ex-veg*ns causing me to doubt myself

[Guest guest]

Recently I've met 4 ex-veg*ns who are adamant that the veg lifestyle is not a

good one. Each of these ladies was veg for 10+ years. One of them is a

naturopath & one is a birthing instructor. I don't know any of their reasons for

going back to an omni diet, but now my brain is going crazy. I'm 6 months

pregnant and have had on and off worry about the baby's health and growth due to

my vegan diet. I'd never forgive myself if I caused something to be wrong with

the baby, or if there was even question of that. I've had no issues w/ weight

gain & neither has the baby, though I'm wondering now if that is all b/c of

excess carbs & that I haven't been giving him what he needs. I'm debating on if

I should incorporate something else into my diet, even if its just eggs. I don't

know. I recently read that lower protein can cause issues w/ thinning & slow

growth in hair, which I've noticed that my daughter's hair is taking forever to

grow & both mine and hers are always a dry tangled mess (and I used to always

have very oily hair). I'm probably just " looking " for things now and over

analyzing. I'm just worried. I pride myself in the health of my family and I

thought I was really on top of our nutrients, but now I don't think I " ve been

doing such a great job. In addition I've had a lot of concern about raising a

vegan boy (the baby) and that is adding to my doubts of how I'm going about our

diet. I feel very strongly about the welfare of animals, so this is so hard for

me. Its been harder to interact w/ ex-veg*ns than with omnis. Anyone else had

those feelings? I've even started to go back to, " what are we meant to be? " And

have thought about it from the Biblical perspective & then from the evolutionary

perspective. Seriously, my pregnant brain is on overload over this. I've

thought, is adding all of these supplements and man made things (soy products,

wheat gluten products, vitamins & the like) really what we are supposed to do?

Or have our bodies just changed so much b/c humans have been eating such a

varied diet that we used to be totally fine (in Eden) w/ basic fruits, nuts etc

and now we need more than that? OK, I apologize for all the rambling, I just

want to find some sense of peace again.

 

Thanks everyone!

 

-Nancy

[Guest guest]

Nancy,

 

I would not put much weight on what some ex-vegetarians have to say

about vegetarianism. Without hearing a word of it myself, it would stand

to reason that they would not have much positive to say about it. I

think you are over-analyzing the whole thing. Stick to your principals

and do what you feel is the right thing to do, regardless of what others

say.

 

When my daughter was born I had wondered at first if I should raise her

vegetarian, after all, I wasn't raised as a vegetarian. I didn't want to

do anything that would jeapardize her growth or health. I'm a writer and

ended up writing an article on vegetarian kids. It was an easy way to

get all my questions answered by interviewing experts on the topic (they

were people that are not vegetarian, by the way). After conducting those

interviews I felt completely comfortable raising my kids to be

vegetarian.

 

Today my daughter is a healthy 5.5 year old and my son is a healthy 3.5

year old. Both vegetarians since birth. They are not vegan, however.

While I don't buy eggs or dairy to bring into the house, I do let them

eat birthday cake, pizza, or other non-vegan items when we dine out

(such as macaroni and cheese). They are encouraged to make vegan choices

and often do, but sometimes they eat something that has eggs or dairy in

it. It's a lifestyle that I can live with and feel they can as well.

 

The important thing is making sure you have a pediatrician that supports

a vegetarian diet for a child. Without that, you will find difficulty. I

think that is a very important part of raising a vegetarian child.

 

Best of luck....

Jacqueline

[Guest guest]

hi Nancy-

 

I just had a baby and I've been a vegan for at least 10 years and a

vegetarian before that. I was worried too- you hear so many

conflicting things. I thought my baby would be lower weight but she

was a big girl at 8.7lbs. now at 8 weeks she weighs 13lbs and I have

no doubt she is getting what she needs from my breast milk. some of

the brightest children I have met are breastfed vegans! so, continue

on! take a whole food, organic prenatal and eat up. I didn't eat

anything special or pay too close attention to my diet when I was

pregnant. I ate tempeh, soy meats, veggies, lots of friut and dark

chocolate. my babe is fine and yours will be too. mothering.com has

a great dicussion forum and a vegan thread for pregnant vegans- you

will find great support and info there.

