Vegetarian and pregnant - advised to eat fish/meat

[GuppieK]

I wonder if anyone can help. I've been vegetarian since the age of 10 and have always assumed I eat a pretty varied and healthy diet - lots of fruit, vegetables, pulses, seeds etc and tofu, 'Quorn' products, soya etc.

Recently me and my partner have been trying to get pregnant and I've had 2 early miscarriages and am now pregnant (7wks) for the third time. This has coincided with me seeing an osteopath (who is also a nutritionist) for a shoulder injury and he has started to look into my diet as he thinks I might be lacking in protein which could be the reason my shoulder isn't getting better quickly.

He seems to think my diet is pretty unhealthy, lacking in vital fats and protein, and that I should really at least eat fish and preferably meat. Today he has said that the reason for my miscarriages could be that my body isn't up to carrying a child so aborted the pregnancies. We've come to the compromise that I'll take a hemp protein supplement (I already take flaxseed oil and a multi-vitamin) and also reduce my soya and 'Quorn' consumption, as he says they're heavily processed foods and not good for us. But I'm super paranoid now, and I was already paranoid because of the miscarriages! I feel like it's possible to be a healthy vegetarian and provide a baby with everything it needs to grow, but after 24 years of being vegetarian my beliefs are being severely tested and I'm wondering whether I need to start at least eating fish.

Has anyone here had a healthy vegetarian pregnancy, and what types of food did you make sure you got lots of? Thanks :)

Hi, just to reassure you, I am a vegetarian and I have had 3 very healthy preganancies (including twins). I was never told to change my diet. I took pregnancy multi vits but that was all. I am also not too sure about the lack of protein theory regarding your shoulder, obviously I don't know the details of your injury but shoulders often take a while to get better. I also eat quorn and recently discovered The Food Doctor and they do lots of yummy pots with lots of protein in and you just add hot water!

Rubbish, in my admittedly non-expert opinion. Is your osteopath/nutritionist medically qualified in any way? Anyone can call themselves a nutritionist - v different from a dietician, which is a recognised qualification.

I have been vegetarian since I was 16, don't eat fish, and had two very healthy 9lb+ babies, despite doctors in Japan being very disapproving of vegetarianism.

I basically ate as normal during my pregnancies - fair amount of dairy (cheese & yoghurt), lots of fruit & veg, plenty of beans & lentils, and lots of soya products - tofu, miso etc as I was living in Japan. No shortage of protein.

Talk to a real doctor if you are worried.

Unrelated but I don't eat meat. I do, however, eat fish now after being told eat fish or in two years time youll have to eat meat.

I was like you, thought I was fairly healthy etc but was lacking protiens and certain fats.

So about 8 years ago I started to eat fish. I don't eat much, prob once or twice a week. But I do feel much better for it.

It's really difficult and I'm sure there are plenty of successful Veges out there which more useful advice!! It probably also helped that I don't eat meat as I don't like it, fish I was always able to stomach I just dropped it out of habit so there were no huge beliefs as such, more a dislike for a product.

I just wanted to let you know I was told similar. Good luck!!

It's interesting that he thinks you aren't getting enough protein and so advises you to cut out two of your existing sources of protein.

Sounds more like he has a certain idea of what he considers to be a 'healthy' diet, perhaps entirely avoiding processed foods, and is judging your diet based on that.

Are you eating dairy? It might be worth switching to whole (full fat) versions of milk etc if you currently use low fat varieties. Quorn and other vegetable sources of protein are often low in fat which means you need to get your essential fats from other sources. If you eat eggs then these are high in protein too.

If what he has said concerns you then get a second opinion from a dietician. You might be able to get tests done to check that you are getting enough nutrients, otherwise they might be able to look at your diet and see if there is anything missing.

I am not a vegetarian at the moment, but have been in the past (change in diet not for health related reasons). Many vegetarians have healthy pregnancies. I believe there is a concern that vegans miss B12 from their diet if they don't use yeast extract, but I'm pretty sure that its 'safe' to be a vegetarian in terms of pregnancy. I didn't get pregnant whilst eating vegetarian but I didn't have as varied a diet as you, I was also overweight and had thyroid problems. I didn't get pregnant for several years after eating meat again either. It wasn't till I lost weight and had my thyroid until control that I managed to get pregnant.

