Protein shakes

[2023a]

I’m 15 weeks and suddenly having quite strong food aversions. I basically only want to eat pasta and drink water. I’m a bit worried about nutrition, particularly protein, as there is so much emphasis on needing that.

Has anyone had protein shakes during pregnancy? If so, which ones? The information online is contradictory and my midwife didn’t seem to know what I was asking, so any pointers would be gratefully received. Thank you.

I did and continued after giving birth to keep nutrition up. I used a good quality vegan protein powder (I'm lactose intolerant to milk based powders); added 2c milk of choice; 1/2 c plain greek yoghurt; a banana and a cup of frozen strawberries. Or, I'd sub 2tbsp peanut butter for the berries and sometimes add a tsp of cocoa powder. Drank every morning and often at night. I had really bad reflux even with prescription medication and the shakes were often all I could manage except for Greek salad w/o onion or popcorn with olive oil. 🤷‍♀️

No idea if they are recommended in pregnancy but I like Huel meal replacement shakes, the ready made ones are really nice and have lots of vitamins

I had pea protein mixed with a bit of Complan in banana, mango and peanut butter smoothies. Before, during and after pregnancy.

Be careful with things like vegan and pea protein during pregnancy - the es ones especially contain high levels of oestrogen and played havoc with my hormones without pregnancy!

Not sure I'd recommend taking anything like that while pregnant, if you can I'd stick to the whey based ones.

The higher quality (more expensive) ones that are called things like "pure whey" or "impact whey" tend to have less additives in them too.

Avoid the cheaper ones from places like Home Bargains and stick to brands like Huel or My Protein.

You can usually download the ingredients list from the websites, might be worth showing that to your midwife to ask if there is anything in there you shouldn't be taking?