Here are some new photos of Emily Deschanel and her lovely bump at yesterday’s screening of A Perfect Family at the Outfest Festival in LA. I think pregnancy agrees with her – I’ve always found her so beautiful, and the added weight fills out her face in a really gorgeous way. Judging her simply from these photos, I think she looks healthy and happy. But Emily is in the midst of a controversy because of her eating choices while pregnant. You see, Emily switched from vegetarianism to veganism several years ago, and she’s maintaining her veganism throughout her pregnancy. That means no meat, no eggs, no dairy for the baby. Emily discussed her veganism in the August issue of Ladies’ Home Journal:

Cravings aside, when it comes to pregnancy essentials, Emily Deschanel has a solid go-to. “I have a friend from junior high who’s expecting a baby right before I am,” the Bones actress, who will welcome her first child with husband David Hornsby this fall, tells Ladies’ Home Journal‘s August issue. “Now we’re sharing stories about our cravings and how our bodies are changing. We compare notes.” She adds: “Having someone like this is so reassuring. It connects me to an essential part of myself.” But when it comes to cravings, Deschanel’s go-to fixes all have one thing in common: She’s vegan, so she doesn’t consume any animal products, including dairy and eggs. “I feel aligned with my morals and ethics. Saying no to meat makes me feel stronger inside; I feel aligned with my morals and ethics. I still have to defend myself because people don’t understand it. As a pregnant woman especially, people will say to me, ‘You must eat meat and dairy.’ You really have to tap into your self-esteem whenever people try to convince you you’re making the wrong choice.” Ready to raise a child, Deschanel, 34, reflected on her own upbringing. Born in Los Angeles, she wasn’t always in-tune with the more shallow demands of the industry. “In Hollywood there’s so much pressure to appear a certain way — to be skinny and to look young,” she says. “When I was growing up, I never cared about whether I was pretty or not. But when I was 12, a friend’s mom told me I was flat-chested and had fat thighs.” She continues: “That really hurt my feelings and it kind of scarred me. I started becoming aware of how other people judged me.”

[From People]

Emily’s dietician Ashley Koff did an interview with People Magazine just a few days after the LHJ interview came out. Koff defended Emily’s pregnancy diet, saying in part: “What we want to do is give the body just enough energy so that it performs well. Energy is a really significant issue for her… What has probably been a challenge for her is making sure that she has nutrient-dense food that she’s able to have every three hours.” The solution seems to be lots of nuts, pita and hummus, which… I love all of that, but I couldn’t it eat every day for nine months. It’s Emily’s body, her choice, etc, but I do tend to think pregnant women especially should listen to what their bodies are craving. I mean, even Natalie Portman went back to dairy during her pregnancy.