 

If you are worried about protein- try nut milks, hemp, chia seed

shakes. Look into the book " Vegetarian Pregnancy " for nutrition info

and recipes- but most of all listen to your body. Congrats and have fun!

 

 

On Feb 15, 2010, at 10:03 AM, " ad00rable_1 " <nkiffer wrote:

 

> Recently I've met 4 ex-veg*ns who are adamant that the veg lifestyle

> is not a good one. Each of these ladies was veg for 10+ years. One

> of them is a naturopath & one is a birthing instructor. I don't know

> any of their reasons for going back to an omni diet, but now my

> brain is going crazy. I'm 6 months pregnant and have had on and off

> worry about the baby's health and growth due to my vegan diet. I'd

> never forgive myself if I caused something to be wrong with the

> baby, or if there was even question of that. I've had no issues w/

> weight gain & neither has the baby, though I'm wondering now if that

> is all b/c of excess carbs & that I haven't been giving him what he

> needs. I'm debating on if I should incorporate something else into

> my diet, even if its just eggs. I don't know. I recently read that

> lower protein can cause issues w/ thinning & slow growth in hair,

> which I've noticed that my daughter's hair is taking forever to grow

> & both mine and hers are always a dry tangled mess (and I used to

> always have very oily hair). I'm probably just " looking " for things

> now and over analyzing. I'm just worried. I pride myself in the

> health of my family and I thought I was really on top of our

> nutrients, but now I don't think I " ve been doing such a great job.

> In addition I've had a lot of concern about raising a vegan boy (the

> baby) and that is adding to my doubts of how I'm going about our

> diet. I feel very strongly about the welfare of animals, so this is

> so hard for me. Its been harder to interact w/ ex-veg*ns than with

> omnis. Anyone else had those feelings? I've even started to go back

> to, " what are we meant to be? " And have thought about it from the

> Biblical perspective & then from the evolutionary perspective.

> Seriously, my pregnant brain is on overload over this. I've thought,

> is adding all of these supplements and man made things (soy

> products, wheat gluten products, vitamins & the like) really what we

> are supposed to do? Or have our bodies just changed so much b/c

> humans have been eating such a varied diet that we used to be

> totally fine (in Eden) w/ basic fruits, nuts etc and now we need

> more than that? OK, I apologize for all the rambling, I just want to

> find some sense of peace again.

>

> Thanks everyone!

>

> -Nancy

>

>

 

 

 

[Guest guest]

Aw, I'm sorry you are having all these stressful doubts about your

diet/lifestyle!  I've questioned myself on occasions too.  Were you vegan

during your previous pregnancies and were they healthy pregnancies?

 

If you are feeling good, energetic and strong then I'm sure you are eating

well.  Are you eating lots of good whole foods like plenty of whole grains,

beans, nuts, seeds, vegetables, fruits?  If you are eating a good variety of

these foods then I don't see any reason for you to doubt yourself.  Are you

eating the recommended calories for being pregnant and supplementing with a

prenatal vitamin?  I think long ago we could definitely get all our

vitamins/minerals from the foods we eat but I think nowadays our food is not the

same quality and we may need to supplement a little (just my opinion).  I was

vegetarian for both my pregnancies (except I ate dairy and eggs) and I had very

healthy pregnancies.  Both of my toddlers are vegetarian and are the

healthiest, most energetic kids I know. 

 

Have you read any books discussing vegan pregnancy?  That may help you feel

more confident in your choices and may let you know if you are missing anything

in your diet.

 

Again, as long as you feel good, you are gaining a little weight with the

pregnancy, your baby is gaining weight on schedule and your kids are growing and

energetic then you are doing just fine. 

 

Also, it may help if you can try to find a vegetarian/vegan pediatrician or OB

in your area.  At least someone that can verify your diet is adequate and who

can assure you that you are healthy.

