Hi all, I have been a vegan for the past several months and recently became pregnant (am almost in my third month: yeah!). I wanted to get some support from other moms in the forum although comments from anyone would be great too:)  I have been having some intense cravings for all sorts of foods (some of which are also nasty foods)! This has been really strange for me because when I became a vegan I was so committed to making this change that I honestly had no cravings/ desires to eat foods that were not vegan. It seems that the desires/craving I didn't have when I became vegan are showing up now! Did this happen to some of you too? So far they have been tolerable and when I have cravings for things like meat or dairy I remind myself of all the numerous reasons I became a vegan in the first place. This has been helping keep me in check diet wise (I have not given in) but I would love to hear your person experiences regarding cravings and most importantly how you coped! Sorry for the long post!

I am vegan now, but I was vegetarian when I was pregnant, so I didn't really have any cravings that I couldn't fill. I mostly craved sweets anyways.... never meat etc. What kinds of things are you craving? Maybe we can help you with "mock" recipes that will help fill the void:)

Hi Rosanna!  Congrats on the upcoming baby!  I myself just had my second son this past May and I also had major cravings!  For the most part, I did really well, but I have to admit I slipped a bit with dairy here and there.  Am I proud of it?  No!  But, I didn't beat myself up and just hopped back on the wagon- hang in there as long as you can- you are doing that baby a world of good!  A great read for pregnant mommies is the book called A Bun in the Oven (the Skinny Bitch writers)  Terrible titles, but good books!  Congrats again and remember how kind this "diet" is to you and that awesome little baby you're growing!

Rosana,

Think about your cravings as something that your body needs.  Is it really asking for pizza or does it want tomatoes?  I tried to be as vegan as possible during my 2nd pregnancy but caved in every now and then (cheese was my downfall, I've never liked the fake stuff).

Hope all is well!!!!!

Thanks Jaime,  Jackie, and Crazy in love for all your thoughts! I just saw that you had responded to my post.  It's great to hear I am not the only one:) I have done really well overall but have slipped up a couple times on sweets that were not vegan and once on fish. Like some of you I am not beating myself up over it but have tried to be better prepared (have vegan snacks with me, not wait until I am really hungry to figure out what i will eat, etc) so that helps. Also, I find that the cravings usually pass even if I just eat something else (cravings are worst when I am hungry). Usually my cravings are for things like pizza, omelettes, hoagies. Interestingly some of what I crave shouldn't be eaten by pregnant women anyways (i.e. lunchmeat) so that helps keep me in check. One day at a time :) Thanks again for your support!

Yes, when I was pregnant- all three times- my cravings got the best of me and I am sorry to say that I ate some meat, but not as much as the average person.  Still I know that the weight gain issues and other problems I had were due to going back to some of those nasty foods.  Also, I should mention that I was not vegan before my kids were born, but was ovo-lacto veg since high school.  I went vegan right before my littlest one turned 2 and she just turned 3 this August.

If I could go back and change one thing about my pregnancies it would be either a) to be vegan through the whole term or b) to have a home birth for the first two like I did with the last one.  Tough choice!

i'm 29 weeks pregnant and i was vegan for 6 months prior. i've had some cravings....i totally get it. i've definitely been on the salt train throughout the last 7 months. normally i don't have much salt at all, but now i want a pickle a day for sure!! (and some chippies sometimes too:) i have a 10 year old as well, and i remember wanting piclkes all the time then too!! im normally a pretty healthy eater, the cravings are just strong enough that i can't seem to resist. i always find something vegan to satisfy them, but they still aren't usually very healthy. my best friends are also carbs....toast and peanut butter are a daily snack. good luck with everything!

Through both of my pregnancies I craved grapefruit ( which I didn't like pre pregnancy) , fresh spinich salads, and olives. Good luck I know its tough to ignore thoes pregnancy cravings!

i was actually a carnivore before i became pregnant (may 09) and throughout i slowly started to phase meat out and became a complete vegetarian in the last 2 mos of my pregnancy....my son is now 10 mos old and i am officially a vegan at this point....its almost as if my body knew to get rid of the nastiness for my baby because just the idea of meat was making me sick.....everyone kept telling me it was the pregnancy hormones and to keep eating meat because both my baby and i needed the protein, but i didn't listen.  after much research, i made the right choice for the two of us, especially since i'm breastfeeding.  i plan to raise my son to be veg as best i can....its a shame that i can't guarantee his grandparents (on either side, doesn't matter) will respect my decision when i'm not around, but i'll do what i can since i'm at SAHM and with him 98% of the time.....

best of luck in your pregnancy, rosanna!! you'll be fine and if you do slip up, its not the end of the world....there's always tomorrow.  after all, i ate meat for the 1st half and my son is great nevertheless. 

Thanks Jdoc and all! I am happy to report that some of the weird cravings have subsided and I am still going strong. Deby: Carbs are my best friends these days too which is not so good for the scale but at least I am still eating all of the healthy veggies, fruits, and grains too! I would love to hear more from  those of you whose husbands are not vegetarian or vegan and how you manage that. My husband became vegetarian several months ago (which was amazing) and eats only vegan at home but I don't see him going full vegan any time soon. As such conversations have already started about how we will raise the kids... especially since all of my extended family are carnivores...

my dear husband and 10 year old son are both meat eaters:( my hussband gave me a week of being vegan and actually did really well. he wrote me a daily journal explaining what he liked and didn't like, how he felt, even how his number 2's changed (for the better) i was so excited, hoping he'd make the change!! but, it didn't stick. he's greek, and he really likes meat. i only buy organic meat for them, and they eat about 3 veg dinners a week. i don't want to force anything down anyone's throat. on the other hand, this new baby that's arriving soon will be raisied vegan. there is just too much research to back this decision up! i'm very glad that my husband stands by me for that. my 10 year old is also lactose intolerant, which kinda makes me happy because i don't need to be nasty mom who says no to dairy:) good luck all!

I craved McDonalds chicken mcnuggets during my last pregnancy.    How disgusting is that?  I never gave in...  but I was pretty disturbed by how badly I wanted them...lol.  I really like the Gardien chicken tenders... I wish I had them when I was having those cravings.