Herbalife Diet While Pregnant

During pregnancy, the average woman should consume about 2,500 calories a day instead of the approximately 2,100 calories necessary before pregnancy. Consumption of any health or supplement product during pregnancy should contribute to these caloric needs, rather than restrict them. Diet shakes in general may safely be consumed during pregnancy when taken as a snack and not a meal-replacement. Herbalife products have some health and financial concerns that should be taken into consideration, especially during your pregnancy. Please consult with your physician about what supplements are appropriate for your pregnancy diet.

Dieting While Pregnant

Herbalife produces many different products for various needs, though many people use the protein shakes for weight management or fitness goals. The most important thing to remember during your pregnancy is that dieting is not recommended. Extra calories are needed each day for your body and your developing baby. Restricting these calories could cause problems for you and your baby's growth due to malnutrition. Diet products, such as Herbalife weight management supplements and protein shakes, are not prohibited during pregnancy unless you're using them to diet, or relying on them every day for your nutritional needs. Please consult your physician before adding supplements to your pregnancy diet.

Herbalife While Pregnant

Herbalife offers an entire line of products to support weight management, digestive health, personal care, energy, fitness, immune system and heart health. Each product solution offers a variety of herbal formulas, beverages, shampoos and skin care. While you may opt for the protein shakes under the fitness category or a nutritional shake from the weight management product line, make sure you are using them only in addition to healthy meals, not as a replacement. Since there are several Herbalife products, each one should be considered separately for their respective ingredients. Remember to consult your physician before making supplemental changes to your pregnancy diet.

Herbalife Dangers

There may be potential dangers when taking Herbalife products, which should be considered especially during pregnancy. Between 1998 and 2004, 10 cases of liver toxicity caused by Herbalife products were reported, as explained in the October 2007 issue of "Journal of Hepatology." Another study published in "Pharmacoepidemiology and Drug Safety" in July 2011 revealed 20 cases of liver damage in 2003 leading to concerns about the liver safety of Herbalife products. Such concerns should be taken into consideration in regard to your pregnancy.

Cost of Herbalife

According to the Herbalife website, Herbalife is a multilevel marketing program and the products can only be purchased through independent distributors. Nextag.com compares the prices of products across the Internet and reveals the cost of Herbalife products to be fairly expensive. For example, two shake mix containers are $58. Depending on how often you will be consuming the products, this may be an expensive investment. While money may not be a concern to some pregnant mothers, others should take note that these expensive Herbalife products are not needed nor necessarily recommended for a healthy pregnancy.