blogs abound.
Attitudes toward vegan diets have changed as well. People used to say, “Vegan diets are all right for adults but not for pregnant women or children.” These days, more and more women are realizing that a vegan diet is a healthy way to eat during pregnancy and that there’s no reason to stop being vegan just because you’re pregnant. Still, you may be feeling a little jittery. You may wonder where you can go to find answers to questions like, “Am I getting enough protein?” and “How am I going to talk to my doctor about being vegan?” Besides questions that are unique to vegans, you also have typical questions that every pregnant woman asks, such as, “Am I doing this right?” “Will I be a good mother?” “Is it safe to wear a seat belt?”
If you’re like most vegan women, you don’t have a lot of role models—it’s not too likely that your mom was vegan when she was pregnant (although it is possible—some families have been lifelong vegans for three or more generations). Vegans are still a small percentage of the population (1 percent to 2 percent of adults, according to the latest polls), so your friends may not have a lot of experience with this either. Although over 4 million American women had babies in 2008, most of them weren’t vegan.
This book was designed to answer questions your doctor may not be able to help you with. Keep in mind that the average physician had less than twenty-four hours of nutrition education in four years of medical school, and little or none of this focused on vegan diets. Of course, your health care provider is the best person to talk to about specific medical questions related to your pregnancy.
This book encourages you to talk with your health care provider. You’re working together with the goal of a healthy, safe pregnancy and birth. Good communication is key to achieving this goal. Your provider brings experience and medical training to the table; you bring your unique knowledge of your body and your history. You are responsible for educating yourself, asking questions, and making sure you’re satisfied with the answers. Remember, you’re advocating both for yourself and for your child. The skills that you develop now will be useful as you speak up for your child, from the first visit to the pediatrician to deciding which preschool is best to choosing a college.
This book will meet your needs throughout your pregnancy with a focus on practical how-to information. The science is there, but you won’t need an advanced degree to find out what you need to do. You’ll learn about vegan nutrition and foods as well as take a tour of the nine months of pregnancy and what happens once baby arrives. The recipes will give you lots of ideas and opportunities to try new foods and vegan versions of some favorite dishes. You can use this book throughout your pregnancy and even afterward to answer questions about vegan nutrition and foods.