The answer to “can you drink Shakeology while pregnant”
is: Probably yes, but there are definitely things to consider.
You can also drink coke during pregnancy but this doesn’t
mean it’s good for you or that it’s still safe if you’ll drink enough of it.
Shakeology might not be as bad as coca-cola but it also has some ingredients that you’d better avoid getting too much of. These include
sugar, caffeine, and “natural flavors”. The non-vegan version of the shake also contains whey protein that might not be suitable for everyone.
Shakeology also contains super fruits that provide your body with antioxidants, vitamins, minerals, etc. So if you take any supplements in addition to drinking the shake, you should make sure that you’re not consuming too much of any particle substance during your pregnancy. Some suggest for example that consuming too much vitamin a could be bad for you and your baby.
As advised by Dr. Lakeisha Richardson, “As long as the cumulative quantity of each vitamin or mineral does not exceed 100% of the prescribed daily dosage, pregnant women should be able to take their prenatal vitamins and shakes”. But also added that these shakes should almost never be replacing a well-balanced meal during the pregnancy.
Having said that – You should always consult with your physician about what foods/drinks you should and shouldn’t consume during your pregnancy.
While you are pregnant it is also critical that you get enough calories. After all, you are growing another little human being inside of you.
One of the worst things you can do is to not eat enough
and be in a calorie deficit.
Shakeology is made to provide you with a low-calorie meal replacement which could lead to feeling full while not getting enough calories you need during the pregnancy. So that’s another thing to watch out for when drinking Shakeology while pregnant.
There are also not enough clinical evidence or study to tell about the long-term effects of Shakeology shakes on the baby.
Now let’s get things straight.
The main reason for drinking Shakeology while pregnant is to get a decent supply of protein.
Shakeology is fairly more expensive than other protein shakes and also comes with some additives that could make it harder to control what you allow into your body. For this reason, there might be better ways to reach the desired amount of protein during your pregnancy.
If you want to be in absolute control over your nutrition during the pregnancy, a wiser path might be to get your protein from a pure source of protein and all the other nutrients from different sources.
Example: Your proteins you can get from pure protein
shake supplements (Additive-free products), vitamins and minerals that are
harder to get from natural sources acquire from tablets, and the other
nutrients from healthy foods (vegetables, fruits, grains, cooked meat, etc.).
Quite a few meal replacement shakes and protein shakes are also found to contain heavy metals too. Therefore, it’s always recommended to choose a supplement that is tested to be free of such toxic ingredients.
Heavy Metals come from the earth (especially in more polluted grounds and places where pesticides are used). It’s therefore makes it especially difficult to find a vegan protein powder that is tested to be completely free of heavy metals.
If you are ok with using whey protein here is probably the best PURE (free from also natural flavours) protein powder that is also tested to be free of heavy metals (a rare find!):
Raw Grass-fed Whey
Find Out Price & Reviews Now on Amazon
Pure Vegan protein powder are harder to find.
There isn’t much information about vegan protein shakes that have been tested to be free from heavy metals. After excluding all protein powders that haven’t passed our test, here is one vegan protein shake that looks like a decent bet:
Optimum Nutrition Gold Standard
Check Out Price & Reviews Now on Amazon
Also, remember that there is such risk as consuming too much protein
so with anything you use, keep following your physician’s recommendations.
Which brings us to the next subject.
What foods you should consume during pregnancy?
Nutrition during pregnancy is such an important subject as pregnant women’s body requires more protein, calcium, iron, and folic acid
than non-pregnant women.
What a pregnant woman eats and drinks is her baby’s primary source of food. Experts recommend during pregnancy your diet should include a range of nutritious foods and drinks to provide a baby’s essential
nutrients for growth and development.
A great and sustainable way to both feel better and meet your personal wellbeing goals when pregnant is to make a healthy lifestyle improvements regularly. In order to feel good and live a healthier lifestyle, it is important to practice drinking more water, eating more whole foods, reducing the intake of refined foods, and do some form of workout every day.
