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Could use a critique on my food plan (vegetarian)
Hi all,
So I'm not a vegetarian although I try not to eat much meat and grew up in a mostly veggie household. Since getting pregnant though, just the thought of meat or eggs makes me feel really horrible. I'm constantly hungry and have already gained a couple pounds so I've decided to put together a meal plan for the next few weeks to try and get it in check. This all works out for the calories I should have (totally giving up on losing weight right now so it's a 1900 calorie day) but I'm a bit concerned about the nutrition. DH is pretty sure I'm not getting enough protein. What do you think?
10:00 - granola bar and tea
12:00 - wrap with slided cheese and lettuce
14:00 - couscous with feta, cukes, tomatoes, chick peas and olives plus 2 clementines
16:00 - low fat hummus with carrots
18:00 - low fat greek yogurt and a bag of baked crisps (I know, not the healthiest but I am just obsessed with salty food right now!)
20:00 - bowl of cereal with milk
BFP Apr 2012, EDD Dec 19 2012 * twin h/b at 6wk, 9wk scan * Baby A lost at 12wks, Baby B was my rainbow born at 36wks
Re: Could use a critique on my food plan (vegetarian)
If you're concerned, could you add black beans to your wrap at lunch? One of my favorite mixes is to use taco seasoning on black beans and add corn and red peppers. It would go well with the items you've already listed--the cheese and lettuce.
For the salty food obsession, what about adding some seeds or salted nuts to your diet? Those tend to fill my cravings and are better for you than crisps (although I know baked crisps are delicious and far better than regular ones).
Also, I've read that some sorts of feta can be problematic (the unpasturised ones) so that may be worth confirming in the off chance you haven't already.
Thanks! Black beans are a good idea!
Just had a mini panic about the feta cheese but checked online and DH got me pasteurized cheese at Waitrose so should be fine. There's so much to keep track of!!
Seeds don't work for me but I can try some nuts, thanks for the reminder! I swear, I get so into the food I eat constantly that I just forget what other options are out there.
BFP Apr 2012, EDD Dec 19 2012 * twin h/b at 6wk, 9wk scan * Baby A lost at 12wks, Baby B was my rainbow born at 36wks
I've never been able to eat breakfast - just makes me feel sick. I have tried a couple times to eat something first thing in the last couple weeks to see if that helps but both times I was almost sick on my bus to work. I was considering trying to have a yogurt or something easy in the morning but I just can't cope with it!
BFP Apr 2012, EDD Dec 19 2012 * twin h/b at 6wk, 9wk scan * Baby A lost at 12wks, Baby B was my rainbow born at 36wks
Would quinoa / lentils be much better than couscous? I have never been a fan of quinoa but I could try again.
I have milk at night, just regular skimmed milk. I only drink organic so I don't think it comes in fortified but I can check it out. Thanks so much!
BFP Apr 2012, EDD Dec 19 2012 * twin h/b at 6wk, 9wk scan * Baby A lost at 12wks, Baby B was my rainbow born at 36wks
What about a smoothie in the morning?
Edit: And what about a baked potato with baked beans? As far as I remember baked beans are a protein.
I love oatmeal in the morning. or as a snack. throw whatever you want in it; raisins or other dried fruit, berries, apples, cinnamon....etc. If you put in a few walnuts it will fill you up in no time. I can't even finish a small portion when there are walnuts in it.
There's also whole wheat couscous if you want more protein and lasting power.
Hi! I'm a veggie so I'll chime in!
A few ways I like to get protein in:
-beans, like other people said. There are so many yummy recipes with beans. For example, one of my all-time favorite recipes is sweet potato and black bean quesadillas. yum!
-lentils. I love lentils. They go with a lot of things, like you could easily mix them in with that couscous salad you described.
-quinoa, like someone else said. It has a lot of protein for a grain, and it's yummy. You can use it pretty much where you would use couscous. What I'm eating right now for lunch is quinoa, red lentils, sauteed red onions and garlic, avocado, tomatoes, and feta. SO yummy!
-nuts, other people mentioned this too. I don't like plain nuts very much but I do eat peanut butter. My go-to pre-gym snack is a slice of bread (or tortilla, whatever) with PB and slices of banana.