 

I wish you much peace and health! 

Denise

 

--- On Mon, 2/15/10, ad00rable_1 <nkiffer wrote:

 

ad00rable_1 <nkiffer

ex-veg*ns causing me to doubt myself

 

Monday, February 15, 2010, 10:03 AM

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Recently I've met 4 ex-veg*ns who are adamant that the veg lifestyle is

not a good one. Each of these ladies was veg for 10+ years. One of them is a

naturopath & one is a birthing instructor. I don't know any of their reasons for

going back to an omni diet, but now my brain is going crazy. I'm 6 months

pregnant and have had on and off worry about the baby's health and growth due to

my vegan diet. I'd never forgive myself if I caused something to be wrong with

the baby, or if there was even question of that. I've had no issues w/ weight

gain & neither has the baby, though I'm wondering now if that is all b/c of

excess carbs & that I haven't been giving him what he needs. I'm debating on if

I should incorporate something else into my diet, even if its just eggs. I don't

know. I recently read that lower protein can cause issues w/ thinning & slow

growth in hair, which I've noticed that my daughter's hair is taking forever to

grow & both mine and hers

are always a dry tangled mess (and I used to always have very oily hair). I'm

probably just " looking " for things now and over analyzing. I'm just worried. I

pride myself in the health of my family and I thought I was really on top of our

nutrients, but now I don't think I " ve been doing such a great job. In addition

I've had a lot of concern about raising a vegan boy (the baby) and that is

adding to my doubts of how I'm going about our diet. I feel very strongly about

the welfare of animals, so this is so hard for me. Its been harder to interact

w/ ex-veg*ns than with omnis. Anyone else had those feelings? I've even started

to go back to, " what are we meant to be? " And have thought about it from the

Biblical perspective & then from the evolutionary perspective. Seriously, my

pregnant brain is on overload over this. I've thought, is adding all of these

supplements and man made things (soy products, wheat gluten products, vitamins &

the like) really what

we are supposed to do? Or have our bodies just changed so much b/c humans have

been eating such a varied diet that we used to be totally fine (in Eden) w/

basic fruits, nuts etc and now we need more than that? OK, I apologize for all

the rambling, I just want to find some sense of peace again.

 

 

 

Thanks everyone!

 

 

 

-Nancy

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Guest guest]

Also, it may help if you find out why those ex-vegans chose to become omni.  It

may ease your mind knowing exactly why they changed. 

 

 

 

--- On Mon, 2/15/10, ad00rable_1 <nkiffer wrote:

 

ad00rable_1 <nkiffer

ex-veg*ns causing me to doubt myself

 

Monday, February 15, 2010, 10:03 AM

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Recently I've met 4 ex-veg*ns who are adamant that the veg lifestyle is

not a good one. Each of these ladies was veg for 10+ years. One of them is a

naturopath & one is a birthing instructor. I don't know any of their reasons for

going back to an omni diet, but now my brain is going crazy. I'm 6 months

pregnant and have had on and off worry about the baby's health and growth due to

my vegan diet. I'd never forgive myself if I caused something to be wrong with

the baby, or if there was even question of that. I've had no issues w/ weight

gain & neither has the baby, though I'm wondering now if that is all b/c of

excess carbs & that I haven't been giving him what he needs. I'm debating on if

I should incorporate something else into my diet, even if its just eggs. I don't

know. I recently read that lower protein can cause issues w/ thinning & slow

growth in hair, which I've noticed that my daughter's hair is taking forever to

grow & both mine and hers

are always a dry tangled mess (and I used to always have very oily hair). I'm

probably just " looking " for things now and over analyzing. I'm just worried. I

pride myself in the health of my family and I thought I was really on top of our

nutrients, but now I don't think I " ve been doing such a great job. In addition

I've had a lot of concern about raising a vegan boy (the baby) and that is

adding to my doubts of how I'm going about our diet. I feel very strongly about

the welfare of animals, so this is so hard for me. Its been harder to interact

w/ ex-veg*ns than with omnis. Anyone else had those feelings? I've even started

to go back to, " what are we meant to be? " And have thought about it from the

Biblical perspective & then from the evolutionary perspective. Seriously, my

pregnant brain is on overload over this. I've thought, is adding all of these

supplements and man made things (soy products, wheat gluten products, vitamins &

the like) really what

we are supposed to do? Or have our bodies just changed so much b/c humans have

been eating such a varied diet that we used to be totally fine (in Eden) w/

basic fruits, nuts etc and now we need more than that? OK, I apologize for all

the rambling, I just want to find some sense of peace again.