I am concerned that he blammed your miscarriages on your diet. What an insensitive thing to say without medical evidence. :( Be careful about following the advice of someone to do something against your better judgement just because he suggested you may lose your pregnancy if you don't. I'd really want a second opinion.

I can't believe he said that to you about the miscarriages....how incredibly insensitive!...and wrong!

I am not a Veggie but I know many veggies who have had perfectly healthy pregnancies & babies. FHS in countries like India & parts of the Med most people don't eat meat (through cost) and they seem to manage alright.

How do you feel about Fish? I know some people can tolerate it but if you have been raised Veggie then maybe you wouldn't want to?

I'm sure you can supplement your diet (which sounds pretty healthy to me) in another way.

I've been a vegetarian for the last 14 years and have 4 year old twins born at 37 weeks weighing lb5.2 and 6.1, and now I'm 9 weeks pregnant so had no problems getting pregnant.
I can't believe he has said that to you. As someone suggested, how do you feel about fish?
Good luck on your pregnancy x

I'm a veggie and have been since I was 7 (so for 23 years now) When I became pregnant I asked the midwife and GP if I should now start eating meat etc and was advised that it would do more harm than good to make a major change to my diet while being pregnant. I do take preg vitamins and fish oil but def not eating meat or fish.

Thanks guys. It's good to hear other people's views. I've always firmly believed a vegetarian diet can be perfectly healthy, but then I've always been lucky enough to be healthy. I think I'm feeling a bit weakened by the miscarriages and thought that my body isn't up to being pregnant for some reason...

I haven't asked about his qualifications in nutrition and you're right - I definitely should before taking his advice on this. Spiritedwolf - yes, I thought the same when he said I should be reducing my Quorn and tofu intake, as it does contain a lot of protein! He definitely has a thing about processed foods and carbohydrates being bad for us and fats being fine. He also doesn't seem to be a fan of raw foods - like salads - as they apparently take a lot of energy to digest for relatively little return. He says because I'm fairly slim anyway I shouldn't be making my body work hard to get calories. Basically everything I've ever believed to be true about healthy eating - that fruit and veg is good, cooking stuff removes some of the nutrients, red meat is high in bad fats etc - he is saying the opposite!

He has given me some decent advice I suppose - like grinding up seeds like pumpkin and sunflower and sprinkling on food to make them easier to digest, and using miso more. I don't eat that much dairy as don't really like milk, especially full fat. I'm trying to eat more eggs and cheese now though. It's great to hear from those who had healthy vegetarian pregnancies. I kind of feel that woman all around the world with all sorts of different diets have babies all the time and there's so much advice out there. Osteopath is just doing a good job of making me feel abnormal and unhealthy! I will definitely ask my doctor for her advice when I see her next week too. Thanks all...

He does sound like he is saying the right things though. I do think fat has been over-demonised. We need a certain amount of fat in our bodies and I agree with him about overly processed stuff. We use full fat milk/yoghurt etc and we have butter not margarine/spreads.

Not meaning to offend (you seem to have a healthy diet) but some veggies do have a bad diet. My friend went through our 20's on chips and mayonnaise! Of course it is possible to get everything you need from a veggie diet. I think you just have to work a bit harder!

Plenty of Meat eaters out there with awful diets and they seem to manage

Oh, I don't really want to eat fish ideally. I know it might sound a bit extreme but I really do love animals (and I loved seeing fish when I used to go scuba diving) and the thought of doing them any harm doesn't appeal to me at all. Morally I've come to the conclusion that the only animals I could really eat and still follow what I believe would be animals that have died of natural causes or roadkill (!) and, to be honest, I'd rather eat a bowl of lentils ;-) Saying that, I guess I would eat fish now if there was definite proof it's beneficial in pregnancy and would help the baby's development in a way a healthy vegetarian diet couldn't. Urgh, he also said that if you don't get enough omega 3 oils during pregnancy your body will take it from your brain. Seriously, as if there's not enough to worry about... x

Is the school of thought that thinks that chewing raw veg (eg celery) uses more calories than raw veg provide? I thought all that had been debunked.

Osteo sounds bang out of order in trying to diagnose reasons for your m/cs. Most miscarriages (huge vast majority?) are down to causes that are nothing to do with maternal diet. He cannot tell if it's any different for you. Sheesh. Women with BMIs of 17 & both protein & iron deficiency routinely get & stay pg in other parts of the world.

