Pregnancy is the most critical phase of life. Where everything else comes second to health of the would-be-mother. Health of the pregnant woman and the fetus becomes the priority for each and everyone. Her food, lifestyle, habits, clothes, hygiene care to avoid any diseases etc. changes to greater extent for the betterment of the healthy baby.
There are many food items that are beneficial during pregnancy but there are few foods that needs to be avoided during pregnancy.
Considering this as an opportunity, many companies launch devise pregnancy specific products to help the family achieve the common health goal. There are many protein powders, supplements, medicines etc. that are meant to be consumed during pregnancy. But which one will be a good fit can only be decided by a Gynecologist or Obstetrician.
Here we’ll try to cover the most popular protein powders available in the market. We’ll study their claims and content benefits for a pregnant women.
Importance of protein powder during pregnancy.
During pregnancy, how much protein you eat is important for your growing baby and it affects everything from your baby’s birth weight to the size of their head. It could also affect how healthy they are as an adult!
Protein powder is a very popular source of protein for vegetarians and vegans who don’t eat meat.
Many people take protein powder as it can help them bulk up and gain muscle, but not everyone knows the benefits of protein powder during pregnancy.
Dietary pattern studies show a relation between moderate dairy protein intake and increased birth weight and reduced chances of low birth weight. The protein-to-carbohydrate ratio is a vital factor in relation to gestational weight gain and fetal programming.
Protein Powders for Pregnant Women: –
ProteinX Mama
Company: Protinex Mama Protein Powder is highly recommended by Dieticians in India. The Main Ingredients of Protinex Mama Protein Powder are DHA, protein, soy protein, and folic acid. It is consisting of 11 immune nutrient supplements, 23 vitamins, iron & calcium. It’s a vegetarian product.
Flavors: Chocolate, Vanilla
Recommended Dosage: 1 serving (25 gm) per day.
Given to: Pregnant women & Breastfeeding women.
Ingredients’ strength.
Nutritional chart of Protinex Mama Protein Powder.
The following table shows the Proteinx Mama Protein Powder ingredients compared with Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA). *Consider consumption as twice per day.
| Nutrients | Unit | Per 100g Powder | Per Serving 25g Powder | RDA of ingredients in Pregnancy | Ingredient’s strength compared to RDA* |
| Energy | Kcal | 360 | 90 | – | |
| Protein | g | 32.0 | 8.0 | 60 g /day | Less 🡇 |
| Carbohydrates | g | 57.0 | 14.3 | 175 g/day | Less 🡇 |
| Sugar | g | 29.5 | 7.4 | No specific limits | |
| Fat | g | 1.5 | 0.38 | – | |
| Saturated fatty acids | g | 0.3 | 0.08 | – | |
| Mono unsaturated fatty acids | g | 0.4 | 0.1 | – | |
| Poly unsaturated fatty acids | g | 0.8 | 0.2 | – | |
| Trans fatty acids | g | 0 | 0 | – | |
| Cholesterol | mg | 0.4 | 0.1 | – | |
| DHA (Docosahexaenoic Acid) | mg | 80 | 20 | 200 mg per day | Less 🡇 |
| Dietary fiber | g | 2.5 | 0.6 | 28 g/day | Less 🡇 |
Vitamins |
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| Vitamin A | mcg RE | 600 | 150.0 | 770 µg / day | Less 🡇 |
| Vitamin D | mcg | 5.0 | 1.3 | 15 µg /day | Less 🡇 |
| Vitamin E | mg | 22 | 5.5 | 15 mg / day | Less 🡇 |
| Vitamin C | mg | 80 | 20 | 85 mg / day | Less 🡇 |
| Vitamin B1 | mg | 1.1 | 0.3 | 1.4 mg/day | Less 🡇 |
| Vitamin B2 | mg | 2.6 | 0.7 | 1.4 mg / day | Equal = |
| Niacin | mg | 14 | 3.5 | 18 mg / day | Less 🡇 |
| Pantothenic acid | mg | 6.0 | 1.5 | 6 mg daily | Less 🡇 |
| Vitamin B6 | mg | 5.0 | 1.3 | 1.9 mg / day | More 🡅 |
| Folic acid | mcg | 800 | 200 | 400-800 µg daily | Equal = |
| Vitamin B12 | mcg | 0.5 | 0.1 | 2.6 µg / day | Less 🡇 |
| Biotin | mcg | 30 | 7.5 | 30 mcg daily | Less 🡇 |
Minerals |
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| Iron | mg | 27 | 6.8 | 27 mg / day | Less 🡇 |
| Calcium | mg | 1300 | 325 | 1000 mg / day | Less 🡇 |
| Phosphorus | mg | 900 | 225 | 700 mg | Less 🡇 |
| Magnesium | mg | 350 | 88 | 350-360 mg / day | Less 🡇 |
| Zinc | mg | 4.4 | 1.1 | 11 mg / day | Less 🡇 |
| Iodine | mcg | 88 | 22 | 250 mcg / day | Less 🡇 |
| Selenium | mcg | 24 | 6.0 | 60 µg / day | Less 🡇 |
| Copper | mcg | 480 | 120 | 1 mg / day | Less 🡇 |
| Sodium | mg | 420 | 105 | 3.1 g/day | Less 🡇 |
| Potassium | mg | 860 | 215 | 4,000 mg/day | Less 🡇 |
| Chloride | mg | 240 | 60 | 3.1 g/day | Less 🡇 |
Most of the nutritional ingredients are not at par with the RDA, may be because the remaining part of the nutrition will be consumed through daily diet.
Ingredients’ benefits.
| No. | Claims of product | Claims Checked |
| 1 | Folic acid for reducing the risk of neural tube defects. | Folic Acid prevents some major birth defects of the baby’s brain & spine which are known as neural tube defects. |
| 2 | DHA for building blocks of brain. | DHA is vital for the growth and functional development of the brain in infants. |
| 3 | Protein for the synthesis of new tissues during the rapid growth of baby. | Protein intake increased birth weight and reduced the risk of low birth weight. |
Folic acid, DHA and Protein benefits are vital not only to avoid any birth defects but also help in improving the fetus health.
Proteinx Mama can be a good option to fill the nutrient deficit that may rise due to improper food consumption. Always consult your doctor before starting any such supplement during pregnancy.
