Any veggies/vegans ttc or have conceived....

[goodbyehorses]

Just wondering what supplements you are your OH are taking if you are a vegetarian or vegan? Both me and my hubby switched to a vegan diet a year ago and I'm wondering what vitamins we need to be taking to ensure we have optimal nutrition for ttc.
We both take Holland and Barrett's vegan multi vitamin and the H&M b12 drops but I feel this might not be sufficient.
Also looking to cut down on soy milk/soy based products a little as I've read excessive amounts can affect fertility.
Any tips and advice would be great

 

[CoolNoMore]

Hi! The best thing I did when I was TTC was go to the GP who offered comprehensive blood tests. I'm not sure that this is common practice, but she said it made much more sense to do it before I was pregnant, so I had a chance to fix whatever was an issue before it was actually an issue. My iron, vit c, vit a were all fine, but my vit d was low, so I added in a supplement just for that. If you can get those blood tests you'll be in a much better position to decide how to spend your money.

I definitely recommend zinc and vitamin c for your OH though - it is proven to aid sperm health and (non-scientific anecdote warning!) I got pregnant four months after OH starting taking them. Sperm is on a three month production cycle, so that's pretty good going!

Final thought: green veg should be your new best friend

 

[goodbyehorses]

Yes I did read that getting bloodwork done when vegan is important in general and it can bed provided for anyone who asks for it. I debated getting OH wellman conception tablets just for a boost as he's not so great at remembering to take tablets etc so at least the zinc etc is in that one tablet.
Definitely going to start eating cleaner though, we are generally pretty healthy but I won't lie, I'm a sucker for the veggie meat substitutes. *must avoid that aisle when shopping* lol

 

[CoolNoMore]

I debated getting OH wellman conception tablets just for a boost as he's not so great at remembering to take tablets etc so at least the zinc etc is in that one tablet.
Definitely going to start eating cleaner though, we are generally pretty healthy but I won't lie, I'm a sucker for the veggie meat substitutes. *must avoid that aisle when shopping* lol

I'll be honest, I was getting somewhat impatient and stopped relying on OH to take his own tablets. I used to plonk them down in front of him before I went to bed and I'm pretty sure that's the only reason he managed to take them regularly.

I know the feeling about meat substitutes! I'm completely addicted to quorn nuggets. So dirty...so good...

 

[goodbyehorses]

Haha yes this is what I do! Just pretty much force them down him when he's in bed at night otherwise he'd be completely useless at taking them. He actually has a lot more soy than I do, he has more cereal etc so he's always using soy milk and he's an even bigger lover of the meat subs. I'll have to start using almond or oat milk instead and just cook stuff before he gets a chance to say what he wants - jeez he's gonna feel like he's in prison lol

 

[Lolie14]

Hi, I am veggie and have been since I was a child. My hubby is a canivore though. I didn't take any extra vitamins bar the folic acid when ttc. We are both fans of the quorn substitutes and do eat a lot of them but I guess being vegan you have to think about the bits missing? Good luck!

 

[andy2016]

I'm a vegetarian/vegan on & off and have been for 15 years, my sperm test was perfect.. 54mil per 1ml (standard is 15 mil)

All I take is 15mg zinc and 1000mg vitamin c which is what they reccomend anyway.

A lot of people will have you believe you need to be on a load of supplements if you don't eat meat but the truth is you can get more protein from veggie stuff than meat, broccili has more protein per calorie than beef and has vitamin B6 and other things.