Hi all!

Last month I found out I was pregnant, and although I really wanted to stay raw throughout it, for the past several weeks I haven't been able to due to nausea. I started out at high-fruit low-fat raw, but lately have only been able to eat maybe two or three pieces of fruit a day, and the idea of veggies turns my stomach. Sadly, I've had to resort to bland cooked foods (toast, cereal mainly) that don't upset the nausea. That's all well and good but apart from the lack of nausea I feel much worse now that I'm off of raw. I have low energy and am tired more, and bloated, and retaining water, the list goes on. I miss my fruit! I just wish I could eat it without feeling sick.

The good news is that the nausea seems to be lifting a bit as the pregnancy progresses, and I'd like to transition back to raw. I was curious about other people's experiences with this. My husband was talking to a guy the other day whose wife was raw, but had to eat cooked all through her pregnancy because raw produce made her queasy. Have any of you had this? What foods were you able to eat that didn't make you sick? So far I seem to be able to eat apples, pears, oranges, melon .. greens in small quantities. The idea of green smoothies and salads sounds nasty to me now, and those used to be staples for me. Bananas and avocados sound nasty, and I'm not that big on nuts and seeds or dried fruit. I'm just scared I switch back to all raw but don't get enough calories to support the baby's growth, because the high calorie raw foods just don't appeal. If it was just me I'd happily live on low-cal fruit, but I don't want to put the baby at risk. I'm currently taking prenatal vitamins which I bought at the health food store, the ones with added greens and "whole food" concentrates, and I'll probably stay on those at least until I feel I'm getting the proper nutrients otherwise.

Sorry so long and circuitous. Any advice/experiences would be much appreciated.

Nicole

Hi Nicole,

I haven't had a raw pregnancy yet, (I do have 3 kids though) but would like to say that fruit isn't a low cal food. On a high fruit-low fat diet, fruit is where you get most of your calories from. So I'd suggest just starting with whatever fruit you can stomach, and eat as much as you desire, and start from there, and take it one day at a time. When you're not eating fruit and tender greens, try to have your food be as whole and unprocessed as possible...

Hope this helps a little.

Sarah
[goingbananasblog.com]

Ah, sorry, my wording was a bit confusing. What I meant by "low calorie" fruit was just that I'm now only able to eat the water-based, lower calorie fruits (apples and oranges instead of, say, bananas and avocados) and only in small quantities, so whereas before I got pregnant my fruit-based calorie intake was probably about 1000-1200 daily (mostly in water-based fruits), now it's probably more like 200-300.

You're right, and my goal these days is just to work as much raw fruits and veggies back into my diet as possible. Your advice does help, and I appreciate your taking the time to offer it.

Nicole

oh oops, sorry

Would blending help you get more calories in?

Can you stomach watermelon? I find that I can get in lots of calories eating watermelon - not that it is necessarily a high calorie fruit, but I seem to easily be able to eat a huge amount of it at a sitting.

Sarah
[goingbananasblog.com]

I have had 2 high raw pregnancies, even though I was not nauseous I also was baffled at my weird likes and dislikes the first few weeks. My only advice is to sit it out, and hope that your regular self will come back to you Both times, I was able to climb back up to almost 100% raw easily after the initial rough time (both times around 10-12 weeks).

BlueJaunte-
i'm pregnant with my second baby and am about six weeks along. i had problems in my first pregnancy with keeping down spinach and salads, but watery fruits were wonderful. at first. it didn't take long before my body settled down and i could eat again. the first rush of hormones is very hard and even with bland cooked foods, you can feel horribly nauseous and constantly queasy. i did incorporate potatoes and some cooked veggies into my diet with the first kiddo, and occasionally meat (usually to appease the panicked onlookers who were convinced i was causing severe braindamage to my unborn baby by not eating their crazy foods). though meat was NOT something i wanted or felt my body needed the entire pregnancy.

my baby, which was gestated in a 75% raw body, is so wonderful that i cannot imagine not offering even better nutrition to this new baby. at the beginning, do not worry about keeping down lots of calories or hard to digest foods. at this phase, your body will give it's nutrients to the new baby even if you cannot replenish the fuel daily. some women vomit and don't gain weight up to the seventh month or so. this is NOT me. i wish.

