should my wife eat meat again now that shes pregnant?

Question

shes a vegetarian (no meat or fish) but shes been considering eating it again as shes just found out shes pregnant and wants the baby to be healthy as possible.

she said she'd give it up again after she'd finished breastfeeding.

what do you think?

Answer 1

If she wants to eat meat, that's up to her. But there's no reason why she can't have a healthy baby on a vegetarian diet.

A vegetarian friend of mine recently had a baby (at 50 years of age). She did not change her diet and the baby is healthy.

Answer 2

No, eating meat during pregnancy is not a good choice, especially if she doesn't eat it in the first place. There are many other very normal regular every day foods that pregnant women should also avoid. Something as simple as sage should not be consumed when pregnant or afterwards during breastfeeding. So, do some reading.

I have two kids. The mother never ate meat, fish, dairy, or any animal products during pregnancy. Also abstained from all junk foods, coffee, sugars, chocolate... what the woman eats is also directly affecting the baby too. Get a Midwife and she'll explain all about these sorts of things too (is she knows her stuff as most do).

Read the book: Macrobiotic Pregnancy by Michio Kushi & Aveline Kushi for some good info on the subject and how meat and other food can affect the baby, not to mention the mother.

No, you don't have to be Macrobiotic to read the book.

Answer 3

As far as I understand, introducing meat into a vegetarians diet is a major adjustment felt by all organs of the body. During any stage of pregnancy such an adjustment is not advised , however small dietary changes are completely acceptable some of which, encouraged.

I presume your wife is speaking from experience, my guess is she either feels her diet is antiquate, or perhaps you two are rightfully so looking out for the well being of your expected child. If in fact your wife is questioning her eating habits and the impact it may have ,one would have to ask the reason for switching back? I realize that a needs of a newborn baby differ from those of an adult, however our morals steam from the same place. If your family chooses not to eat the chemically treated, hormones injected , farmed , diseased mutated "meat" that the majority of our society enjoys, then continue doing so. keeping in mind your wife should increase her meal sizes preferably with fruits and vegetables. I believe there are many alternatives to animal products that provide adequate levels of proteans and fats.

All in all this is a very personal question I would hope you and you wife discuss the reason you have the diet you do , start from there, keeping in mind there are many alternatives and a vegetarian diet can offer what a carnivour diet does, it just requires a lot more planning.

good health to you and your family.

Answer 4

She can if she wants, but there's absolutely no need.

My sister had a perfectly healthy baby after a completely vegetarian pregnancy. She carried to full term, had an easy birth and a normal weight/size baby. She maintained the diet while breastfeeding and was fine. The main thing is to make sue to get lots of extra protein.

Also, if there are any issues with breast milk production after the baby is born, tell her to drink some beer. Hops help it along.

Good luck, whatever route she chooses.

Answer 5

your wife should make that decision for herself.

although it's absolutely unnecessary to eat meat for a baby to become healthy. many babies have been raised vegan or vegetarian and they're healthy. Meat is not good for the body, anyway.


don't listen to traceilicious, she's a troll that hangs out in this section making giving false information. I believe the the traceilicious that answered your question is a fake, meaning she's pretending to be someone else on this forum.

Answer 6

A healthy vegetarian diet can provide you with all the nutrients you need during your pregnancy and give your baby the best possible start in life.

The health of a mother and baby is influenced not only by diet during pregnancy but also by diet before conception. Eating a healthy diet before pregnancy will give your body a good store of nutrients for the baby to draw on during pregnancy. The foetus is most susceptible to nutritional imbalance during the first few months of pregnancy because this is the time of most rapid development.

Go to the Vegetarian Society and look up pregnancy and the vegetarian - its very enlightening.

www.vegsoc.org

Answer 7

She really doesn't need to. The American Dietetic Association says that well-planned vegetarian diets are appropriate for all life stages, including pregnant and lactating women. A great book for her to check out is "Raising Vegetarian Children" by Joanne Stepaniak and Vesanto Melina. It covers pre-pregnancy, pregnancy and lactation diets as well infancy and vegetarian childhood. She should at least do her research before she gives up her vegetarianism when it's not really necessary.

Answer 8

There are other alternatives to eating meat and certainly other sources of protein. Your wife should talk to a nutritionist and discuss whether or not she can be healthy without eating meat. Personally, I don't think it's necessary to eat meat to have a healthy baby.

Just don't be like the vegan couple who accidentally starved their baby to death because they didn't feed it any proper food.

Answer 9

Congratulations! If your wife's already a vegetarian I would imagine she knows good ways to have all the necessary protein in her diet for your baby to be healthy. Perhaps she should discuss her current diet with a nutritionist and make sure she's taking in everything needed to help your baby too. Good luck :)

Answer 10

Well, you should talk to a nutritionist about it but I think that it's possible for your wife to have a healthy baby without eating meat like.

For instance nuts have Omega-3 like fish oil.

Legumes have protein. In fact lots of healthy grains have protein in them.

You can also use prenatal vitamins.