Every healthy diet begins and ends with three components: protein, fat and carbohydrates. Every food that is eaten can be categorized into one of these groups. All three are important in the diet, however, they should not be eaten in the same amounts. Your doctor or health care provider can help you to determine the best diet for you, which becomes even more important during pregnancy and afterward if you intend to breastfeed your baby. Your caloric needs will increase even if you are already overweight when you find out that you are pregnant. You will also need to make sure that you are gaining the right amount of weight and adding the right nutritional compounds to your diet. Not only will you be eating to help your baby grow and develop, you will also be eating to keep yourself healthy and strong. The diet type of each pregnant woman will change from trimester to trimester, with each part of the change being especially important for the growing embryo.

The human body uses protein for a number of functions and purposes. Without an adequate supply of protein from the diet, the body will turn to its own stores- the muscles. While you may want to reduce your overall calories to lose weight, you do not want to reduce the good nutrition that you are getting from the three macronutrients: protein, fats and carbohydrates. To lose weight but stay healthy, strong and keep up your performance levels, you have to carefully reduce your calorie count with the right proportion of everything that you need. To understand why protein is so important to exercise and metabolism, you have to understand how the body uses it in the first place.