By all means add more protein to your diet if you think that part may be right, Complement proteins perhaps, most vegetarians I know have no trouble eating fat.

Just for reference, you might want to bear in mind that in the UK anyone can call themselves a nutritionist with no qualifications at all, or just a dodgy diploma from an Internet "university", and many of them spout some fairly extreme ideas with no scientific backing. Before you make any major changes in diet, specially when pregnant, you should consult someone who actually knows what they are talking about.

Hello, I'm a vegetarian and so was my partner when I was pregnant with my son (he has since become vegan)
I eat the usual Quorn and meat free options in the freezer isle. I was brought up a meat eater and lived on burgers, sausages, pies etc. My mum admits she has always been a rubbish cook!

I honestly feel my current, albeit not perfect, veggie diet is way healthier than what I grew up on. Had I been a meat eater while pregnant, I'd still not have eaten 'proper', expensive food.

Anyway, I got to the last couple of months of pregnancy before needing and iron boost on prescription and occasionally really craved brocolli!

Four months after stopping breadtfeeding (I fed him for a year), I fell pregnant with this one (now 26 weeks) and my initial blood test showed my iron levels up there with the best of them! So I suppose I'm pretty healthy.

I don't think anyone should be pointing the finger of blame of your miscarriages on being veggie. That is not at all helpful. Rather, encourage you to improve your current diet, as they should with any woman.
If your diet choice was allergy or religion based, they would not be telling you to eat something you don't want to.
Especially as you are a veggie for ethical reasons and the fishing industry being one if the cruellest there are!

My son eats a better diet than many kids that eat meat, he is fit, healthy looking, rather tall for his age and forever running around with infinite energy!
Keep true to yourself and don't listen to his twaddle!
How do women in the rest of the world who don't have the 'luxury' of the meat industry to sustain their diet have families? Tsk.

Good luck with the future!

I always worry I am not getting enough protein, I had cut and pasted this to print out the other day, don't know if it will be of any help to you but it does highlight other sources of protein other than meat or fish.

PROTEIN
How much is enough?
Health professionals suggest men should eat 55.5g protein a day and women 45g. In practical terms, eating a moderate amount of protein - in one or two meals every day ? should give you all the protein you need. Most people in the UK eat far more protein than they actually need.
You should eat two to three servings of protein every day from both plant and animal sources. Here are some examples of one serving (about the size of a standard pack of playing cards):
? 100g boneless meat (eg lean beef, lamb or pork)
? 100g boneless poultry (eg chicken or turkey breast)
? 100g fish (eg salmon, sardines or tuna)
? 2 medium eggs
? 3 tablespoons of seeds (eg sunflower or pumpkin seeds)
? 3 tablespoons of nuts (eg almonds or walnuts)

