5 Ways to Get More Protein While Pregnant

A non-pregnant woman should get around 45 grams of protein per day, but during pregnancy, that number literally doubles to support you and your growing baby. Protein is one of the major building blocks of your body and, of course, your baby's body! It will help you have more energy, too, which is nice on those days when you just feel drained. It has also been shown to help keep your bag of waters stronger, and it is said to make it less likely that your water will break at the start of your labor or before that.

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Keep some Greek yogurt in your fridge and enjoy it for breakfast or for a snack in the evening when you are craving something sweet. A single container usually has around 14 grams of protein all by itself, but when you add a bit of yummy granola to, it you can easily add another 10 grams or so. 

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You might not realize that beef has so much protein in it. I mean, we all know meat has protein, but a simple 4 ounce hamburger has around 28 grams of protein in it! Meat, in general, is a great source of protein, so if you feel like you could use a bit of energy during your day, meat can make a huge difference.

A cup of beans usually has around 15 grams of protein all by itself, so it is a great source of protein. And to make it even better, you can add rice (adds around 5 grams of protein, so not much) or some tofu (which adds around 11 grams).

One of my very favorite ways to get more protein in my diet is to add a bit of a good protein powder to my morning smoothie. I usually take a handful of spinach, a container of Greek yogurt, and a bunch of fruits with a scoop of protein powder.

A complete protein has all nine of the essential amino acids in it, so they are the very best proteins that you can eat! Some complete proteins that you may want to focus on eating include animal proteins like red meat, poultry, eggs, and dairy. 

Vegetarians can find complete proteins in plants like soy and quinoa (which has become super popular and can be very tasty). If you are eating a generally healthy diet, you should be getting enough protein, but its always “the more, the merrier” when it comes to protein, so load up and feel good about it!

SOURCE: Everydayfamily

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