​Five Foods That Contain the Healthiest Protein for Pregnant Women

By: Hannah Tong

Protein is vital for your health. Your body needs it to create skin, muscles, bones and hair. These five foods that contain the healthiest protein for pregnant women will ensure healthy growth while preventing low birth weight.

These food options are also great at maintaining your tissue health. Since you’re pregnant, your daily protein requirement shoots up to 71 grams. It’s an extra 25 grams of this nutrient each day.

1. Eggs

In one egg, you’ll get 90 calories. On top of that, you’ll have more than 12 vitamins and minerals. Plus, they’re rich in quality protein.

In addition to protein, eggs are rich in choline. It’s a nutrient that promotes the growth and brain health of your unborn child. Thus, it’s a nutrient that you need to prevent neural tube defects development.

You can even have eggs that contain omega-3 fatty acids. They’re vital for the brain and vision development. Opt for DHA-enriched eggs that contain omega-3s.

Ask your physician about how much you can consume per day. It’s safe to eat one to two eggs if you’re pregnant. However, if you’re worried about cholesterol, try eating just the egg whites, instead of the whole eggs.   Also, make sure eggs are fully cooked.

2.Poultry

A serving of roasted turkey can offer you 28 grams of protein. It’s in dark-meat cuts. The white breast meat gives you 30 grams of it.

If you can’t have turkey, try getting chicken as it gives you up to 28 grams of light-meat. A turkey burger can have 25 grams.

So, if you make a pasta sauce, substitute ground turkey, instead of meat. Or you can top your green salad with roasted chicken. Another way is to toss a cold turkey with your kale.

Or you can pair your favorite fruit with poultry to give you an excellent protein-rich meal. The fruits you can have may be diced apples, orange, halved grapes.

There are tons of ways on how to prepare this food to give you a protein-rich meal to meet the daily requirement.

3. Salmon

It’s not only beneficial for you but also for your unborn child. Intake of this type of fish increases your body’s omega-3 fatty acid levels and your child’s too.

Since it’s rich in omega-3s, it’s great in boosting your mood. It’s not the same as swordfish or shark as salmon has a low amount of mercury. It’s a compound that’s harmful to your baby’s nervous system development.

Despite that, you must only take up to 12 ounces a week to avoid consuming too much mercury. Then, ensure that you’re eating a farmed salmon.

4. Beans

They’re not only rich in protein, but they’re also high in iron. Your body needs this mineral to build RBCs for your growing baby.

The iron levels in the beans can replenish hemoglobin in the body, thereby, preventing iron deficiency. It also helps in fetus development while it assists the placenta to grow. 

Beans also contain amino acids that are helpful fighting against infections. It strengthens your immune system, so you can prevent being sick while pregnant.

The antioxidant contents of beans are helpful for you and your baby’s skin. Through antioxidants, you can prevent yourself from getting gestational diabetes. Then, if you choose the dark-colored beans, you’re getting a higher amount of antioxidant.

Even though beans are healthy as they’re rich in vital nutrients, never over-indulge yourself. Keep in mind that they also contain purines, which can cause gout or kidneys stones if you over consume.

If you need to eat beans, make sure that you’re getting the fresh ones and not the canned options. The reason for this is that canned beans are dangerous to your health because of their preservatives.

5. Greek yogurt

It can make a nutritious addition to your pregnancy diet. It gives you the nutrients that you need each day. However, ensure that it’s not made with unpasteurized milk, which contains Listeria.
 
Listeria is a bacterium that can cross the placenta. As it crosses, it can cause life-threatening infection to your baby.

So, ensure that you're getting pasteurized Greek yogurt. It offers you twice the amount of protein that you can get from a regular yogurt. Thus, it makes it favorite pregnancy foods.

Apart from protein, Greek yogurt is also rich in calcium. You’ll need this mineral because most of it will go to your baby’s bones, teeth and nails. If you don’t consume enough, your unborn child will have to get it from your stores.

When that happens, you’ll suffer from a calcium deficiency. A cup of this food will give you 20 percent of your calcium need per day.

In addition to that, Greek yogurt can also resolve bloating while pregnant. Bloating is a common issue because of gastritis and indigestion. When you consume yogurt, you can easily eat those hard-to-digest foods without having to worry about bloating.

Plus, it contains less sugar. That said, you can prevent yourself from getting too much sugar and gain weight.
Since it contains prebiotics, it can keep your gut healthy. As a result, you can avoid IBS and diarrhea, which are common complaints among pregnant women.

Conclusion

When you’re pregnant, you can have a lot of foods that you must avoid. You should consult your physician about the food items that you can and cannot eat. In this way, you can avoid complications.

Protein in your diet is vital as it can also affect the health of your body. Thus, you must consume the right amount of this mineral to ensure that you’ll have a healthy body and baby.

The five foods that contain the healthiest protein for pregnant women listed here are proven to be safe for your condition. However, if you’re in doubt, you need to talk to your doctor or dietitian to ensure that you’re getting enough and avoid overconsumption.

​Hannah Tong is the founder of Omaby.com, a blog dedicated to providing accurate advice to mothers regarding childcare. She loves taking care of her kids and teaching them the right things. She is also enthusiastic and loves sharing her experiences to teach others about how to care for their families' health. Check the latest article (Child's development) here.