 

 

 

Thanks everyone!

 

 

 

-Nancy

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Guest guest]

Hi Nancy,

We have a long-time friend who is a dear person, but is rather undecided

about health/diet/lifestyle issues. He was a standard, mainstream

omnivore when we first met him, he soon after became a vegetarian, and

then started getting more and more strict - became a vegan, then became

a raw foodist, then cut all white foods, and then all of this, then cut

this and that, and this and that, and eventually he only ate brown rice.

I am not kidding. He slowly went back to veganism, then vegetarianism.

Then, a couple years ago decided to shock his family and stood up and

ate turkey at thanksgiving . going back to his omnivore diet, saying

that his health was suffering and he had a doctor who told him this was

the only solution. Whereas I think everyone should make their own

decisions and their own choices for their own reasons, and I begrudge no

one that right as I expect to have it afforded me, too . I still feel

that his reasons for changing his diet each time were more obsessive and

personal issues, and due to feeling pressure from a myriad of outside

sources. So, my point is, you never have any idea why anyone makes diet

and lifestyle decisions . and it might just be really wacky. :-) I'd

say stay your own course, whatever that seems to you, and of course take

info in the world into consideration, but don't let 4 individuals with

unknown motives change your values for you. You are the only one who

should decide how you live. You have that right. :-)

Take care and just know that we all have wacky friends :-) (haha),

Lorraine

 

 

On

Behalf Of ad00rable_1

Monday, February 15, 2010 7:04 AM

 

ex-veg*ns causing me to doubt myself

 

 

Recently I've met 4 ex-veg*ns who are adamant that the veg lifestyle is

not a good one. Each of these ladies was veg for 10+ years. One of them

is a naturopath & one is a birthing instructor. I don't know any of

their reasons for going back to an omni diet, but now my brain is going

crazy. I'm 6 months pregnant and have had on and off worry about the

baby's health and growth due to my vegan diet. I'd never forgive myself

if I caused something to be wrong with the baby, or if there was even

question of that. I've had no issues w/ weight gain & neither has the

baby, though I'm wondering now if that is all b/c of excess carbs & that

I haven't been giving him what he needs. I'm debating on if I should

incorporate something else into my diet, even if its just eggs. I don't

know. I recently read that lower protein can cause issues w/ thinning &

slow growth in hair, which I've noticed that my daughter's hair is

taking forever to grow & both mine and hers are always a dry tangled

mess (and I used to always have very oily hair). I'm probably just

" looking " for things now and over analyzing. I'm just worried. I pride

myself in the health of my family and I thought I was really on top of

our nutrients, but now I don't think I " ve been doing such a great job.

In addition I've had a lot of concern about raising a vegan boy (the

baby) and that is adding to my doubts of how I'm going about our diet. I

feel very strongly about the welfare of animals, so this is so hard for

me. Its been harder to interact w/ ex-veg*ns than with omnis. Anyone

else had those feelings? I've even started to go back to, " what are we

meant to be? " And have thought about it from the Biblical perspective &

then from the evolutionary perspective. Seriously, my pregnant brain is

on overload over this. I've thought, is adding all of these supplements

and man made things (soy products, wheat gluten products, vitamins & the

like) really what we are supposed to do? Or have our bodies just changed

so much b/c humans have been eating such a varied diet that we used to

be totally fine (in Eden) w/ basic fruits, nuts etc and now we need more

than that? OK, I apologize for all the rambling, I just want to find

some sense of peace again.

 

Thanks everyone!

