While pregnant, many people known/unknown would ask us if we intended on feeding our twins vegan.  There is much speculation on if it is healthy for children to eat a strict vegan diet, a few bloggers have converted to carnivores post-pregnancy.  What did we decide to do with our children?

Throughout my entire pregnancy, my husband and I were strict plant-based vegans.  It was very rare to even find a processed package ingredient in our household.  Post-pregnancy our point of view on being vegans did not change in our diet.  While in the hospital, it was very difficult to be strict on the nurses (oddly enough not the doctors) to keep our babies and my diet 100% vegan.  Both babies were delivered via planned C-Section as our little man was crammed up in my rib-cage, it was advised early on and late in the game to have this type of delivery to avoid emergency surgery which could have been much more dangerous for the three of us.  It was from the epidural and miscellaneous medicine from the surgery that caused my milk supply to be reduced on the first few days.  Actually, I have no memory of the first two days post-birth as my body disagreed with the medicine.  I declined all medicine after surgery, much to the nurses shock, it was only during surgery that I was required to take anything that made me sick.  So this required me to allow the twins to intake formula from a bottle, formula which had to be purchased just for the twins.  The hospital only had a little in stock, so more had to be ordered quickly.

At 6 months, the twins began to have pureed foods such as prunes, avocado and banana. Again, we decided to keep both twins 100% vegan and still continue today.  During our pregnancy, I did a lot of research to find the best pediatrician that focused on nutrition and actually had parents from India (both Vegetarians).  It is a blessing to have her on board with our dietary requirements, especially when it comes to medicine or other common practices involving food.  She does research for vegan options if she does not know of one off-hand for cures to whatever comes across the twins.  For example, baby girl had a dry scalp which was not exactly cradle-cap but needed to have moisture to help cure the scaliness.  She did her research (along with mine) and we can across a great option that was natural and vegan.

Now at 1.5 years old, the twins are still eating a vegan diet.  They love pasta, cucumber, bananas, avocado, dates, sauerkraut, tomatoes and etc.  Sweets are not their favorite, in fact, on their 1st birthday they wouldn’t even try their first sweet treat of cake.  Green smoothies are their absolute favorite, every day they have one when we are home.  They love green smoothies with spirulina, spinach, fruit, ginger, lemon and so on.  Fresh fruit and vegetables without added oils and sauces will be eaten first at every meal.

So do we feed our children a strict vegan diet, yes!  Do we intend on keeping them both on this healthy adventure their entire lives, yes!