What is the best pregnancy safe protein powder?

drink wholesome is the best pregnancy safe protein powder. It is made with simple, easy to digest ingredients. Order samples to see for yourself.

drink wholesome is the best pregnancy safe protein powder.

Is protein powder safe during pregnancy? Are protein shakes safe during pregnancy?

What you eat during pregnancy is important and can affect your baby’s growth and development. Eating enough protein is especially important because it is one of the building blocks of your muscles, skin, bones. It is also a key component of antibodies that protect against illness. Given that your protein needs increase during each trimester of pregnancy, it is crucial that you establish a plan to ensure that you are eating enough.

Figuring out how much protein you need during pregnancy can be confusing. There are many different numbers, most of which are not backed by research that takes into account the unique needs of pregnant women and growing babies. Fortunately for you, we have done our own research. A recent study found that protein intake recommendations for pregnant women are much higher than current recommendations; 39% higher in early pregnancy (before 20 weeks), and 73% higher in late pregnancy (after 20 weeks). This is compared to the Estimated Average Requirement (EAR), which is the average daily nutrient intake level estimated to meet the requirement of half the healthy individuals in a particular life stage and gender group. The researchers concluded that the EAR for healthy pregnant women should be set at 1.22 grams per kilogram in early pregnancy (about 83 grams for a 150 pound person) and 1.52 grams per kilogram in late pregnancy (about 104 grams per day for a 150 pound person). Thinking about eating this much protein can be overwhelming, especially if you are pregnant. Even if you ate a generous serving of protein with each meal, as outlined below, you would still come up short of your protein needs.

Breakfast: 2 eggs – 12g protein
Lunch: 4 oz chicken breast – 32g protein
Snack: ¼ cup almonds – 7g protein
Dinner: 4 oz salmon – 23g protein
Total: 69g protein

Unless you weigh 100 pounds, a regular serving does not contain enough protein. On top of that, pregnant women can have a hard time eating due to food aversions, decreased appetite, and morning sickness. This is where protein supplements can help. Protein supplements are a convenient way to boost your and your baby’s protein intake, and are perfectly safe to use during pregnancy. Research shows that dietary protein supplementation during pregnancy improves embryonic survival and growth by increasing placental angiogenesis and blood flow, as well as promoting embryonic protein synthesis. In other words, using protein supplements to ensure that you are getting enough protein not only helps your baby grow, but also increases its chances of survival. That said, not all protein supplements are created equal.

There are two types of protein supplements: ready-to-drink (store-bought) protein shakes, and protein shakes made with protein powder. In order to make a pregnancy protein shake with protein powder, you have to mix the powder with milk or water. This requires a blender or a shaker bottle, and a little extra time and effort. Some people prefer ready-to-drink protein shakes because they are more convenient, but if they knew what they were drinking, they would probably vomit. 

Ready-to-drink protein shakes are full of emulsifiers, stabilizers, and thickeners. Ingredients like these improve characteristics like shelf stability, but are hard to digest and can cause uncomfortable side effects (more about this soon). This is why I recommend that you make your own protein shakes for pregnancy with protein powder. That said, not all protein powders are created equal, and many contain the same additives found in ready-to-drink protein shakes! Keep reading to learn why you should avoid food additives. 

Why drink wholesome? 

Not all protein powders are good for you and your baby. One look at the ingredient list will explain why. Most protein powders are made with heavily-processed ingredients that look nothing like real food. This not only makes them hard to digest, but can also cause uncomfortable side effects. This is where drink wholesome sets itself apart from other protein supplements. We use simple, easy to digest ingredients, and list them on the front of the package so you know exactly what you are putting into your body. Keep reading to learn more about what to look for, and what to avoid buying protein powder. 

Avoid food additives.

Most protein powders are full of food additives. Although not necessarily bad for you in small quantities, additives can add up quickly (especially if you drink a protein shake every day) and cause gastrointestinal (GI) side effects like bloating, constipation, diarrhea, gas, and stomach pain. This is because food additives are, generally speaking, hard to digest. They sit in your gut for longer than food should, which gives your gut bacteria more time to eat. As they eat, these bacteria produce gas, which causes bloating and stomach pain. Gas also slows colonic transit (the amount of time it takes food to travel through the colon) and can lead to constipation.

In the long term, food additives can disrupt regulatory pathways in the intestine, which can result in the development of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and systemic inflammatory disorders. Artificial sweeteners are among the most harmful additives in the long term as they alter the composition of your gut microbiota (the collection of microorganisms that help you digest food). This can lead to serious, chronic GI problems, widespread inflammation, and permanent damage to the gut microbiome. Some sweeteners, especially sugar alcohols like xylitol, are also poorly absorbed by the gut (meaning they feed those hungry gut bacteria) and cause diarrhea because they draw water into your intestine. Now you finally have something to blame for those post-protein shake trips to the bathroom!