 

-Nancy

 

 

 

 

[Guest guest]

So true!

 

I have a friend who went vegan after reading the China Study. We met as she was

transitioning because a mutual friend sent her to me knowing I had been vegan

for over a decade and could offer support. I helped her transition her three

children and husband. As we got to know each other better, I realized she had

some pretty severe issues with all sorts of behavioral things (manic,

depression, obsessive, anger, pathological lying, etc.) so we grew apart. She

ended up going back to an omnivore diet which didn't surprise me, but what was

frustrating is how she told everyone it had brought down he husbands cholesterol

and cured his health issues and tried to convert others and then when she went

omni she told some people she suffered from B12 defeciency (she was vegan for

maybe two years and told me she supplemented) and I heard from her family the

doctors said her B12 levels were fine. She even posted vegan pictures and omni

pictures to show how " sick "

she looked as a vegan. She claimed her eldest was short and thin because of

the vegan diet (he was always short...so is her husband). People who don't know

her well and even some who do, see her as a caution and proof that veganism is

unhealthy. They may or may not see her other behaviors (going from working out

5 hours most days to laying on a couch for six months barely able to do

anything, painting the outside of her house four times in a month because she

couldn't decide on a color to not cleaning her house for months) and realize

vegan or omni, she has some detructive issues and bigger things going on in her

life.

 

I met a man this summer who grew up on The Farm. We were at a potluck party and

he brought some store bought crap desserts which most of my omni friends would

not let their kids eat. He heard my five year old ask what was vegan on the

table and he cornered me. He said he grew up vegan on The Farm and at first I

was happy to meet someone with that upbringing even though I could tell he was

no longer vegan. How cool to grow up on The Farm! Then he quickly started

getting angry with me (all he knew about me was I homebirthed unassisted and was

vegan, I hadn't said anything else...the party was for LL League and many women

had given birth at home). He said he and his sister suffered from being raised

vegan. As he talked (I was mostly silent because it was clear this man needed

to vent and didn't want to hear my reasons for being vegan or experiences) he

got more and upset even though I just listened respectfully. He raises rabbits

to eat them and

said it is " natural " and the animals have no feelings, etc. I asked him what

health problems he suffered and the ONLY thing he came up with was he and his

sister had " small teeth " which he was " sure " was due to the vegan diet. My kids

have great teeth and at the time my then nine year old (vegan all his life)

hadn't really grown into his big adult teeth and his teeth looked huge compared

to his mouth. I was raised omni and have petite teeth. It made me laugh

inside. The man admitted he didn't have more carries than his omni peers and

couldn't come up with any other health problems, but still was bitter and his

small teeth.

 

We all have our own baggage and food is a very central part to many things and

tied up with a lot emotional stuff.

 

My husband has been vegan for over 20 years. He is an athlete and most people

are surprised to learn he is close to 50. Even people who knock veg diets admit

it works for him. I have been vegan for more than 15 years and had three

wonderful vegan pregnancies and births. I get pregnant easily, have no issues

during pregnancy, and have lovely births.

 

My eldest son has a rare congenital heart defect (environmental not genetic).

My husband was exposed to many things while in the Navy (was an officer on a

nuclear sub before we met). He also used to play in the fog of the DDT truck as

a kid growing up in NC. We lived in DC when I was pregnant with my first and

there all sorts of wonderful things about urban living, but all lots of toxic

things. I grew up in a college town surrounded by agriculture (lots of

pesticides and other farm chemicals). These things are what were brought out as

possible causes by the doctors when I questioned if our diet could have played a

role. I was assured by many specialists that our diet was not to blame. The

cardiologists praise our vegan diet for keeping him so healthy and off meds. He

bikes several miles every day except when there is snow on the ground. He never

has shown signs of his heart problems. He was such a pudgy babe that strangers

would comment on his

size. Now he is on the small side height wise (hubby and I are too and so are

both of our omni fathers and siblings), but this could be genetic or due to his

heart. All the doctors think he is the picture of health (he was predicted to

die soon after birth, but he surprised all the doctors). My five year old son

is average and my two year old daughter is above average for now. They are all

very healthy and the dentist and ped hold them out as examples of good diet and

exercise. They are so rarely sick that people ask us for advice on how to keep

their kids healthy. My ten year old is able to choose his own diet and so far

he is happy to remain vegan. My five year old is also allowed to eat what he

wants when we are out with omni friends, he also is happy to remain vegan. My

two year old doesn't have a choice yet, but she knows what we eat and why.

