Protein is one of the most important nutrients to focus on during pregnancy—but that won’t be surprising coming from me at this point (you know what I mean). Trying to figure out exactly how much protein you need during all 3 trimesters can feel overwhelming, especially on top of all the other nutrition recommendations to navigate! Between nausea, increased hunger, fatigue, and busy days, hitting your needs can feel more complicated than it should. Let me make it easy for you — protein during pregnancy here we go!

Why Protein Matters More Than Ever During Pregnancy

During pregnancy, your body is doing a lot: building a baby, supporting a growing placenta, increasing blood volume, and maintaining your own muscle and tissue.

Protein plays a key role in all of it. It supports your baby’s growth, helps keep your energy stable, and can even make a difference in how full and satisfied you feel throughout the day.

But (!!!) unfortunately most general reccommendations are too low in overall protein needs. If you’re working out regularly, or maybe just chasing around other kids all day, your overall nutrition needs, especially protein, are much higher! I’m not saying you have to buy protein popcorn, but making sure you’re getting enough should be a major focus of your day to day.

So, Exactly How Much Protein During Pregnancy Do You Need?

The baseline recommendation for protein during pregnancy is about 75–100 grams per day.

But a more personalized way to think about it is:

• ~0.8–1.0 grams per pound of body weight (pre-pregnancy)
• Or at minimum, an extra ~25 grams per day on top of your usual intake

For many women, that ends up landing closer to 100+ grams per day (which is my recommendation as a minimum threshold!), especially in the later trimesters when your baby’s growth really picks up.

If you are not interested in tracking your protein, no worries. That is by no meals a requirement to making sure you getting enough protein during pregnancy. It isn’t about hitting the perfect number every day, it’s about knowing generally how much protein you’re eating at every meal and doing your best to stay consistent!

What Does That Actually Look Like in a Day?

Again, try not to stress about making every day perfect. You don’t need to overthink your meals! Try to build your meals around a protein source for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. If you can, add a protein source to your snacks.

A simple way to approach it:

• Breakfast: 25–40g
• Lunch: 25–40g
• Dinner: 25–40g
• Snacks: 10–20g each

When you spread it out like this, it feels a lot more doable (and you’ll likely feel better, too).

Eating High-Protein During Pregnancy

SPOILER ALERT: eating enough protein doesn’t mean giving up delicious, satisfying, and family-friendly meals. I PROMISE!

Signs You Might Not Be Getting Enough Protein

You don’t need to track obsessively, but there are a few signs your intake might be on the lower side:

• You’re constantly hungry, even after meals
• Energy dips or blood sugar crashes
• Meals don’t feel satisfying
• You’re relying mostly on carbs without much protein balance
• Nausea (obviously there are many causes of nausea during pregnancy, but insufficient protein intake can cause nausea!)

Advice From Your RD (Me!)

Protein is one of the most important nutrients to focus on during pregnancy, but it doesn’t need to feel overwhelming. Here is a super simple way to think about your protein intake:

1. 25 g per meal as a minimum (+25 from snacks), 100g per day a as a minimum
2. Think about snacks as mini meals! Protein should still be the main source of fuel, maybe just a slightly smaller quantity. Try any of my high-protein smoothies for a perfect pregnancy snack.
3. Rotate recipes that are quick, easy to store, and you know they’re high in protein (takes tons of the mental load off of you for day to day decisions!). I relied on these 100 high-protein recipes while I was pregnancy and postpartum!!