eating more nutritiously

[Vanessa]

I'm in the beginning of my second trimester, now at 4 months, and I'm worried about my eating habits.

I'm very reluctant to try new recipies. After all the years I was a vegetarian, and now almost a year of being vegan, it wasn't until 2 days ago that I decided to cook with tofu. I didn't even want to try what I had cooked (spaghetti and tofu balls) because I was afraid I wouldn't like it. When I finally did taste it, I was surprised with the pleasent taste.

I'm glad I braved cooking with tofu. I'm a lot more confident in trying to cook new recipies at home.

My iron and protien is low. I need to consume more foods that are high in protien and iron. It's not that I eat junk food, it's just that I don't eat enough.


I'd just like some pointers in 'vegan' cooking. What sort of foods should I be eating more of? What are some good recipies I should try? What would be an ideal breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snack?

Btw, since my pregnancy I can't stand anything made with soy sauce...

[Katharina]

Hi Vanessa,

an easy (and yummy) way I have found to get a lot of vitamins, anti-oxidants and minerals at once without feeling too full is smoothies and shakes. Check out the smoothie recipes on this site (link on hompage).

I usually have a shake/ smoothie (with spirulina) every morning for breakfast. For lunch I have vegetable stir-fry woth tofu or tempeh or seitan and some sort of grain (quinoa, millet, rice, buckwheat etc...). Of course, fruit or fruit/ muesli bars are a good snack anytime.

Salads or sandwhiches/ wraps/ pita bread with nutburgers or falafel and salad are good dinners or lunches.

Just some ideas for you... there is also some good info on nutrition in pregnancy on this site!

Have fun experimenting! :)

[Teejay]

Tempeh as was just mentioned is a really delicious protein. You might also like to try seitan -- some is prepared with soy sauce but some not. You can also make it at home if you buy "gluten flour" (also called "vital wheat gluten") and knead it with equal measure of water, then simmer the dough in pieces in a couple of quarts of stock for about an hour. It makes a spongy protein that can be sliced, braised, fried, used in any way that you want to use a vegan protein. I looked hard for good protein sources and this is one of the best. Also my family loves it.

I would also second the smoothies/shakes. Add in some nutritional yeast for B12 & other B vitamins, and some flax oil or canola oil (just a little) for omega 3s.

Fruits! Lots of them.

Wholegrain breads -- this is what I have been eating lots more of.

[Vanessa]

I do drink smoothies! They're so yummy. I ran out of fruit though so I haven't had any in days, but I'll go to the market later on today. I'll try adding what you guys suggest to the smoothies for an extra boost. :)

I didn't know making it was so easy to make seitan! I love soy meat though, is it just as easy to make it? I have a bag of soy flour, could I make it with that?

[sharon]

Vanessa,

Someone else who is light on the eating. It's comforting to know I'm not alone. I too have found smoothies and fruit delicious, especially during my pregnancy. Normally I like all sorts of the whole grains and veggies, but during my pregnancy for some reason, eating anything other fruits is sometimes a struggle.

That said, I find that whole food cooking/eating is somewhat of an aquired taste, and somewhat of a personal preference. I've been a vegetarian since I was thirteen, so it is hard to tell what food preference may have evolved if I had not become vegetarian. I grew up on the usual American fair of burgers, white bread, canned vegetables, and devil dogs. However, after nearly 30 years of moving toward a diet of tofu, quinoa, fresh veggies and fruit popsicles, I find processed foods lousy.

There are numerous wonderful cookbooks for vegetarian food these days. Also, you can find a lot of good recipes on-line. Have you looked at www.vrg.org (http://www.vrg.org) for recipes?

A few cookbooks I like a lot are

- How It All Vegan!: Irresistible Recipes for an Animal-Free Diet, by Sarah Kramer (Editor) and Tanya Barnard

- The Vegan Gourmet, by Susann Geiskopf-Hadler and Mindy Toomay

- Great Good Desserts Naturally!, by Fran Costigan

Good luck and happy eatin'