Natalie Portman Not Staying Vegan During Pregnancy, but is Still Vegetarian

So here is an interesting bit of news and of course once again opens the door to the big debate about being vegan while pregnant.  We have heard stories of couples not being able to adopt young children because they were vegan and now eco celeb Natalie Portman confirmed she is not going to be vegan during her pregnancy.

She did say she is still vegetarian and not eating meat but is eating dairy and eggs, which technically is meat. According to Portman, the change was about having cravings in the beginning but also about nutrition and being worried about her iron levels.

So there are two issues, one is it ok for a vegan to give into their craving when pregnant and two whether a pregnant woman gets the necessary nutrition when pregnant or not?

Here is a little excerpt from US Weekly that interviewed Portman:

"I actually went back to being vegetarian when I became pregnant, just because I felt like I wanted that stuff," she said during a Monday phone interview with the Q100 Bert Show in Atlanta. "I was listening to my body to have eggs and dairy and that sort of stuff."

"I know there are people who do stay vegan," she added, "but I think you have to just be careful, watch your iron levels and your B12 levels and supplement those if there are things you might be low in in your diet."

The Oscar-winning actress - who became a vegan in 2009 after reading Jonathan Safran Foer's Eating Animals - doesn't regret her decision to become a vegetarian again.

"If you're not eating eggs, then you can't have cookies or cake from regular bakeries, which can become a problem when that's all you want to eat," she laughed. "I actually wanted eggs at the beginning and then they grossed me out after awhile."

Being a man I will not question what a pregnant woman can or should or should not eat while pregnant. However, I thought it was just interesting to see that Portman did stop being vegan because she is a very passionate vegan.

I know it can be hard to be a vegan and stick to the diet, but I am sure vegans are probably upset about Portman's decision, especially if the issue is more about cravings.

I know we have many vegan readers, what do you all think? Have any of you been pregnant and kept your vegan diet? Were you able to get enough nutrition for yourself and your baby?