I've been flirting with the idea of going vegetarian or vegan as much as possible.  For Lent i give up all meat every year, which after the first week is not bad.  But I still have other animal products (cheese is my weakness!).  Now I found out Im pregnant.   How do I start the veggie/vegan process and still get all the nutrients i will need during pregnancy?  What are the essential vegan items i should always keep in the kitchen? I live in Riverside, CA and there are not that many chains that carry vegetarian/vegan items being that there are several dairy farms along the outskirts of town.  Please help!! 

If you scroll down the main page, Alicia has several pregnancy blogs posted. Vegan items? - various whole grains, legumes, and veggies. Every store should have that.

Thanks Hazel.  Ill check it out.  By Vegan items I mean like Tempah , Seitan, etc.  Two things I have yet to find after visiting 2 of my local grocery stores.  those types of specialty items.  

Those items are not necessary in a vegan diet. But if you want them, you may just have to go to a larger city. You could also make your own seitan, just google it and you'll get a list of recipes.