Thursday, April 19, 2012

6 Weeks to Go!

Just a quick post of random tidbits from my brain.

I still love being pregnant. This time has been so special and although I've had some pretty rough moments I'm still not "done".

My husband is the world's greatest. This is not arguable at all. He surprises me again and again with how amazing he can be and I could brag about him all day. I couldn't ask for a more supportive man.

Baby showers are way more fun than wedding showers. (not saying wedding showers aren't fun!) I'm so blessed by the generosity of our family and friends. We love you guys!!

Our son is going to be so well dressed it's ridiculous. Also, I have an urge to only dress him in overalls. It's a simple fact that overalls are the cutest things for baby boys to wear.

My belly is huge. My bladder is small.

Those are all the thoughts I have in my brain tonight. Random? Always! Boring? Well........maybe so!


Tuesday, April 3, 2012

My Plant-Strong Pregnancy (Part 1)

My choice to remain vegetarian during my pregnancy was an easy one. My transition to a vegetarian lifestyle was, literally, overnight and not at all as researched as it could have been but I have since learned a lot. I've read multiple books, watched a couple of documentaries, researched several published scientific studies and have become a pretty great cook. You try a veg diet in tiny Central TX and see if your cooking skills don't improve! :-)

So here are some of the things that I've been eating a lot of lately! In this post I'll give some general nutritional information about how I make sure to get everything that LDB and I need. This is by no means comprehensive and is really just covering the basics. If you have any questions about something specific just ask...I really enjoy talking with people about the way that we eat and am really not "preachy" about it!
(All nutritional info in this post comes from the USDA)

Protein:
The dreaded protein! This is what I'm asked about the most so I'll start here.
* Black Beans: 15g protein and <1g fat per cup. I eat these a lot in tacos, quesadillas, soups, and salads.
* Quinoa: 8g protein and 3.5g fat per cup. Love this stuff in anything where I'd normally use rice.
* Chobani Greek Yogurt Cups: 14g protein and 0g fat per 6oz. A lot of people would categorize this as calcium but I love these little cups at breakfast as a morning protein boost!
These are just a few of my favorites but here is a great resource that gives a lot of information about vegan/vegetarian protein sources and how easy it is to get all you need.

Super Foods:
* Spinach: 8g protein, 1g fat, 6g carbs, 281mg calcium, 7mg iron, 69mg Vitamin C per 10oz serving. I eat a lot of raw spinach in salads and smoothies and cooked in lots of soups and italian/mexican dishes.
* Ezekiel 4:9 bread. You can read all about this amazing food right here. It's a complete protein, has tons of fiber, and is Biblically based. Pretty cool, I think!
* Earth Balance Original Organic Soymilk: 7g protein, 4g fat, 90 calories, 50% B12, 30% Vitamin D, 30% Calcium per 1 cup serving. (The percentages are for the recommended daily value) This is great tasting soymilk that is fortified with lots of good things that I might normally miss out on otherwise...especially the vitamin B12!

Snack Foods:
Grapefruit, bananas, gala apples, blueberries, cheese and crackers, hummus and these crackers from Costco (YUM) are some of my favorites. I was in a really bad rut of eating chips and junk as snacks for about 1 month and when I saw my weight gain and blood pressure at my appointment the end of that month I knew I had to get my diet and exercise under control. I'm happy to say that I just saw my weight gain go back to normal and my blood pressure go down 20 points in each number! Best news I've had all week and I think getting my snacking and activity level under control had a lot to do with it.

Vitamin:
This is a link to the supplement facts on my prenatal vitamin. Click Here. It's vegan and I love it.

If this information is absolutely boring to you it's ok!! I'm really interested in smart nutrition and the benefits that has on my general health and well-being. If nothing else, I hope that it sets the minds of skeptics at ease to know that I'm making good dietary choices for myself and LDB.