List of High Protein Foods for a High Protein Diet

Although many high protein foods are also very high in saturated fat, this protein foods list has only great-tasting, low-fat high protein foods.
BEANS
FOOD AMOUNT CALORIES PROTEIN CARBS FAT
Black beans 1/2 cup cooked 113 7.6 20.4 .5
Garbanzo (chickpeas) 1/2 cup cooked 134 7.3 22.5 2.1
Kidney beans 1/2 cup cooked 112 7.6 20.1 .4
Lentil beans 1/2 cup cooked 115 8.9 19.9 .4
Lima beans 1/2 cup cooked 108 7.3 19.6 .4
Navy beans 1/2 cup cooked 129 7.9 24.0 .5
Soybeans (edamame) 1/2 cup cooked 127 11.1 10.0 5.8
Tofu 1/2 cup fresh 94 10.0 2.3 5.9
DAIRY
FOOD AMOUNT CALORIES PROTEIN CARBS FAT
Cheddar cheese 1 ounce 114 7.1 .4 9.4
Cottage cheese 1/2 cup 110 14.0 3.1 5.0
Cottage cheese, lowfat 1/2 cup 90 16.0 3.0 1.0
Egg 1 large 75 6.3 0 5.0
Milk, lowfat 1 cup 121 8.1 11.7 4.7
Milk, skim 1 cup 86 8.4 11.8 .4
Muenster cheese 1 ounce 104 6.7 .3 8.5
Swiss cheese 1 ounce 107 8.1 1.0 7.8
Yogurt, lowfat 1 cup 144 11.9 16 3.5
Yogurt, nonfat 1 cup 127 13.0 17.4 .4
FISH
FOOD AMOUNT CALORIES PROTEIN CARBS FAT
Anchovies, in water 1 ounce 37 5.8 0 1.4
Halibut 3 ounces 93 17.7 0 2.0
Mackerel 3 ounces 180 15.8 0 11.8
Salmon 3 ounces 121 16.9 0 5.4
Sardines, in water 1 can 130 22.0 0 5.0
Tuna, tongol 1/4 cup 70 16.0 0 0
GRAINS
FOOD AMOUNT CALORIES PROTEIN CARBS FAT
Oatmeal, rough cut 1 cup 145 6.0 25.2 2.4
Pancake, buckwheat 1 4" diameter 54 1.8 6.4 2.2
Pancake, whole wheat 1 4" diameter 74 3.4 8.8 3.2
Popcorn, dry 1 cup 54 1.8 10.7 .7
Quinoa, cooked 1/2 cup 115 4.3 21.5 2
Rice, brown, cooked 1/2 cup 108 2.4 22.8 .8
Rye bread 1 slice 56 2.1 12 .3
Whole wheat bread 1 slice 56 2.4 11 .7
POULTRY
FOOD AMOUNT CALORIES PROTEIN CARBS FAT
Chicken breast 4 ounces 193 29.3 0 7.6
Chicken, light meat, no skin 4 ounces 196 35.1 0 5.1
Chicken, dark meat, no skin 4 ounces 232 31.0 0 5.1
Turkey, light meat, no skin 4 ounces 178 33.9 0 3.7
Turkey, dark meat, no skin 4 ounces 212 32.4 0 8.2

Ah that did not paste very well!! The protein is the second number and is usually a 7.4 35.1 etc, the first number is the calories, although all the numbers are running into each other.

I don't think being vege would be a problem at all but I'd a bit wary of too much soya as it is high in oestrogen.

When I had my DD 20 years ago I was automatically put on iron tablets because I was a veggie.
I have only suffered slightly low iron in the last weeks of pg and this was easily addressed by taking a supplement.
I have had 4 babies and this has been the case for all of them.
Even though I had my last two in my 40s.

Lowrie Turner is a nutritionist

It's perfectly healthy to eat a vegetarian diet, and I really doubt that had anything to do with your miscarriages. That sounds a very ignorant, insensitive thing for someone to say.

I agree with the advice to consult an actual medical professional if you're concerned. I don't want to offend anyone but personally I would stay well away from most of these 'alternative' practitioners and take their advice with caution.

I'm veggie and have had two easy conceptions, pregnancies and large healthy babies, who are energetic vegetarian toddlers.

I craved beef and kippers, of all things, during pregnancy. I interpreted this as needing protein and omega oils, and started to eat lots of nuts and Cerebrum omega capsules from Healthspan (no fish oils so veggie). You might find that they're good additions to your diet as I've since found that omega is important for building healthy brains (so bright babies) plus the supplements really seem to lift my mood.

All the best for a pegnancy very soon.

*pregnancy

What a complete and utter load of uninformed bollocks.

I have been a vegan for 14 years, 2 lovely babes, no problems.

a) He's an absolute fuckwit for saying that to you
b) What are his medical qualifications?
c) No-one 'needs' animal protein. They may need more protein. This is not the same thing.

considering that about half of the population of India are vegetarians, and they don't seem to be suffering a population decline, I would politely suggest your 'nutritionist' is talking out of his backside.

I'm a carnivore (vegetables are something I endure rather than enjoy) and I'm afraid your osteopath is talking crap. I would ask your gp to run bloods to check your thyroid as that is a far more likely cause for early miscarriage than your diet. Whilst I can't comment on having a vegetarian pregnancy I can tell you that the first 12 weeks of my pregnancy with dd were sustained on drumstick lollipops, toast, cereal and malt loaf as that was pretty much all I could stomach.
Babies up to 12 weeks are so tiny they barely need anything calorie or protein wise, and what they do need they take from you, if this were not the case women with hyperemesis would be at serious risk. If you feel you need more protein and you are not vegan then you could try protein shakes (made from whey protein) which are fairly easy on the stomach if you are sick and easily digested.