Lactation Smoothie Recipes for Breastfeeding
- April 23, 2020
- Last Updated: May 11, 2022
- 1 Comment
- Motherhood
These delicious breastfeeding smoothies can help quench your hunger, thirst and help with milk production! Save that time for spending with your little one and make these easy lactation smoothies in minutes.
If you’re a new nursing mom, you’re probably really familiar with the constant breastfeeding hunger that comes up.
Especially if and when you return to exercise and running, running and breastfeeding can make you feel constantly hungry. A good variety of lactation smoothies were my go to!
So, if you’re searching for the best lactation smoothie recipe to nourish you and your baby, you’ve come to the right place!
Constantly Hungry While Breastfeeding?
A simple way to think about why you are always hungry when breastfeeding is that you are expending energy and calories through producing milk.
When your baby is nursing, your baby is drinking the milk that you produce, stimulating your body to produce more milk.
While the amount of calories a mom burns while breastfeeding will vary based on the person, a general range is 400-600 calories per day, according to the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists.
In other words, your body is using (burning) calories and energy to make milk, and so you feel hungrier and thirstier to make up for that difference.
This hunger may manifest as:
- growling stomach or pain in the stomach
- headaches
- dizzy
- obsession with food or constantly thinking about food
- feeling extra tired and lethargic
Hunger is never something to be ignored, especially when you are a lactating mom. Your body, milk supply and baby will thank you for nourishing your body properly.
I’m known to have an orange mango smoothie or peanut butter coffee smoothie to start the day or readily available after a workout because I hate the feeling of being overly hungry.
I’m a big fan of nutrient dense breastfeeding snacks, and shared a bunch of healthy postpartum snacks here.
Let’s talk about some of the best smoothies for breastfeeding, or boobie smoothies, as they are sometimes called.
What is a Lactation Smoothie?
A lactation smoothie, or breastfeeding smoothie, is a smoothie with specific ingredients believed to help moms stimulate milk production, while also helping to quench hunger and thirst.
Plus, it’s easy to drink smoothies while breastfeeding, which is another win.
Do lactation smoothies really work?
While we don’t have sufficient research on the efficacy of lactation smoothies, smoothies for breastfeeding moms can be extra helpful because they are portable, easy to hold with one hand, hydrating and full of nutrient-dense ingredients.
Plus, breastfeeding smoothies are filled with galactagogues, and are rather easy to make (or save as a freezer meal for new moms)!
What Are Galactagogues?
Galactagogues are herbs and foods that have been used historically by breastfeeding women to maintain and increase milk supply.
They may help stimulate oxytocin or milk supply, to help aid in breast milk ejection. There are lactogenic foods and ingredients that may help improve milk supply.
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Lactation Smoothie Recipe Ingredients
These smoothie recipes for nursing moms contain many of those lactogenic ingredients, such as:
- Oats – Oats provide iron, energizing carbohydrates, B-vitamins to help with the production of energy, and fiber.
- Whole grains – Whole grains also have a balanced nutritional profile that may help support the necessary hormones responsible for the production of breast milk and help release oxytocin. Oatmeal, barley, millet, farro and brown rice are other whole grains to include in your breastfeeding diet.
- Brewer’s yeast – Brewer’s yeast is a powder, so it is easy to add to smoothies and baked goods. Brewer’s yeast is high in B vitamins, iron, protein, selenium and many other minerals. I love this brewer’s yeast because it’s made by and for nursing mothers. While it is slightly bitter, when combined with other ingredients, you can mask that flavor.
- Flax seeds – Both flax seeds and sesame seeds are full of phytoestrogens, which may help with milk production. Flaxseeds also have essential fatty acids to help minimize inflammation. They are easy to add to smoothies!
- Almonds – Almonds and other nuts are high in protein and healthy unsaturated fats, both of which can help with keeping you fuller for longer periods of time, which helps with nursing hunger. Ground almonds up in a food processor or add almond butter to your lactation smoothie recipe.
- Garlic – Garlic has been shown to have antioxidant properties and many health-promoting properties, as well as being a galactagogue.
- Fresh Ginger Root – Ginger is a well known galactagogue in Thailand. A study published in Breastfeeding Medicine found that women taking ginger root had higher milk production than women not taking ginger.
