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Vegan Momma Monthly: Are You Eating a Balanced Vegan Diet?
Welcome to Vegan Momma Monthly! Our newsletter subscribers range from the newly pregnant and/or newly vegan to the new moms trying to convert their families to a plant-based diet.
Rather than give you a month-by-month guide to pregnancy like you can find in so many places, you will find general suggestions for a happy, healthy vegan pregnancy to the first few years as a new vegan momma. Our goal is to provide encouragement to keep you confident and secure in your role, and support you with a community of like-minded individuals. I hope you enjoy this newsletter!
In this issue...*Introduction: Are You Eating a Balanced Vegan Diet?
Share the love with your friends and family Vegan Momma is a rapidly growing community of moms (and dads) who are dedicated to providing their children with the healthiest possible food options, as well as compassion for all living beings. If you know people who follow this philosophy, we'd love you to spread the word, whether they're vegan or not. The only way we can make a true difference in the world is by continuing to promote the positive benefits of a vegan lifestyle.
If a friend forwarded this to you and you want more, visit Vegan Momma to subscribe for free and we'll see you next month!
We just got our facebook page up and running and we're on a mission to build that community so that more moms will have a place to go for positive information on the vegan diet. Please take a minute to like us at facebook and share with your friends.
Using the Vegan Food Pyramid for a Balanced Diet
When you live a hectic, crazy life, it can be easy to start eating convenience foods and realize at the end of the week that you accidentally ate crap the whole time. You totally forgot about the gorgeous leafy greens sitting in your refrigerator and you never even cracked a can of beans and just resorted to fake meats the whole week.
It's okay, we've all been there! Sometimes what you need is a visual to help you see what you might be missing, and to remember that it's not hard to add in the healthy food, even if you're pressed for time.
This easy vegan food pyramid helps remind you of the different facets of a healthy vegan diet, to make sure both you and your children are getting enough of everything you need to thrive.
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Superheroine Food of the Month: Quinoa
Everyone has that one meal that gets tossed on the table on the nights when you're too tired to think of anything creative. For me, that's some combination of steamed quinoa, whatever beans are cooked and in my fridge, and vegetables. I fill half the plate with vegetables, one quarter with quinoa, and one quarter with beans, add a little Liquid Amino's and nutritional yeast and call it a night.
And truly, while this is obviously a plain and healthy dinner, it also usually tastes really good too. If I'm low on quinoa, any other whole grain can be substituted in its place.
Don't tell the others in my pantry, but quinoa's my favorite. I just love the ever-so-slightly crunchy, soft texture and nutty flavor.
And guess what? No one was kidding when they said it was a super food. Check out all the details about quinoa nutrition here.
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Question: "What do you think about soy infant formula?"
Question:
"I am a vegan and unfortunately, I'm not able to breastfeed my baby. I know that breast milk is the best thing I could possibly feed her, but it's not an option. How do you feel about soy infant formula? I don't want to feed her cow's milk, but I have to pick what's healthiest for her. What do you recommend?"
-Tanya
Read my answer to Tanya's question about whether soy infant formula is safe for your baby.
Do you have questions about vegan pregnancy and raising vegan children? Join in the discussion on our site by asking and answering questions, as well as commenting on other answers. You can pay it forward by sharing your experiences with expecting and new moms.
Recipe of the Month: Vegan Gold Fish Crackers or Cheezits
One of my favorite treats as a kid were cheese crackers in general, and pizza goldfish in particular. I think I was one of about 99% of the rest of my peers who enjoyed the goodies, and don't tell anyone, but I still enjoyed them into adulthood.
When I stopped eating cheese, I didn't specifically miss goldfish, but I do remember being ecstatic the first time I found EcoPlanet "cheese" crackers, so maybe I was harboring hidden resentment at not being able to eat this little treat. The only downsides to EcoPlanet's crackers are that you don't get very many in the box, and thus, they are somewhat expensive.
Now we don't have to worry about searching around looking for boxes of vegan cheese crackers because we can make them ourselves. You and your children will love this fun snack, and it makes for a great, interactive project to do together in the kitchen.
Get the complete vegan goldfish crackers recipe here.
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