New here-question

[Blue Belle]

Hi there I am new to all this but I am in love with the raw food life! I haven't fully converted yet but I fully intend to. Anyway, I am 6 mo. pregnant and have a few concerns. First of all, how can I get around 80 g. of protein a day with raw stuff? I know your main sources of protein are nuts and sprouts, but can that really supply all my protein needs at this point? And also I'm concerned about the detox issue. I read the pregnancy and detox thread that was posted recently but I have been a junk food vegetarian for several years now and of course I'm concerned about the baby being affected by all those toxins floating around in my body during the detox process. Any advice/knowledge would be heavenly! Thanks in advance :o

[lafsalot]

Hi and congrats on your soon-to-be family addition!

According to Alissa, "protein does not create protein in your body, amino acids do." You get your amino acids from the green leafy veggies you eat.

You can read more about it in the Need to Know More About Raw forum ~ Cathy

[Pennypower]

Hi lafsalot,
I know how you feel. I am nursing my 4 1/2 mo. old son and went raw 4 weeks ago. I went raw right away, and went through a pretty big detox, and my son was fine. However I did this in spite of A LOT of advise otherwise.
It's hard to know, because when you fully believe in the benefits of raw, you get very impatient, and you don't feel like facing the pesky detox situation.
I'll tell you what I've decided to do for protein, and this might work for you too, at least while your transitioning and it could slow down your detox.
For the first 2 weeks I was 100% raw, but I couldn't keep up with all the food I needed to eat and I wasn't getting enouph calories and my milk supply was dropping dramatically.
So I added a few things to my diet.
Now I eat about 75% raw fruits and veggies nuts seeds etc.
About 25% is cooked beans, brown rice, potatoes, and organic sprouted whole grain bread, and corn chips (The bread and corn chips you can make raw, but I needed to eat them every day, and I couldn't keep up, so I buy them at whole foods).
This diet really works for me, because I am still eating an optimal diet and I have nothing to feel guilty about. If you did this you might not have to worry about detox because it wouldn't be too drastic of a change all at once. I don't know about you, but being hungary when your pregnant is painful I think. It's nothing like the hunger you would normally feel. If I let myself get hungry when I was pregnant I would get sick, and this way you can deter some of that hunger. I just follow a simple rule to help me stay 75% raw without eating too many of those other foods. Don't ever eat anything that has been cooked without a great deal of fresh foods to go with it. Don't eat beans and rice without a salad, or bread without a banana.
Don't forget, sprouted whole grain bread, corn chips, brown rice etc. all have plenty of protein for you. (don't forget about your greens and your amino acids, MOST IMPORTANT).
Also, last time I talked to my doctor she said if I ever get preggo again to stay away from raw sprouts, because there can be a dangerous bacteria in them for pregnant moms. You might want to do a little research on this.
I hope this helps. I was in turmoil over my raw diet because of my breastfeeding, and these changes made it a lot more possible for me. When I'm done nursing, I'll go back to 100%
One more thing (sorry so long). I ABSOLUTELY believe one can be pregnant or nursing while raw and this is optimal and best. But when your not experienced with it yet, you can get very hungry at discouraged in the beginning, cause you will look around your kitchen going "what can I eat now". By your next pregnancy, you will be a pro, and it will come naturally!
Hope it goes well!
Penny;) ;) ;)

[shalom]

Hey mama!


Been there done that! I am 6 1/2 mo. along w/ #3. Vegan for 2 years. Went raw while vegetarian w/ last pregnancy (but not organic) and turned to more cooked at the end... i just fell into a craving pit!

Then at about 4-5 months i KNEW i needed to be raw again - the RIGHT way. Cause last time - i didn't (couldn't)spend $$ on a lot of the essentials, so i am sure i was defficiant in many ways.

But, this time we are all organic-raw-vegan and thriving tremendously! Detox is a rough issue, but really - now is the time! Think about it - even IF you detoxed hard and even battled vommiting for a few days..... There are plenty of women on SAD that puke their whole pregnancy (or a trimester) still eating garbage - and their babies come out "healthy". You know what i mean? From what i can tell, (don't quote me!) It doesn't seem that the detox passes through the baby. I do believe they are protected from it; cause it isn't drugs/alcohol where you purposely consume them. Rather your body is releasing from the inside out. Also, so far - i have only heard success stories from those that detoxed while preg, then thrived the rest of the pregnancy, had amazing births, with extraordinarily healthy babies! The real kind of healthy! Besides - detx now is way better then detox through your milk... could cause some major detox.

Also - if you are REALLY concerned... do as high raw as you can and steam certain things. Like.... broccolli, kale, cauliflour.... sprout your grains and then lightly steam them.... I know that Jameth Sheridan has a lot to say about that....

I second the - "go to alissa's pre-answered questions section" and read the bit about protein.

And so you know - i am doing great! Baby is healthy... and big actually!!

You can do it... we all support you!

[Pennypower]

Amen to that. People put so much emphasis on detox, like it's the most frightening thing ever and they scare the heck out of you about it if your pregnant or breastfeeding. But they sure don't try to scare you out of eating a bunch of doodoo, because that's "normal". Don't they know that SAD harms the baby more than detox? Usually those are the same people who warn you against eating too many pieces of fruit while they chow on their big juicy burger. Well ok, that's my opinion.
However you decide to do it, feel great about it. You should be proud of yourself. If you get the feeling you are pushing yourself too hard, back up a bit, slow down and try again when your stronger. Just listen to your body.

[Blue Belle]

Wow! Thank you so much for the advice. That makes me feel SO much better about this whole thing! It's very very helpful! And it's great to meet some raw mamas :D