Pregnancy is a time when extra nutrition and care are essential. With the right advice from your doctor, protein drinks can be a safe and beneficial way to get more protein during this special period. It's important to remember that protein drinks should be an addition to a balanced diet and that you should also get plenty of protein from the foods you eat. If you already consume a lot of protein in your diet, then you don't need to drink protein shakes.
Research has shown that consuming too much protein during pregnancy can slow your baby's growth and increase your risk of gestational diabetes. Therefore, it's important to be mindful when drinking protein shakes during pregnancy. The NHS recommends getting the protein you need from a healthy, balanced diet. Klean Athlete Klean Isolate uses whey protein isolate as a source of protein, with the aim of providing a high concentration of quality lactose-free milk protein.
This equates to about 105 grams of protein per day for someone who weighs 155 pounds sometime in the second trimester, compared to their needs of 51 grams of protein if they weighed 140 pounds before pregnancy. Your doctor can give you advice on how to increase the amount of protein in your diet and can suggest a safe protein powder for you to try. Studies have shown that many pregnant women struggle to meet their high prenatal protein needs, particularly during the second and third trimester, when between 13 and 67% of pregnant people may not consume enough protein. In addition to avoiding whey, carefully check the labels on protein powders to see if they contain milk ingredients such as casein or lactose. Protein powders come in an unflavored version, which is pure whey protein isolate, or in chocolate or vanilla with added sweeteners. Some research suggests that the optimal way to add protein supplements to the prenatal diet is with a balanced supplement that contains up to 20% of calories from protein. Public Health England has stated that protein shakes are not recommended during pregnancy, mainly because, in the United Kingdom, the average protein intake is already well above the recommended limits.
Dietary supplements, such as protein powder, can help improve your diet, but eating too much protein can have unexpected effects. Taking a high-protein supplement if your diet already includes enough protein can even cause negative results for your baby, such as low birth weight, premature birth and growth problems. The lactose content of whey protein isolate can vary, but is generally much lower than that of standard dairy products. Some studies suggest that adding a high-protein supplement when the diet already provides enough protein could have potential harmful effects.
