Why is a protein diet prescribed for pregnant women and how to follow it?

Pregnancy nutrition may include a high-protein diet in significant amounts. The body needs more nutrients during this time to support the developing child and the mother’s changing physical needs. Particularly important for the growth of the baby’s tissues and organs is protein.

To help meet these increased demands, doctors frequently advise pregnant women to eat a diet high in protein. Protein helps sustain the mother’s muscle mass and stable energy levels in addition to promoting the baby’s growth.

Maintaining a high-protein diet doesn’t have to be difficult while expecting. Adding more high-protein foods to regular meals, such as beans, dairy, fish, eggs, and lean meats, can be a simple solution. A healthy pregnancy depends on knowing which foods to prioritize and how to balance them with other nutrients.

What is it?

A protein diet is a broad category of different diets with the common characteristic of having a high protein content. It is not a prescribed diet with rigid guidelines. The quantity of fats and carbohydrates is also purposefully decreased at the same time. The most well-known protein diets are the "Kremlin diet" and the well-liked Atkins diet, but as you can see, these diets have nothing to do with pregnant women’s nutrition.

In essence, a protein diet is very straightforward: it only restricts foods that are undesirable, and the foods that are advised can be eaten until satiety. This way, the expectant mother won’t have to starve.

Proteins themselves are not stored in the body, and this is their main difference from fats and even carbohydrate compounds. For the full development of the baby in the womb during pregnancy, it is very important to ensure a constant replenishment of proteins with meals. They are necessary for the proper metabolism of the expectant mother and her baby. Proteins are important as a "building material" for the baby. This is why vegetarian diets are strictly contraindicated for pregnant women, as they cannot provide the necessary amount of animal proteins. A lack of proteins for a pregnant woman can lead to metabolic disorders, and for the baby – to low weight and slow accumulation of subcutaneous fat. Most obstetricians and gynecologists believe that women in general and pregnant women in particular noticeably lack proteins. This is why protein diets are recommended for them. For those wishing to conceive a child, such diets help to increase fertility, and for those wishing to bear a healthy baby, they help to achieve this goal. A protein diet for pregnant women differs from many other protein diets. The main difference is that expectant mothers are allowed and even strongly recommended to eat not only proteins, but also fiber, a certain amount of carbohydrates and fats. The optimal option is considered to be a protein-plant diet, in which the majority of the diet is meat, fish, poultry and vegetables, greens, fruits.

Who is recommended?

In fact, a protein diet is recommended for all pregnant women without exception, and from the earliest stages of gestation. It allows you to eat your fill without overeating, and also control your weight gain. You should carefully monitor the gain, because too much can result in severe late toxicosis, placental abruption, fetal death, as well as significant difficulties during childbirth. But first of all, a protein diet is recommended for women who had problems with excess weight before pregnancy, expectant mothers who have already begun to "sort through" the kilograms. Such a diet allows you to slightly reduce the "excess" even during the process of bearing a baby without any harm to his health. In the third trimester of pregnancy, when the risk of developing anemia is increased, it is also useful for all categories of expectant mothers to resort to a protein diet. This diet is recommended for women who are carrying twins, as well as women who were able to become pregnant through in vitro fertilization (IVF).

Doctors highly advise a protein-plant diet in cases where there is a risk of miscarriage, the fetus is growing slowly, development is delayed, or there are certain placental diseases. Such a diet is also advised for expectant mothers with large fetuses.

Pregnant women are frequently advised to follow a high-protein diet because it promotes both the mother’s and the baby’s healthy growth and development. Building tissues, organs, and muscles requires protein, which is especially important during pregnancy. In order to maintain a well-rounded, healthful meal plan, expectant mothers who adhere to this diet should concentrate on consuming lean meats, fish, eggs, dairy, beans, and nuts while balancing other nutrients like fruits, vegetables, and whole grains.

Nutrition principles

If the doctor advised you to follow a protein diet during pregnancy, you should not prepare yourself for terrible trials of hunger and deprivation. A protein diet is a gentle option for healthy and proper nutrition, in which a woman does not have to limit herself in everything without exception. She can eat carbohydrates, however, replacing fast carbohydrates (cakes, sugar) with slow ones (cereals, bread). Carbohydrates should be included in the morning and lunch meals. In the afternoon, it is better to do without them. The need for proteins is higher in the second trimester and in the last third of the gestation period. In the first trimester, the daily intake is set at 70-80 grams. From the second half of pregnancy, this amount should be increased to 120-130 grams per day. The food should be fractional, the expectant mother should eat 5-6 times a day, but the volume of portions should be reduced. Eating for two is a fundamentally wrong approach that will only lead to the accumulation of completely unnecessary and complicating the bearing of the baby extra pounds.

A woman should keep in mind the proper drinking schedule when following the guidelines of a protein diet. About 1.5 liters of liquid should be consumed. Water that is pure and carbonated (not mineral water!) is ideal for drinking, as is green tea, homemade fruit drinks, and sugar-free compote. Carbonated beverages and store-purchased juices are not allowed.