-dairy. you have some in there but another suggestion is cottage cheese. A good snack that a lot of people like (unfortunately I don't like plain cottage cheese, I've tried!) is cottage cheese and fruit.
-oatmeal. has a lot of protein too.
-fake meat-type products. I don't like the ones that are supposed to taste like meat, but there are a lot of brands out there. Do they sell Quorn brand in scotland? That's my favorite. They make all kinds of things and most of them (but not all!) are really good. For example, I love making tacos with the Quorn substitute for ground beef. It doesn't taste like or have the consistency of meat, and it's really good. The Quorn products are not soy-based, but you can also use soy-based products or tofu. I love tofu.
not sure if that helps, but also remember it is important to get enough protein but if you don't 100% meet your protein needs every single day, it's probably not the end of the world! (I realize I may not feel that way if/when I'm pregnant someday, but that's how I feel now. I try to get my protein in but sometimes it just doesn't happen, like if I'm eating at someone else's house)
I back everyone up on quinoa - if it's a flavour thing, rather than texture that hasn't made you a fan, try cooking it with different herbs/spices.
With quinoa or couscous, I always add a bit of stock to it - it makes it so much more flavourful! Also with quinoa I've added taco seasoning whilst cooking then you can add taco-style condiments after (cheese, avocado, tomato/salsa, black beans) it's so tasty!
If you can try using veggie (or chicken stock) with quinoa plus some sage and garlic, I find it's really tasty! I actually really like the texture too, and it works in a wrap. I mentioned this to Tofumonkey, but I like to do quinoa with black beans, carrots, corn, and spinach. It's so filling with a relatively small portion. you could add other veggies if you like them--peppers would be good, as would asparagus pieces.
quinoa dies need some work to make it tasty. I use stock regularly and mix it with strong flavours like pesto or curry.
If you're not crazy about them try and mix in at first. Chickpeas and tofu are favourites of mine to add protein to curries, salads and stirfries.
These girls have awesome advice :-)
I know my friend used to eat spoonfuls of PB to combat the morning sickness, and that would get you come protein! What about apples with some PB?
I agree with the other ladies on black beans, chick peas, and lentils to help with your protein intake!! :-) Maybe egg burritos for some protein? (I eat them for dinner often with some salsa, cheese and sour cream) :-)
It looks like I've all ready sent you my veggie recipes, but I've updated a lot so I can send more if you need them. Might help you find some lentil/chickpea/other recipes to have in lieu of meat!! :-) Let me know!
Dave & Jennifer 10.18.08
My Doha Adventures
I was doing 1400 when I was losing weight and myplate says that to maintain my current weight I should have 1900 - I'm still overweight even after losing 50lbs! I'm supposed to add 300 extra calories daily in my 2nd trimester.
However... if I'm still hungry, I'll definitely keep eating, this is not the time that I will choose to be hungry!
Thanks so much everyone... tons of info here. I'll have to take a look properly with my lists!!
Jenny - would love any recommended lentil recipes! I keep wanting to add more lentils into my diet in general but I've never used them successfully. They just tend to turn into goop!!
BFP Apr 2012, EDD Dec 19 2012 * twin h/b at 6wk, 9wk scan * Baby A lost at 12wks, Baby B was my rainbow born at 36wks
Dave & Jennifer 10.18.08
My Doha Adventures
Homemade falafel! Really easy to make and I bake mine. Just pat into patties and pop in the oven.
Rotate in different veggies. Red bell peppers. Carrots steamed or roasted and tossed with a sauce of yellow mustard, honey, and dill weed. Zucchini, broccoli, green beans, cauliflower. Veggie sticks, roasted, grilled, soups, even just shredded and added to things. Just try to eat a rainbow of produce every week.
Sweet potatoes, yams, and winter squashes. Those do double-duty as a veggie and a carb. Just think - sweet potato fries from the oven tossed with salt and rosemary.
And ask your doctor about the nonfat milk. I was told to bump up to lowfat while pregnant.
I'm vegetarian and pregnant which usually equals iron deficiency, so I'd add dried fruit/oatmeal and make sure that the cereal you eat is iron fortified. Also others sources of iron - spinach is a great source.
Make sure you get enough protein - cheese, yogurt, milk, etc.
I don't normally eat fish, but added it during pregnancy as well as fish oil supplements for the Omega-3s.
Make sure to take a good prenatal.