Protein in Grams Cheat Sheet
Protein is the essential ingredient in creating new tissue. Protein helps build a pregnant woman’s developing uterus and breast tissue and builds her blood supply which brings oxygen and nutrients to her baby.
Your goal is 80-100 grams of protein per day, 3000 calories, half your bodyweight in ounces of water, and salt to taste! If you are having twins, add an additional 30 grams of protein and 500 calories per day.
Combine plant based proteins to form a complete protein, balanced in amino acid content.
Combine legumes with grains, legumes with nuts and seeds, and eggs/dairy products with any vegetable protein.
Dairy
2 cups Milk (whole, skim, buttermilk)-15g.
Greek Yogurt- 11-15g.
Cottage Cheese, 1⁄2 cup, 15g.
Cheddar, Swiss, muenster Cheese, 2oz.- 15g.
Eggs
1 egg- 6g.
Fish
Salmon, 3oz., 17g.
Tuna, 3 oz., 25g.
Tilapia, 3 oz., 23g.
Halibut, 3.5oz., 26g.
Crab, steamed, 3 oz., 16.5g.
Grains
Quinoa, 1 cup, 24g.
White Rice, 1 cup, 2.5g.
Brown Rice, 1 cup, 5g.
Oatmeal, 1 cup, 5g.
Buckwheat, 1 cup, 6g.
Ezekiel bread, 2 slices, 8g.
Legumes
1 cup cooked beans, 15g. (kidney, lentils,
chickpeas, great northern, black, pinto,
garbanzo, red.
Hummus, 1T., 1.5g.
Meat
Chicken, roasted, 2oz, 17g.
Beef, 3oz, 24g.
Pork chop, 4oz, 15g.
Pork loin, lean, cooked, 3oz., 20g.
Ham, 3 slices, 3oz, 16g.
Venison, 4oz, 23g.
Turkey, 3oz., 27g.
Liver, 3.5 oz., 26g.
Nuts
Almonds, 1⁄2 cup. 13g.
Almond Butter, 1⁄4 cup, 9g.
Almond milk, 1 cup, 2g.
Cashews, 1oz., 5g.
Cashew Butter, 1T., 3g.
Walnuts, 10 lg. 7.3g.
Brazil nuts, 1⁄2 cup, 10.0g.
Pine nuts, 1⁄4 cup, 8g.
Peanut Butter 4 T.- 15g.
Peanuts- 1⁄2 cup.- 15g.
Macadamia nuts, 1 cup, 11g.
Pistachio, 1 cup, 25g.
Seeds
Chia seeds, 2T., 4 g.
Pumpkin seeds, dried, 1⁄4 cup. 10g.
Sunflower seeds, 1⁄2 cup, 15g.
Hempseed, 2T., 10g.
Soy
Soybeans, 3⁄4 cup cooked, 15g.
Tofu, 8 oz. 17.7g.
Natto, 1⁄2 cup, 15g.
Tempeh, 1⁄2 cup, 15g.
Vegetables
Broccoli, 2 cups, 4.2g.
Corn, 1 cup, 5g.
Misc.
Nutritional Yeast, 2T., 8g.
For more information, visit these resources:
Dr Brewer Pregnancy Diet: http://www.drbrewerpregnancydiet.com/id11.html
10 Recently Published Studies on Nutrition: https://lilynicholsrdn.com/5-year-anniversary-real-food-for-pregnancy/#:~:text=Of%20note%2C%2040%25%20of%202nd,larger%20person%20or%20very%20active).
Real Food for Pregnancy by Lily Nichols: https://amzn.to/48r3UZp
Eat Your Prenatal: https://www.wildwellfed.com/eatyourprenatal
