Displaying items by tag: pregnancy

The Kind Mama is described as a simple guide to supercharged fertility, a radiant pregnancy, a sweeter birth, and a healthier, more beautiful beginning. Written by New York Times Bestseller of The Kind Diet, Alicia Silverstone has created a really inspiring and practical book that helps women take charge of their motherhood. I find this guide so empowering, especially because Alicia strongly believes that pregnancy doesn't have to be uncomfortable, that instead it should be 9 months of bliss before a lifetime of happiness. 

Alicia draws on her own experience and research (there are so many citations!), as well as the expertise of obstetricians, midwives, nutritionists and health counselors. She aimed to make this an all-in-one resource, taking readers though every stage of pregnancy with solutions, advice, and over 30 plant-based recipes. It's really exciting from a vegan standpoint how she positions the plant-based diet as an extraordinary way for women to feel their best during and after pregnancy. And, I love how she ties in many natural approaches to baby-making, from trusting instincts to meditation to non-toxic products. 

If you're part of the Eco-Vegan Gal community and a fan of The Kind Diet, I'm confident that you'll love The Kind Mama as much as I do. I was thrilled to receive a copy for review from Rodale, and got extra excited when they offered 5 copies to giveaway! Want to add this book to your collection? Here's how to enter.

The main requirement for entering this contest is to watch this video. Within it I will mention a secret passcode! Beyond that, you can earn points to increase your chance of winning, which are outlined in the Rafflecopter widget below.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Open to U.S. residents only

5 winners will be announced here and in the EvG newsletter on Monday May 19th - best of luck to you!

Published in Children & Pregnancy
Friday, 26 August 2011 19:31

eHow Video: How to Be a Pregnant Vegetarian

By Dr. Jill Hechtman M.D. OB/GYN explains, in a somewhat cheesy and lacking video, that it is completely safe to have a vegetarian diet while pregnant. And since she doesn't mentioned that dairy is necessary, I assume that she believes veganism is OK too.  Her main piece of advice is to make sure you get enough protein and nutrients, recommending beans, vegetables, pre-natal vitamins, and extra supplements. She says, "the [food] pyramid is essentially the same, just take out the meat and add your proteins that will help keep your diet balanced"

Published in Children & Pregnancy
Thursday, 25 August 2011 12:34

Why It’s Hard Getting Pregnant

With many of my friends getting pregnant these days, I hear a lot of stories about how hard it is to conceive. We've spent so much of our lives trying not to get pregnant, and when it's finally time to many women have trouble. In fact, pretty much everyone I talk to has struggled with it, and they're all under 30. And then, after the plastic indicator finally shows something positive, women have to wait 3 months to tell anyone about it in fear of a miscarriage. I was shocked to find out 1/4 pregnancies are lost within that 90 days - doesn't it make you wonder?
Published in Children & Pregnancy

Article on Mother Nature Network about study linking PBDEs (polybrominated diphenyl ethers) in flame retardants to difficulties in women who are trying to conceive. Researchers found "that the higher the rate of PBDEs that were found in a woman's blood, the longer it had taken her to become pregnant."

Published in Children & Pregnancy