so, now i'm keeping down greens okay, i just have to eat VERY slowly and chew very well. it's good practice. melons are my staple summer food anyways. pineapples are nice now, and i had a wonderful organic pear today. apples and prunes (i don't know why, but the hormones make my body crazy in weird ways), and dates, and sorbets are holding me up, and occasionally i make oven fries (i'm still breastfeeding the 14 month old, so keeping up the carbs makes a difference). my friend got me a dehydrator, so i'll be experimenting with that.

i know my queasiness got better when i settled down and forced myself to quit eating my safe cooked foods. it just takes a lot of fresh fruit and constant eating. when my stomach gets to empty, it's bad. i got creative and froze bananas dipped in chocolate (raw cacao and honey and coconut milk) and that also was soothing to my tummy and taste buds. i hope my queasiness stays at bay, but it's pretty early, so i'll keep you updated on my progress with raw and budding baby!

peace-

I am RAW in my 3rd trimester of pregnancy. Right now I am about 29 1/2 weeks and am on 100% raw day 4. I am tracking how it affects my pregnancy on my blog. It can be done! =) Amy Bass

Just started my rawfood journey and blogging daily about it here: [journeyforhealth.blogspot.com]

4 days! congrats! the third trimester is a great time to go raw, isn't it? i only wanted fresh fruit and light cleansing things, everything else just added to the huge bloated feeling...

i think i was 100% raw for the first month and last month of my last pregnancy, certainly for the first month. and then i was raw right after birth. juicing is essential for nutrients, easy consumption, breastmilk and not straining after giving birth! i made enough milk for triplets drinking only fresh fruit juice. the lactation consultants were a little freaked out....

i look forward to hearing more from both you pregnant ladies!
peace-

Wow! What powerful earth mamas we have here! I feel so blessed to hear your experiences with raw. I am currently transitioning towards the 811 lifestyle and making significant progress, although I am not 100% raw. Currently I am nursing my 9 1/2 month old son and need to take in a lot of calories to feed him (and my morning run!) I would love to hear your experiences with raw breastfeeding, as I plan on nursing for the next year or so and would love some guidance.

InnerBeauty

Thanks for all the great replies! It's definitely helpful reading about other people's experiences with this. I'm around 7 weeks, so hopefully within the next month or so I should be back on at least 75-80% raw, and work back up to 100% as I can. We'll see!

Thanks again!

Mama Cass- That is fantastic to know. I was a bit worried I wouldn't have enough breastmilk.

InnerBeauty- I will continue to be raw after the birth and will be posting all about my raw breastfeeding experiences.

bluejante- I think you will do great on your diet. Just listen to your body.

Just started my rawfood journey and blogging daily about it here: [journeyforhealth.blogspot.com]

InnerBeauty-
a morning run! awesome. that is so great. i couldn't have thought of doing that until around 10 months. when some banana assistance eased the nursing for me. you do need to keep up your calories, huh? we're almost 14 months and breastfeeding, and everytime i try putting water in a bottle, and then i have to clean the bottle, i realize how easy breastfeeding is. i know a lot of other moms who do the bottle thing all the time, and i just can't be bothered. part of that is why i can maintain breastfeeding. and communication. it's really wonderful to be able to share so much understanding with my little guy.

Amybass- fat and fruits are just amazing for breastmilk. i know a lot of women who've had problems with breastfeeding, but it was usually simple things like dehydration, or blocked ducts, which isn't such a problem with a juice/high raw fruit diet. the experts never would support me, but they also couldn't believe that i was making as much milk as i was, no matter what i was eating. that could also be my body. but you've had other kiddos, so your body will probably make a ton of milk just because it's used to it!

BlueJaunte-
peace to you and hoping that your body feels amazing very soon.

Oh, just as an aside for you nursing mommies .. in case you didn't know, Living Tree Community Foods has an ongoing offer where they send a free pound of their organic sundried raisins with any purchase to nursing moms. (I don't work for them or anything, I'm just definitely going to be placing orders when I start nursing!)

Here's the link:

[www.livingtreecommunity.com]

Bluejaunte- That is good to know. I LOVE raisins.

