Protein Shakes!

I've been reading a lot of research about identical twins, getting them to term, and what causes low vs. high birth weight in twins. The most interesting research comes from Dr. Barbara Luke, who has written a book about nutrition during pregnancy of multiples. She is a leading expert in the area of twins, and has had great success getting women to full term with their twins, getting high birth weights (over 6 or 7 pounds each), and avoiding a stay for the babies in the NICU.

The basic principle of her nutritional plan is that a women having twins must eat at least 3500 calories/day, and must eat at least 170 grams of protein/day. I am following the plan (after hearing the many success stories from women who've had twins), and I must say, easier said than done! 170 grams of protein is ALOT of protein! Consider that a cheeseburger will only have, on average, about 15 grams of protein. A cup of yogurt has about 5 grams of protein.

So, last night, Mr. Mustard, Paprika, and I went to Whole Foods and bought one of their Protein Powder mixes. Each scoop of protein powder has 10g of protein, so if I make a shake with 4 scoops of powder, that's 40 grams right there! I just made myself a blueberry/cranberry/banana/strawberry shake with the powder, and it's not half bad! Three more of those today and I'm practically done! I have a feeling I may start to tire of drinking these shakes EVERY DAY-- but if it's what it takes to have big, healthy babies, then so be it.