Coeliac & Dairy Free

[sparkplugg]

Hi all,
I've just found out I'm pregnant I'm 19- it's very early on and I'm writing this because I'm awaiting a doctors appointment. I'm aware there are foods/ vitamins which are recommended or not recommended. however, I am both coeliac (no gluten) and dairy Intolerant.
Is there anyone in a similar situation or who has been in a similar situation? My fear is my current diet could impact the growth/ health of my baby. What do you guys recommend for like meal plans/ vitamins?
Thank you, any help would be massively appreciated feeling a little lost.

Just make sure you're getting plenty of calcium rich foods. Green leafy vegetables, sesame seeds (tahini and hummus) and almonds are good sources of non dairy calcium. Your normal diet should be fine otherwise, though there are loads of supplements specifically for pregnant women if you want to take one of those. Baby will take whatever he or she needs it's yourself you need to worry about! Are you taking folic acid?

A lot of gluten free products contain powdered milk so you are better off eating whole fresh food, which would also mean your baby gets the best start ever with optimal high quality food.

Think about a variety of fish, shellfish, steak, chicken, eggs, lentils, chickpeas, all the veggies you can eat, black and brown rice, sweet potatoes, quinoa, oats, polenta, .seed crackers, fruit, avocado, ....

Do you cook usually ? what do you eat currently?

@sparkplugg congratulations ☺️ I am 10 weeks pregnant and also gluten and dairy free. I cut our gluten and dairy after suffering from IBS for a few years, which completely resolved the issues almost over night! This was about three months before I conceived, and I’ve been worried about rocking the boat again, so I’ve stayed gluten and dairy free for now. As the above say the main thing is making sure you’re getting enough calcium. I take a Zita West pregnancy supplement which has around 25% of my daily calcium requirements, and top up with things like almond milk fortified with calcium and lots of broccoli. I’m thinking about trying to reintroduce low lactose dairy in my second trimester just to make sure I’ve got things covered properly. I don’t think being gluten free would be an issue though, just make sure you’re getting plenty of fibre ☺️

Yes fibre can be an issue on a gluten free diet. DD is coeliac and allergic to dairy and I need to keep her fibre intake up. Pregnancy can make your digestive system behave strangely at times so you don't want constipation into the mix! If you end up taking iron tablets then constipation is a big issue so watch out for that.

Hi OP, I'm pregnant and coeliac too. I also minimise dairy in my diet. I spoke to my Coeliac consultant about pregnancy before my DH and I started TTC and he said just to make sure I am strictly managing my gf diet and all will be fine. I've tried to eat lots of veggies and good stuff, and have also been taking pregnancy vitamins (the Pregnacare ones).

Congratulations!

Garden of life website, dairy free meal replacement shakes. Best thing throughout my pregnancy. Also just a multivitamin and lots.of spinach and leafy greens. Congrats!!

I'm coeliac, and 31 weeks. Take pregnancy multivitamins and introduce fybrogel if you feel a bit bunged up to due lack of fibre (the glamour of pregnancy ). The midwife will probably keep an eye on your iron levels anyway and will advise you take an extra supplement if necessary. Good luck with your pregnancy!

@Apileofballyhoo

Just make sure you're getting plenty of calcium rich foods. Green leafy vegetables, sesame seeds (tahini and hummus) and almonds are good sources of non dairy calcium. Your normal diet should be fine otherwise, though there are loads of supplements specifically for pregnant women if you want to take one of those. Baby will take whatever he or she needs it's yourself you need to worry about! Are you taking folic acid?

Thank you!! And not yet Cus I only found out a few days ago. I'm going to take a trip to the pharmacy today/ tomorrow and get some :)

Folic acid is very important - I've got a feeling it might be added to ordinary bread/cereal (I'm not in the UK) but it might not be in gluten free stuff. Also found in green leafy vegetables I think.

I find a lot of the gluten free bread is high in fibre now compared to years ago. You'll often see 6-10% on the package which I think is higher than ordinary bread.

Folic acid is only needed for the first 27 days after conception. This is why they say you should take it before falling pregnant as often you are not aware you are pregnant in the fist days. Once the neural tube is formed, you don't need it. You can get your folate from leafy greens

@sparkplugg I seemed to become temporarily dairy intolerant in pregnancy. The advice I had from a qualified dietician was to make sure I got enough iodine and calcium. These are the main things milk has that you might be short of and both are super important! The easiest way to get both is to buy a plant milk that has both added - not all have iodine so check the ingredients. Then drink a couple of glasses a day. Its hard to get enough iodine any other way as you'd have to eat loads of fish and you aren't supposed to have too much in pregnancy.

Glulten free I think is less of an issue, you can eat other wholegrains like oats (if you can), quinoa, brown rice etc.

You can find iodine drops or just eat seaweed.
You have iodine in milk because they use iodine to wash and clean the udder before each milking, not because it is inside the milk