Just started my rawfood journey and blogging daily about it here: [journeyforhealth.blogspot.com]

hm, i'm not a huge raisin fan, but i actually only like dates when it comes to dried fruit. are dates all dried? but i'd probably order from that site just because they offer that! thanks for the link.

just dropping a line to see how all the pregnant ladies are doing.

amybass- thanks for giving us lots of links to your blog so we can follow you.

bluejaunte- how's it going? nausea? should be passing soon, right? 8-12 weeks was when i was queasy on my first pregnancy. it's pretty consistant for showing how far along you are, my midwives said. have you moved on to the melons? or the berries? pineapples are tasty right now too, especially the juice.

i've been having a rougher time feeling full on my raw, but i've kinda had to meditate and pray and just release some of the craving/needing feelings. and eat an entire watermelon when i'm out at the beach. actually, the sun has really helped me feel better raw. and coconuts. last night the husband and i sat out on the porch and ate 1/2 a coconut. it was wonderful. then i had two mandarin oranges. so, three days back at 100% raw, and already feeling better.

innerbeauty- how's the nursing? my little guy is breaking eye teeth and his last molar, so he's firmly attached to the nipple right now. how many teeth does your munchkin have?

peace-

Mama Cass - your picture is adorable! My son has 5 teeth and loves to eat! He really likes solid food but of course breast milk is his favorite. I too, struggle feeling full on raw...I had 4 apples and 4 bananas for breakfast and I was still sooooo hungry. I am netting 3000 calories a day on average and that kinda freaks me out b/c everyone else around here seems to be eating only a fraction of that per day. The hardest part of my transition from cooked vegan to raw vegan has been trying to decipher the difference between true hunger and appetite. I guess it would be easier if I wasn't responsible for my sons nutritional needs. I would be more willing to take risks and learn from trial and error if only my health depended on it. I am so glad that we have this forum, I have been around since his birth almost 10 months ago.

It's definitely going better now than it was. My nausea is pretty much gone (8.5 weeks) and I'm incorporating more and more fruit, though the greens still turn my stomach for some odd reason. Maybe I'll try some green smoothies. Have been doing fine with watermelon, pears, oranges, mangoes, lots of apples, young coconut water .. Just bought one of those freezer popsicle molds. I'm thinking pineapple/young coconut popsicles. Anyway, I'm getting back on track, slowly but surely .. and looking forward to losing this 5+ lbs of water retention from eating processed foods!

Hope everyone else is doing well

bluejaunte-
YEAH!! so glad to hear that. it does get easier and fast. and green smoothies might work. i don't know. i really couldn't keep them down the first pregnancy at all. and now i eat them like mad. funny about the freezer pops. i've been wanting a lot of frozen fruit stuff. pineapple coconut, yum. i also need the bananas with the raw cacao to give me a starchy/full feeling. coconut... yum. all the fruit is coming in so delicious that i can't help but buy and eat lots of it. did you see the post on fasting and pregnancy? you might like that. i wouldn't worry about getting greens right now if they turn your stomach.

innerbeauty-
your pic finally came through. so lovely! 3,000 a day, yeah, that sounds right. i sometimes can't belive how much my body demands. my husband laughs because since i don't eat out, people worry about my eating habits (i'm also not exactly huge) so they ask him if i eat enough, and he laughs and say i can eat anyone under the table when it come to fruits and salads. i don't even try to calculate. i might get upset. and before kiddo and breastfeeding, i could live off of three pieces of fruit and/or a salad a day. or just juice. or just water for days. now i can still do that, but not maintain my energy. i have to sleep all day if that's what i give my body. so at least the system is functioning.

great to hear from you both!

peace-

Mama Cass,
Do you follow food combining.? Specifically, do you eat fruit alone - not with or after other meals. I find it difficult to resist eating fruit even though I have not waited the proper amount of time. For example, if I eat a raw veggie and a cooked grain for dinner (I am in transition) I find it really hard to wait 3 or more hours in order to eat the fruit. I would love to hear opinions.

i do food combine. it makes a huge difference. once in a while i'll have some dates after dinner, but usually because my husband wants me to eat multiple courses with him.

i always eat my melons alone. this one is very urgent to me. i eat most fruits alone, but apples and pears i will sometimes mix. i eat my fruit first.

if i know i want fruit around dinner time, i eat it first. or i think very hard and decide whether to have fruit or a oily salad for dinner. if i eat the salad, i pretty much ban fruit for myself later.

i don't mix fruit in my salads either, though my husband loves some apples and/or dried fruit with his seeds, oil and lettuce. i've come over the years (i've been trying out different levels/sorts of raw foods for three years or slightly more now) to natually prefer food combining. it just works better for my body, which is what i'm guessing it does for most.

peace-

That is what I thought and believe to be true, however, it does require for planning (unless I go all fruit). Thanks.