Folic acid

The bad news is that ~4,000 babies in the US are born with nerual tube defects due to a lack of folic acid in the first 4 weeks of development. The great news is that folic acid is inherent in all green vegetables and is also added to breads, grains, cereals, and even orange juice! Eating a well-rounded vegan diet (as Tom and I usually do) should mean our little zyggy will be a-ok!

I was happy to read that artichokes, asparagus, avocado, broccoli, chickpeas, lentils, spinach, squash and tempeh are all listed as folic food powerhouses!

In fact, as I read more and more of Your Vegetarian Pregnancy, my confidence in continuing to eat vegan increases. I feel certain that we can meet all of little zyggy's nutrional needs without having to resort to going back to a putrid diet of meat.

I feel really good about eating broccoli with tofu, tempeh, and kale and coconut over brown rice (today's lunch at the Asian Rose) knowing that this is exactly the food little zyggy needs and exactly the food I prefer!

Source: Your Vegetarian Pregnancy by Dr. Holly Roberts, Board-certified Ob/Gyn