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We’ve got you covered during pregnancy

by Pooja Late so cut

You probably won’t be surprised to learn that mothers who don’t eat enough protein tend to have smaller babies and higher rates of pre-term births.  However, some research suggests that diets very high in protein could create different problems. Unfortunately, the current guidelines for pregnant women on how much protein they should take in are pretty loosely-goosey.  The Institutes of Medicine say that it’s good for pregnant women to get anywhere from 10% to 35% of their calories from protein.

To get a rough idea of what that translates into, divide your current weight in pounds by 2.2 to get your weight in kilograms. Then, multiply that number by 1.5 to for the approximate number of grams of protein per day. Keep in mind that this number will change as you go through your pregnancy because your weight will be changing. Then, if you’d like to see how much protein you get from common foods, check my protein cheat sheet.

Does this matters at all

With all this talk about protein, however, we don’t want to lose sight of the bigger picture. How much weight you gain during pregnancy is likely to have a bigger impact on your baby’s weight and future disease risk than how many of your calories you’re getting from protein.  So, in addition to keeping an eye on your protein intake, it’s really important to manage your total calorie intake as well.

Does the Type of Protein Matter?

Where the protein comes from also seems to matter. While animal protein provides high quality protein, a couple studies have suggested that diets very high in meat are not ideal. And by “very high in meat,” I mean a pound of red meat per day. (Believe it or not, they actually advised this back in the 50s as a way to prevent pre-eclampsia.

One advantage to getting protein from a variety of sources, including meat, poultry, fish, and plant-based sources is that you get a better range of nutrients that way. Red meat is rich in iron and B12, which can help prevent anemia during pregnancy. Fish, on the other hand is rich in DHA, which helps support the baby's brain development.  And plant protein sources like legumes are rich in folate, which aids neural development as well. None of these protein sources is a good source of all of these nutrients. So mix it up.

Author’s Bio

Sarah Greg in this article informs her audience about the importance of protein as part of pregnancy diet for ladies and why it all matters.


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About Pooja Late Senior   so cut

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Joined APSense since, January 22nd, 2015, From mumbai, India.

Created on Jun 22nd 2018 07:26. Viewed 362 times.

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