Here is a list of the most common food additives in protein powder:

acacia gum, acesulfame potassium, artificial flavors, aspartame, carrageenan, cellulose gum, dextrin, dextrose, erythritol, gellan gum, guar gum, gum arabic, inulin, locust bean gum, “natural” flavors, maltodextrin, rice syrup solids, soy lecithin, silica, sucralose, sunflower lecithin, xanthan gum, xylitol

When it comes to identifying food additives, go with your gut. 😉 As a rule of thumb, they are the ingredients that you cannot pronounce. Food additives are not the only thing to look out for when buying protein powder safe for pregnancy, however. There are several other ingredients that can upset your stomach.

our ingredients: 

egg whites, coconut, cocoa, monk fruit

the alternative:

Protein Matrix Comprised of (Whey Protein Concentrate,  Whey Protein Isolate, Calcium Caseinate, Micellar Casein, Milk Protein Isolate, Egg Albumen, Glutamine Peptides), Polydextrose, Sunflower Creamer (Sunflower Oil, Corn Syrup Solids,  Sodium Caseinate, Mono- and Diglycerides, Dipotassium Phosphate, Tricalcium Phosphate, Soy Lecithin, Tocopherols), Natural and Artificial Flavor, MCT Powder (Medium Chain Triglycerides, Nonfat Dry Milk, Disodium Phosphate, Silicon Dioxide), Lecithin, Cellulose Gum, Salt, Yellow 5, Sucralose, Acesulfame Potassium, Papain, Bromelain.

*This is the actual ingredient list of one of the best-selling protein powders in the United States.

Avoid dairy. 

Dairy-based proteins like whey and casein, which are byproducts of cheese and yogurt production, are known to cause digestive issues, especially for people with lactose intolerance and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). Over one in three Americans are lactose intolerant, and the prevalence of IBS is somewhere between 10 and 15 percent in the United States. It follows that you may be lactose intolerant or have IBS and not even know it. Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a poorly understood condition, and it is unclear why dairy triggers symptoms. Lactose intolerance, on the other hand, is clearly understood. People with lactose intolerance are unable to fully digest lactose, the sugar in dairy. As you just learned, partially digested food feeds the bacteria in your gut, which produce gas. 

Avoid protein concentrates and isolates.

Finding an additive-free, dairy-free protein powder is hard. Finding an additive-free, dairy-free protein powder made with real foods is next to impossible. Why? Most protein powders are made with protein concentrates and isolates, foods stripped of everything but the protein. They are listed on the ingredient list as “pea protein” and “whey protein” as opposed to “peas” and “whey.” I will not go into the details, but protein concentrates and isolates undergo heavy mechanical and chemical processing before becoming protein powder. Sometimes, manufacturers use chemical solvents like hexane to isolate (separate) the protein from the food. This means that what you end up putting into your body looks nothing like real food. The problem with ingredients that look nothing like real food is that they are hard to digest. (Your gut always prefers the real thing, not some heavily-processed imitation.)

Instead of protein concentrates or isolates, we use egg whites and almonds. Egg whites are simply pasteurized and dried before becoming protein powder. Almonds are just roasted, pressed, and ground. Minimally-processed ingredients like these are an easy to digest, gut-friendly alternative to protein concentrates and isolates.  

Unless you have a sensitivity or allergy to eggs, egg white protein is the best protein for your gut. Egg whites are low in fiber, low-FODMAP, naturally alkaline, and have the highest protein digestibility-corrected amino acid score (PDCAAS) of any whole food. Our customers have experienced fewer digestive issues with egg white protein than with any other type of protein. 

If you cannot eat eggs, try our almond protein powder. Unlike protein concentrates or isolates, almonds contain lots of healthy fats, fiber, and other nutrients like calcium and vitamin E. We prefer almonds to other minimally-processed plant protein sources because they are more gut-friendly. Research suggests that almonds possess prebiotic properties and can improve the diversity and composition of the gut microbiome.

★★★★★

“I just finished my first bag and ordered 2 more! I Iove this stuff! I have IBS and every protein powder hurts my stomach…except drink wholesome!”

-Julio

Why drink wholesome? 

Our pregnancy protein powders are additive-free, dairy-free, and made with real foods, not protein isolates. They are perfect for people with gut issues and sensitive stomachs, as well as for people just looking to boost their protein intake without the processing and added junk.

Again, drink wholesome makes the best protein powder for pregnancy with simple, easy to digest ingredients.. Order samples to see for yourself.

drink wholesome is the best protein powder for pregnant women.

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