 

One last thing, I was veg for ten years before going vegan and I would say I was

unheathy. I was more unhealthy as an omni, but I ate almost no veggies and way

too much cheese. If I hadn't turned vegan and quickly started loving veggies

and beans, etc. I could have easily been a ten year vegetarian who became omni

because of feeling bad.

 

We eat organic whole foods most of the time. We eat gluten and soy, but we also

eat lots of beans. We primarily cook at home because we feel better when we eat

homemade. We eat raw fruits and veggies every day and we supplement with B12

(since we don't eat a lot of processed fortified foods). We eat nutritional

yeast and I don't like supplements as a rule, but I don't mind taking a B12

every other day and the kids like it. Husband takes it when he thinks of it.

We have the kids tested for lead annually (we live in a 100 yr old house) and at

the same time check B12 levels and CBC. They have always been great. Hubby

gives blood on a regular basis and they always comment on his great iron levels.

I love learning about nutrition and am always working to make our diet healthier

and yummier. I periodically chart our food just to see what we eat as far as

nutrients since people will ask about specific nutrients (it is a complex system

and I think it

is not helpful to look at say one nutrient like calcium and it misses the big

picture). Some days we get over 100 grams of protein without trying (no protien

powders or meat analogs). Not that I think we should eat 100 grams daily, it

just can be eye-opening for people who worry about it. I give the weekly charts

to friends who are trying to eat more plant based so they can see a typical

vegan diet and feel comfortable that they are getting enough of this or that.

 

Find your own path, listen to your own body, and above all enjoy life!

 

Linda

My vegan blog: http://veganlinda.blogspot.com/

My business: http://triballife.net/

http://triballifeinc.blogspot.com/

My car free blog: http://cucarfree.blogspot.com/

Our veg radio show: http://fftradio.blogspot.com/

 

On Feb 15, 2010, at 5:04 PM, " Lorraine " <ldemi wrote:

 

Hi Nancy,

We have a long-time friend who is a dear person, but is rather undecided

about health/diet/lifestyle issues. He was a standard, mainstream

omnivore when we first met him, he soon after became a vegetarian, and

then started getting more and more strict - became a vegan, then became

a raw foodist, then cut all white foods, and then all of this, then cut

this and that, and this and that, and eventually he only ate brown rice.

I am not kidding. He slowly went back to veganism, then vegetarianism.

Then, a couple years ago decided to shock his family and stood up and

ate turkey at thanksgiving . going back to his omnivore diet, saying

that his health was suffering and he had a doctor who told him this was

the only solution. Whereas I think everyone should make their own

decisions and their own choices for their own reasons, and I begrudge no

one that right as I expect to have it afforded me, too . I still feel

that his reasons for changing his diet each time were more obsessive and

personal issues, and due to feeling pressure from a myriad of outside

sources. So, my point is, you never have any idea why anyone makes diet

and lifestyle decisions . and it might just be really wacky. :-) I'd

say stay your own course, whatever that seems to you, and of course take

info in the world into consideration, but don't let 4 individuals with

unknown motives change your values for you. You are the only one who

should decide how you live. You have that right. :-)

Take care and just know that we all have wacky friends :-) (haha),

Lorraine

Reply to group

 

..

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Guest guest]

My granddaughter is 7 years old and has short, curly, dry hair. It just

doesn't grow any longer than to her chin. She eats a LOT of protein as she is

omni. She also enjoys fruit and veggies very much. Her dr says everyone's hair

has a certain 'set-point' to which it will grow. (That's why no one has hair

that's forty feet long.) Lol! Her set-point is just shorter. He also said that

it could change.