It is best to make a menu for every day, for a week and even a month. This will help you plan your diet better and make adjustments if necessary. Special tables will help you take into account the amount of proteins. We are ready to provide you with one of them. Women who have already experienced pathological weight gain, there are signs of gestosis, should follow a salt-free version of the protein diet, the rest are allowed to consume no more than five grams of salt per day. The main volume of food should be consumed before lunch and at lunch, making dinner lighter, and the second dinner – completely "weightless", so as not to go to bed with a full stomach and a huge need for the body to digest everything eaten before bed, to the detriment of normal rest.

Prohibited and permitted products

• semi-finished products (contain a lot of preservatives and soy);
• fast food (rich in dyes and preservatives, as well as fats);
• sweet bread and pastries (rich in fast carbohydrates);
• sweets (cakes, pastries, chocolates – a source of carbohydrates);
• mayonnaise, ketchup and other sauces and dressings (contain dyes and preservatives, fats, "kindle" an insatiable appetite);
• mushrooms;
• canned goods (this applies to meat, fish, and canned vegetables, salads, lecho);
• coffee, strong black tea;
• grapes and bananas (too sweet).

Now that the dangerous and superfluous items have been removed from the refrigerator, let’s begin compiling a list of essential and healthful items that will form the foundation of the expectant mother’s diet. When eating a diet high in protein, you require:

• lean fish (exception – herring, mackerel);
• veal;
• beef (first and second category);
• pork (lean parts, for example, ham);
• any chicken and turkey meat;
• seafood (if there is no allergy to them);
• milk and dairy products (no more than half a liter per day);
• cereals (except semolina, pearl barley, rice);
• fresh (raw) vegetables and fruits (potatoes – limited);
• nuts (in small quantities and only if there is no allergy to them);
• berries.

It is evident that sticking to a diet for nine months can be very challenging, especially when considering psychological factors. As a result, the expectant mother may occasionally consume a piece of pastille or marshmallow, a tiny amount of ice cream (only premium varieties free of vegetable fat), honey, and small amounts of homemade jam and marshmallow when the discomfort gets too great.

Contraindications

It is not advised for expectant mothers with chronic stomach and intestinal illnesses to follow a high-protein diet. Women who have kidney disease ought to use caution when implementing such a diet.

For women with heart disease, an excessively high-protein diet is strictly prohibited. Furthermore, a diet heavy in proteins shouldn’t be the main focus for women who are underweight and have not gained enough weight during this phase of pregnancy.

You should definitely speak with your doctor before beginning a plant-based, high-protein diet. It’s possible that following such a diet will seriously impair your health in addition to not helping you.

General recommendations

Expectant mothers may initially believe that the diet will be limited and monotonous, and that the list of approved products is too short. This is a false impression. Of course, there are restrictions on a protein diet for pregnant women, but not to the point where you feel like there isn’t enough variety in your diet.

All approved products are best prepared in a certain way that will maintain the protein’s structure, so keep that in mind when creating your menu. For instance, frying it in oil ruins it, and fried steak is laden with fat that isn’t even necessary. Meat products and vegetables can thus be baked, stewed, or boiled. However, you shouldn’t fry. This ban isn’t too restrictive, though, as you can cook anything with the above-mentioned products: meatballs, baked steaks, steamed cutlets, stewed and baked fish dishes, and soups.

It is best to eat vegetables raw. Salads are fine, but you should use vegetable oil sparingly and stay away from spices entirely. Every day, milk is a necessity. If the doctor gives the go-ahead, you can dilute and consume protein or baby formulas if you have a milk intolerance, which is not that uncommon among the world’s adult population.

A nutritionist who considers a woman’s unique characteristics, such as age, height, weight, percentage of muscle and fat, pregnancy period, and concurrent pathologies, will provide the best recommendations. This will enable you to receive a personalized menu.

Every meal ought to contain all the components. The foundation of a balanced diet is this. Put differently, a woman’s breakfast, lunch, and dinner should consist of proteins, fats, and a minimal quantity of carbohydrates. A successful and well-balanced meal might look something like this:

• salad of fresh cucumbers and tomatoes, seasoned with half a teaspoon of vegetable oil – 150 grams;
• vegetable soup with meatballs (100 grams);
• steamed pink salmon steak (100 grams);
• boiled buckwheat without oil (60 grams);
• apple.

It’s best to stick to one product for snacks (breakfast and lunch, afternoon tea and dinner, or after dinner); this can be fruit, yogurt, or cottage cheese.

Thirty percent of daily calories should come from breakfast, ten percent from lunch, forty percent from afternoon tea, and ten percent from dinner. Pregnant women should consider a variety of factors when determining their daily caloric intake, which can vary. It is 1900–2200 Kcal on average.

Pregnancy requires a diet high in protein to support the growing baby and the mother. It guarantees that the infant receives the nutrients required for healthy growth and aids in the development of tissues and muscles.

Maintaining a protein-rich diet doesn’t have to be difficult. Pregnant women can easily meet their protein needs by eating foods like beans, nuts, dairy, eggs, and lean meats. Incorporating fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and other nutrients into the diet in balance is also crucial.

Never forget to seek medical advice prior to altering your diet while you are expecting. They can offer advice based on each person’s needs, ensuring that the mother and child remain healthy during this crucial period.

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