- Greens – Dark leafy greens, like spinach, kale, arugula, swiss chard and collard greens are filled with essential vitamins and nutrients. They also contain phytoestrogen, which can help with lactation.
Recipes for Breastfeeding Smoothies
Many of the options below have delicious and nourishing flavors and ingredients, full of breastfeeding galactagogues.
Lactation Smoothie Recipes for Breastfeeding
These lactation smoothie recipes are great smoothies for breastfeeding moms, full of nourishing nutrients and that taste good!
Pack in the protein and antioxidants with this creamy blueberry lactation smoothie. It’s filled with blueberries, almond milk, almond butter, and oats.
This avocado lactation smoothie boasts a creamy blend of oats, avocado and greens. Therefore, this orange creamsicle smoothie is a great milk boosting smoothie!
This momma lactation smoothie shake is full of nourishing lactation ingredients, like oats, fruit, chia seeds and flaxseeds.
A vegan, apple banana smoothie with oats, made with your choice of milk.
This smoothie boasts freshly grated ginger, spinach greens, and healthy fats from coconut flakes and chia seeds for a lactation boost!
Full of fruit and healthy fat, this strawberry tahini milkshake is creamy and filling. Tahini is made from ground sesame seeds. Add oats and flax seeds for an extra lactation boost!
An immune-boosting smoothie for breastfeeding with turmeric, ginger, and flax seeds. The greek yogurt adds some extra fat and protein and you could also add greens.
It’s difficult to find a lactation smoothie with brewers yeast, but this one has it! This smoothie includes brewer’s yeast, oats, flaxseed, almond butter and ginger for a maximum lactation boost!
Photo Credit:
www.texanerin.com
Strawberry Ginger Banana Smoothie (Anti-nausea Smoothie) - Texanerin Baking
This lactation smoothie strawberry banana ginger is thickened with oats and greek yogurt, and adds ginger to help minimize nausea.
Photo Credit:
www.yourchoicenutrition.com
Peanut Butter Banana Oatmeal Smoothie - Your Choice Nutrition
A blend of healthy fats, protein, and complex carbohydrates, this peanut butter banana oatmeal smoothie provides sustainable energy from oats, greek yogurt, flax seeds and fruit.
Tips for Creating a Lactation Smoothie Mix
The great thing about these ingredients for breastfeeding smoothie recipes is that you can cater them to your taste. Or, even create your own and add in oats or greens or ginger.
For example, this sweet potato beet smoothie is already high in anti-inflammatory things, but adding some ginger and oats can turn it into an ultimate lactation smoothie.
Personally, I love adding oats to thicken up this already thick strawberry banana smoothie bowl, or I’ll add a plethora of ingredients to my favorite greek yogurt smoothies.
These are great for breakfasts, snacks, pre/post workout and extra hydration! And then what you can do is freeze them when you blend in bulk, and then you have several smoothies for breastfeeding in the future.
I like to call these lactation smoothie mixes mom’s best friend.
I hope these tips and recipes help inspire you to create the ultimate lactation smoothie for your breastfeeding needs.
Resources:
- Bonyata, Kelly IBCLC. How Does Milk Production Work? Kelly Mom. Accessed April, 2020 from https://kellymom.com/hot-topics/milkproduction/
- Breastfeeding Your Baby: FAQs. The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. Accessed May 1, 2020 from https://www.acog.org/patient-resources/faqs/labor-delivery-and-postpartum-care/breastfeeding-your-baby
- Nice, Frank. Common Herbs and Foods Used as Galactogogues. Ican: Infant, Child, & Adolescent Nutrition. 3: 129-132 (2011). doi: 10.1177/1941406411406118.
- Moberg, Kerstin, and Prime, Danielle. Oxytocin effects in mothers and infants during breastfeeding. Infant Journal. 9(6): 201-206 (2013). Accessed from http://www.infantjournal.co.uk/pdf/inf_054_ers.pdf
- http://doi.org/10.1089/bfm.2016.0073
Sarah Schlichter is a Registered Dietitian with a Master’s in Public Health Nutrition. She specializes in sports nutrition and intuitive eating, and recipe development. She also co-hosts the podcast, Nail Your Nutrition.
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Great, informative post! Thank you for including my Turmeric Ginger Smoothie in the recommendations. 🙂