Oddly though, it seems to grow when she visits a hot climate like Arizona.

(she lives in WA).

I used to have very oily hair and skin until I changed my diet.

Good luck.

Linda in Chehalis.

 

 

 

 

>>>I recently read that lower protein can cause issues w/ thinning & slow growth

in hair, which I've noticed that my daughter's hair is taking forever to grow &

both mine and hers are always a dry tangled mess (and I used to always have very

oily hair).<<<

[Guest guest]

I noticed you already received a lot of great suggestions about what you should

do regarding your dilemma. I had a vegan pregnancy and my son was and has been

very healthy his whole life. He's now 6 years old and hasn't had one ear or

sinus infection, ever and only a few mild colds and one or two fevers.

 

But I wanted to let you and everyone contemplating eating eggs (or still eating

them) to go to http://www.fowlplaymovie.com/ and watch the trailer of their film

" Fowl Play, " documenting the abuses of the egg and poultry industry. I saw this

film at a private screening over the weekend and it was greatly disturbing to

see the abuse inflicted upon such peaceful animals (seeing it inflicted upon any

animal is horrific).

 

Of course, there are numerous health reasons to avoid eggs and dairy as well,

for you and your baby. I think that anyone who's a former vegan usually has a

prejudice toward the vegan diet or wasn't doing it right (eating a balanced

diet) in the first place. PCRM has a lot of information about this. The link to

information about vegan diets during pregnancy is

http://www.pcrm.org/health/veginfo/pregnancy.html.

 

 

Andrea

 

, " ad00rable_1 " <nkiffer wrote:

>

> Recently I've met 4 ex-veg*ns who are adamant that the veg lifestyle is not a

good one. Each of these ladies was veg for 10+ years. One of them is a

naturopath & one is a birthing instructor. I don't know any of their reasons for

going back to an omni diet, but now my brain is going crazy. I'm 6 months

pregnant and have had on and off worry about the baby's health and growth due to

my vegan diet. I'd never forgive myself if I caused something to be wrong with

the baby, or if there was even question of that. I've had no issues w/ weight

gain & neither has the baby, though I'm wondering now if that is all b/c of

excess carbs & that I haven't been giving him what he needs. I'm debating on if

I should incorporate something else into my diet, even if its just eggs. I don't

know. I recently read that lower protein can cause issues w/ thinning & slow

growth in hair, which I've noticed that my daughter's hair is taking forever to

grow & both mine and hers are always a dry tangled mess (and I used to always

have very oily hair). I'm probably just " looking " for things now and over

analyzing. I'm just worried. I pride myself in the health of my family and I

thought I was really on top of our nutrients, but now I don't think I " ve been

doing such a great job. In addition I've had a lot of concern about raising a

vegan boy (the baby) and that is adding to my doubts of how I'm going about our

diet. I feel very strongly about the welfare of animals, so this is so hard for

me. Its been harder to interact w/ ex-veg*ns than with omnis. Anyone else had

those feelings? I've even started to go back to, " what are we meant to be? " And

have thought about it from the Biblical perspective & then from the evolutionary

perspective. Seriously, my pregnant brain is on overload over this. I've

thought, is adding all of these supplements and man made things (soy products,

wheat gluten products, vitamins & the like) really what we are supposed to do?

Or have our bodies just changed so much b/c humans have been eating such a

varied diet that we used to be totally fine (in Eden) w/ basic fruits, nuts etc

and now we need more than that? OK, I apologize for all the rambling, I just

want to find some sense of peace again.

>

> Thanks everyone!

>

> -Nancy

>

[Guest guest]

I'm not Christian, but I know that there are groups that base their vegetarian

or vegan diets from Bible scripture. There is the Genesis 1:29 diet, which I

believe is vegan (definitely vegetarian), and many 7th Day Adventists are

vegetarian based on passages in the Bible. There are probably other examples

about which I don't know. So it appears it depends on how one interprets the

Bible or which passages one focuses on.