Pregnancy and Breastfeeding questions...

[MOM2TYLER]

I hope it is OK for me post here. I am not vegan but my son is allergic to milk, egg, soy and fish so we do use a lot of vegan resources......we do, however, eat meat and chicken, as I said, if that is an issue with posting here then I will not post. Here is my current situation:


I am 25 weeks pregnant. The docs have advised that during the 3rd trimester I strictly avoid all nuts, fish and milk products. Also, I plan to breastfeed so I will keep that same diet during breastfeeding. I was going to see a dietician but my insurance company is giving me a hard time, so I am going to try to do it on my own and just keep careful attention to be sure I get the correct nutrition (for pregnant/lactating women). I will begin taking calcium supplements, and will drink calcium fortified rice milk and OJ. I just need some help brainstorming on meal ideas. I do this on a daily basis with my son so it shouldn't be so hard, but he is on formula so I worry less about his nutritional needs than I will need to for myself. Can you please help me out with some ideas for meals......here's what I have come up with:

Any "safe" cereal w/ rice milk
All fruits and veggies
Safe homemade muffins (banana, apple, pumpkin, blueberry etc)
Safe pancakes (I need a good recipe!!!)
Safe French toast (is there such a thing)

Safe luncheon meats
Safe bread
Mayo (it has eggs but I am not, at this time, avoiding that)
Eggs (but I wont have them out as I don't trust x-contam issues)

Freshly made safe meats and chicken
rice
pasta


Does anyone use Rich's non dairy creamer? I know it is supposed to be parve.....is it good? What do you use it for? Coffee?? Drinking?? Cereals?? Cooking??

How about Vance's Dairy Free??

Just trying to get ideas.....Tyler isn't the best eater and he doesn't know any better on tasty foods, so I haven't worried as much with him....I do know better and my tastebuds are more discerning then his (LOL) so any truly delicious suggestions are much welcomed. Also, Tyler is egg and soy free, which I am not doing, so I can have a bit of a more varied diet then he can, so I want to make sure I don't OVER-avoid stuff too!! I will basically eat his diet, but I know his diet isn't nutritionally adequate for me, a pregnant woman, who isn't on special formula like he is...

I also would love ideas on what I can take to he hospital for delivery to ensure that I have safe foods....I plan to take the individual boxes of rice dream, and have my hubby bring me safe muffins (I will make ahead and freeze) as well as safe cereals, if they are not available at the hospital (I will probably get the individual serving size boxes of cheerios or raisin bran or something).

Thanks for any and all suggestions.....I want to do this right but also not skimp on nutrition for me or the baby!!

Thanks again!!

Nancy

[Erin Pavlina]

Pop over the Product Review page and scan the list for ideas of foods that are dairy free.

http://www.vegfamily.com/product-reviews/index.htm

Good sources of calcium include green leafy veggies and the fortified soy and rice beverages you already know about.

Tofu is great, but not if you're avoiding soy.

There are fake luncheon meats, but those may contain soy. Probably okay for you in your third trimester though.

Pop over to our recipe section for ideas on foods to make too.

http://www.vegfamily.com/vegan-recipes

Good luck to you and keep posting if you'd like.

[Christa]

The Nutritional Yeast Cookbook has a vegan french toast recipe that it pretty good - it is made by dipping bread into a mixture of soy (or other non dairy) milk, nutritional yeast, a little flour, and a couple other things that I can't remember off the top of my head. I always add a bit of vanilla, too. I don't know if the rest of the book would appeal to you, but it has some recipes that are really good & others that are so-so.

Re pancakes, I always just use the recipe from the Joy of Cooking & use soy milk instead of dairy milk (you could use rice milk, too) and Ener-g Egg replacer instead of eggs. Ener-g Egg replacer works really well in baking. It is a white powder (made from tapioca flour & some other vegan stuff). You just mix it with water & use it in place of eggs in recipes.

You're probably not going to get a lot of recipes from people here with safe meats or mayo (with eggs), since we don't eat those, but there are some good meat substitutes that I could come up with.

[Christa]

Re French toast, I made some this morning & hope that it is okay for me to post the recipe here from the cookbook mentioned earlier, b/c I have modified it a bit so it shouldn't be infringing on copyrights, I hope!

Anyway, here goes:

Mix about 1 cup of non-dairy milk, 2 tsps of nutritional yeast, 5 tsps of flour (white or wheat), a dash of vanilla and cinnamin to taste together in a large flat bowl. Whisking with a wire wisk works well.

Dip your bread into this mixture on both sides of the bread until wet & then fry up in a non-stick frying pan just like "regular" french toast. My husband said that it is pretty good - he is always my tester for authenticity since he is not vegetarian. And, no, it does not taste even remotely like nutritional yeast, at least to me. I believe that the yeast is supposed to add a slight "eggy" flavor to the dipping batter.

[frenchie]

As pregnant lactating woman, you can do fine without meat and dairy, you just have to be a bit more creative and aware of what you're eating.
There are many great alternatives to meat and dairy. I use Veganaise instead of mayo...tastes MUCH better than mayo, they make a version with Grapeseed oil. It's much better for you, and I believe it's soy free.
There are plenty of ways to get calcium...greens, sesame seeds, almonds, beans, squash, sweet potatoes, and raisins. Almonds and raisins make a great snack that supplies iron, protien, and calcium.
Egg replacer from Ener-g is great!! I use it in muffins, pancakes, breads, etc.
As for lunch meats....beside the fact that it's meat, they are full of nitrates...all of them! Any of the alternatives are made of soy. You're better off staying away from lunch meats altogether. Stick to jam and peanut butter, or any other nut butter.
There are plenty of breads out there that don't contain milk or eggs...you just have to read the label.
Mutli grain rice is the best because it contains protien and fiber. Try to stay away from instant rice, or plain white rice. Jasmine rice is OK.
I hope some of this info helps. Good luck!

[HoneyNBen]

I know how you feel. My son is allergic to corn and it's in everything.

If you want some more protein for you and your son, Bee pollen has more than beef I believe it's one tsp-4 oz. Gluten also has protein in it and can be made into all types of "meats"

I run a breastfeeding support board. You are welcome to come over there if you are looking for some extra support.

http://groups.aol.com/breastfeeders?mmch_=0

Congratulations on the new baby and for taking care of you children. Also, Veganaise has an organic version and if you like Mayo or Miracle whip you'll love veganaise. My in-laws never notice their sandwiches are made with "that fake stuff!" Hehe!
Welcome to the other side! :) What they don't know won't hurt them!

I know of some recipes if you would like them...just let me know about the gluten...You actually might find something online.
Also, if you have a bread machine or can get one...do it! They're wonderful...be sure to get one with a timer so you can wake up to fresh bread each morning...

http://www.vegweb.com/food/bread/index-bread-machine.shtml

I love this site...plenty of recipes that need no milk, egg, or in my case...corn. If you run across something with soy, just sub it!

Good Luck!