Vegan in the Netherlands

[Alexia_S]

Hello
I am a 28 year old Greek vegan living in the Netherlands with my vegan partner.
We have been vegan for a year and in order to do that I am cooking all our meals, as the University where my partner works as a PhD only offers unidentified fried croquettes and salads with milk-based sauces
(I have to admit that I enjoyed this stuff before going vegan, but now I do not want them anywhere near me)

We are planning to start a family in the coming months and I would love to have a vegan pregnancy.
I am a bit concerned though that it will be hard to find a vegan-friendly gynecologist in the Netherlands. I live in Delft, which is a small city, but I would not mind going to Amsterdam, Rotterdam or The Hague for a good doctor.
We know that the pressure from our families will be big enough already -yes, even though they are in Greece. The power of skype...- and I want to be able to reassure them that my doctor is ok with my diet.

So any vegan moms in NL, please feel free to mail me.
And it is nice meeting everyone else!

[Blueberries]

Hi Alexia, welcome to the forum! I am not in the Nethlands nor a parent but I thought that I would welcome you anyway! I hope that you can find the advice that you are looking for!

[Korn]

Welcome!

(Jippia, Flora and Ananas + circa 10 other members who haven't been online this year are also from the Netherlands)!

[Alexia_S]

Thank you for the warm welcome Blueberries and Korn!

[Gattona]

Hi, welcome to the forum.

Sorry, I know nothing of the Netherlands but have had two happy vegan pregnancies, and don't see why you shouldn't as well. Would you expect your medical team to be very interested in what you eat?

Mine here (UK) certainly were not, I just had bloods done and they were happy that my iron levels were good, that was about all. Later on with my youngest I did develop gestational diabetes and even then the advice was merely about how much fruit not to have. Oh, come to think of it, I did see a dietetician around then but she merely said I had a healthy diet and that she was pleased to have a client who ate so much fruit (to be limited with GD) and veggies and who was so clued up about what they ate.

Maybe some good pregnancy vegan info to send to your family rather than go by what the obstetrician says?

Wishing you all the best with your new vegan life and hopefully a forthcoming pregnancy.

[Alexia_S]

Hi Gattona!

Thank you for your reply! It sure is comforting to know that the doctors will not mess with my diet, if there are no issues in my blood works.
Unfortunately, my family will not be convinced unless they hear it from an OB's mouth that being vegan and pregnant is perfectly fine. The good news is that since I live in NL and they live in Greece, I can assure them that my doctor agrees with my diet and they have no way of checking that
I have also joined a Dutch vegan forum in hopes of finding Dutch moms who have good midwives and/or OBs to recommend, but no replies so far

[MargaMei]

Hi Alexia,

I'm just registered here and I'm from the Netherlands too.
But I'm not so young as you anymore.
Wish you luck with all the plans.

Greetz,Marga

[Visje]

Hi Alexia,

I'm in Rotterdam, vegan, pregnant, and always happy to help! I'm also curious about resources available for vegan families, and thinking of starting something if there isn't anything around yet.

[Egesa]

Hi all,

I'm intending to move long-term to the Netherlands, but specific location is still open. I have family in Amsterdam and Rotterdam, but I'm wondering where the best vegan areas are - most local vegans, best shops, etc.

[Visje]

Hi all,

I'm intending to move long-term to the Netherlands, but specific location is still open. I have family in Amsterdam and Rotterdam, but I'm wondering where the best vegan areas are - most local vegans, best shops, etc.

I live in Rotterdam. As far as a place to live goes, I prefer Rotterdam. It's more relaxed, Amsterdam is a bit busier and more touristy. That said, Amsterdam has way more vegan shops and restaurants, though Rotterdam is certainly not vegan-unfriendly.

[Egesa]

Thanks for your reply, Visje. That's good to know. I'd expect that most European cities with a larger and more dense population (than Melbourne, which is where I am), would include more vegans, and more businesses to serve their needs. I'm looking forward to the move even more after reading your response, but so many other things to sort first. How's the economy and employment situation there at the moment?

[Ananas]

The best area for vegans would certainly be Den Haag (The Hague). There's a completely vegetarian/vegan supermarket (Veggie4u), the vegetarian butcher (Vegetarische Slager), a vegetarian/vegan fast food restaurant (Vegetarische Snackbar) and there's the first vegan restaurant in the country (Veggies on Fire). Also there are lots of vegetarian restaurants like Baklust, Hagedis, Symbiose, Water & Brood and Leaf, plus health food stores all around. I think it's the best city in our country for vegans, Amsterdam doesn't have so much to offer for vegans. Den Haag is also close to basicaly every city in the west (Leiden & Delft 10 mins, Utrecht & Rotterdam 30 mins, Amsterdam 40 mins).

[misosoup]

Hey! You should watch this video. This is a doctor who uses a plant based diet/ vegan diet to heal his patients. He is talking about pregnancy and raising children. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gxT_e6tpp0s http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jh0IECU1iig He recommends no meat or dairy, but a B12 supplement.

[Egesa]

Thanks Ananas, I'll be visiting in a few months, and will spend some time in Den Haag. Would you say it's one of the more colourful places, with colourful people and a more bohemian atmosphere? Perhaps in pockets or certain streets? I thought it may be such, given that it's the artistic capital, or no? I've read about the places you've mentioned via Happy Cow, which shows a good number of places in Rotterdam, Amsterdam, as well as Den Haag. It's hard to tell without being there; comparison of just the number of vegan restaurants doesn't give the full picture, which is why your perspective is valuable before I visit, as I plan where to scout a potential new future home.