Foods You Should Eat
During pregnancy, you should be eating healthy foods most of the time. The five food groups mentioned below is what should mainly be consumed to optimize your prenatal nutrition:
- Fruits.
- Vegetables.
- Lean protein.
- Whole grains.
- Dairy products.
It is advised that pregnant women fill their plates with:
1/2 Plate Fruits and vegetables – of all colors.
1/4 Plate whole grains
1/4 Plate a source of lean protein,
And have a dairy product at every meal.
In addition to a balanced diet, pregnant women are often advised to take daily prenatal supplements that will help them obtain some nutrients that aren’t easy to get from foods alone. According to ACOG, such ingredients may include folic acid and iron.
Detailed information on safe food options and amounts to be included in meals you can also find on the USDA’s site.
Foods You Should Limit
Caffeine-less than 200 mg of caffeine a day, the amount contained in a 12-ounce cup of coffee, is usually considered to be safe.
Fish – 8 – 12 ounces of cooked fish and seafood a week. And you better eat only shallow-water fish to avoid mercury, lead, and other heavy metals.
Foods to avoid
Alcohol.
Fish With high levels of mercury like swordfish, shark, king
mackerel, marlin, orange roughy, and tilefish.
Unpasteurized food and drinks.
Raw meat.
What other moms say about drinking Shakeology while
pregnant?
A mother that did chose to use Shakeology during her pregnancy has concluded: “Can I drink Shakeology during pregnancy is something that I’ve asked my obstetrician, my nutritionist, and the pediatrician of my children about. The response I got was: Shakeology might be safe to drink during pregnancy and breastfeeding, but use it carefully, with clear instructions from a doctor that will look into what’s in the shake and how to include it in your diet during the pregnancy.”
Two moms who chose not to use Shakeology during their pregnancy has noted:
“I spoke to a registered dietitian who specializes in moms and kids, and she advised me to ”Avoid drinking Shakeology until I’m done breastfeeding”. Her reasons for this are:
1. The amounts of biotin, chromium, and vitamins A, C,
B12, and B1 in the shake. These exceed the RDA for breastfeeding moms.
2. The amount of folic acid is too low.”
“According to my doctor, when you look at the product label, the vitamins and whey protein in Shakeology might be safe to use in pregnancy. However, she added, any supplements that may contain excess minerals, caffeine, or weight loss additives should not be used throughout pregnancy.”
Shakeology While Breastfeeding and Downsides
As with pregnancy always consult a professional obstetrician or health care professional before using any other supplement while you are nursing.
It’s important to know that the FDA has not approved Shakeology. Although shakes don’t have to be approved by the FDA, during your pregnancy or nursing shakes are like any other supplements that should be.
Beachbody (the company behind Shakeology has also not performed profound trials on a developing fetus or how it crosses from lactation into milk. These are red flags to bear in mind.
Beachbody LLC also isn’t marketing the shake to pregnant or breastfeeding moms. However, they give their MLMs plenty of room to decide how they want to market the product and haven’t regulated the information provided by their distributors. As far as business practices go, MLM’s health and wellness course, it doesn’t seem too reliable.
The organization LLL in Virginia which consult breast-feeding moms has also advised that Shakeology can’t be considered safe during nursing. Not only has it not been fully studied, but the shake also contains some ingredients that may be harmful to pregnant and breastfeeding moms. Some of these are gingko, ashwagandha, luo han guoastragalus, goji, and
shisandra.
So think really carefully about what you put into your
body during this period.
Conclusion
Based on all the information we could find; it looks like using Shakeology while pregnant or breastfeeding is not the greatest idea.
A better path would be to use a protein shake that does not contain anything but protein and any other nutrition that you need can be derived from raw foods or supplements that are made for that purpose.
Most importantly, always take advice from a health care specialist before deciding on what you should include in your diet during pregnancy.
– This article does not intend to provide medical
advice or replace a consultation with a pregnancy and nursing physician. –
