If you’re looking for the best smoothie recipes to lose weight while breastfeeding, this post will give you all my favorite recipes and secret milk-boosting ingredients to include in your smoothies.
Not only will these recipes help maintain a healthy milk supply, they will also give you energy and key nutrients to help you lose weight while breastfeeding.
Why Are Breastfeeding Smoothies Good To Help Lose Weight?
Breastfeeding smoothies combine the best lactogenic foods (foods that boost milk supply) with healthy foods that keep you full longer, give you key nutrients you and your baby need, and help you lose weight.
They are also an easy thing to make quickly on your way out the door, or for a quick meal that will leave you satisfied. If you’re like most breastfeeding moms and trying to juggle working, caring for your little ones, and feeding your little one – easy is key!
Do Breastfeeding Smoothies Help Maintain My Milk Supply?
Yes, breastfeeding smoothies can help maintain your milk supply if you add key ingredients that help to boost it. I don’t recommend putting all of these ingredients in one smoothie necessarily, but having them on hand will help you mix things up so you don’t get bored eating the same breastfeeding smoothie or green smoothie.
These ingredients include:
- Oat milk, coconut milk, or almond milk – if you’re not worried about how many carbs you’re eating, oat milk is my favorite because it is the creamiest and relatively neutral tasting.
- Moringa powder – a whole food that is proven to increase milk supply and includes many lactogenic supplements.
- Fresh spinach – this can be frozen if you’re worried about it going bad, buy the pre-washed fresh leaves and simply freeze it if you don’t use it often.
- Frozen fruit – strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, or a tropical mix based on your taste preference.
- Bananas – these help sweeten the smoothie naturally (half a banana goes a long way).
- Breastfeeding protein powder or collagen powder – this gives an extra protein boost.
- Nut butter, peanut butter, almond butter, sunflower butter, etc. – for texture, protein, and healthy fats.
Are Green Smoothies Healthy For Breastfeeding Moms Trying To Lose Weight?
Drinking green smoothies is a great way to eat healthy and lose weight while breastfeeding. By incorporating healthy foods such as spinach, you’ll get extra nutrients in your daily diet.
If you don’t like greens very much, this is a great way to hide them. Be careful of eating things like broccoli and kale, however, because it can upset some babies stomachs and give them unwanted gas.
Every baby is different, so sometimes you have to find out through trial and error which foods upset your baby and which foods are okay. Spinach is a food that does not typically negatively affect babies, especially if you’re eating it 1-2 servings a day in a smoothie.
You and your baby will get key vitamins and minerals from the greens you put in your smoothies, which are available and easy for your body to absorb. When you’re giving your body good food fuel, it can function at its best.
The Best Smoothies To Lose Weight While Breastfeeding
I love smoothies as a healthy, go-to quick snack or full meal when you’re running around taking care of your babies. While it is important to enjoy your food while you eat it, you just can’t sit down for every meal at the table when you have little ones.
So these smoothies will give you optimal nutrition and leave you feeling satisfied. If you like the idea of “chewing” your food at each meal, you can include a small snack alongside with it, like a healthy fat (olives, cheese and crackers, etc.).
Or, you can put things like hemp seeds and chia seeds in them, which provide great nutrients and also give you more texture. Here are three of my favorite smoothies for losing weight while breastfeeding.
Chocolate Cherry Smoothie
This smoothie contains milk boosting ingredients like almond, coconut, flax seeds, and brewer’s yeast. It is from the book Eat to Feed, a great resource for more breastfeeding recipes.
Ingredients
2 cups of frozen dark cherries
1/3 cup of almond milk
1/3 cup of coconut milk
1 tablespoon of unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tablespoon of flax seeds
1 teaspoon debittered brewer’s yeast
Directions
Put all the ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. Enjoy!
Golden Smoothie
Ginger is an anti-inflammatory food and can help in recovery after the birth of your baby. It also aids in weight loss.
Coconut and hemp seeds are lactogenic foods and will leave you full longer, helping you feel satisfied after drinking this smoothie.
Ingredients
1 cup of coconut milk or almond milk
1 ripe banana, frozen
1 teaspoon of ground turmeric
1/2 teaspoon of grated fresh ginger
1 tablespoon of hemp seeds
1 teaspoon of coconut oil
Directions
Place all the ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. Enjoy!
Toasted Black Sesame Smoothie
With the lactogenic foods such as oats and black sesame seeds in this smoothie, it is a yummy and healthy one for you to try. This recipe is also a favorite inside the Eat to Feed breastfeeding recipes book.
Ingredients
2 tablespoons of black sesame seeds
1 cup coconut milk
2 medium sized ripe bananas (add 1 tablespoon of honey if bananas aren’t super ripe)
3 tablespoons of organic old-fashioned rolled oats
3 or 4 ice cubes
Directions
Toast the black sesame seeds in a dry pan over medium heat for 2-3 minutes or until fragrant. Remove from the heat and set aside to cool.
Place the cooled sesame seeds and remaining ingredients in a blender. Blend until smooth. Enjoy!
The Top Green Smoothies For Weight Loss While Breastfeeding
These green smoothies will give your breast milk supply a boost while also helping you lose weight while breastfeeding.
Spinach Moringa Smoothie
This smoothie contains milk boosting ingredients like spinach, moringa, and almond butter. It is adapted from the book Eat to Feed.
Ingredients
1 cup coconut milk or almond milk
1 frozen banana
1 cup fresh spinach
1 teaspoon ground moringa
1 tablespoon almond butter
Directions
Combine all the ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. Enjoy!
Pineapple Green Smoothie
This anti-inflammatory green smoothie features pineapple for a tropical flavor. The flax seeds help boost milk supply too.
Ingredients
1 cup of coconut milk
2 tablespoons of ground flax seeds (or chia seeds)
1/2 avocado
1 small lemon (juice only)
1 cup of frozen pineapple
Handful of spinach (if your baby isn’t affected by cauliflower, you could try cauliflower rice here instead)
1 scoop of protein powder
Directions
Combine all ingredients (except protein powder) in a blender and blend until smooth. Add protein powder and blend again until smooth. Enjoy!
Basic Green Smoothie
This is the easiest of all the green smoothies in this list. With just a few ingredients, including milk-boosting coconut milk and coconut oil, you’ll get your greens from the moringa powder which is also a superfood proven to increase milk supply.
The coconut also leaves you feeling full and satisfied for longer because it is a healthy fat.
Ingredients
1 cup coconut milk
1 tablespoon of coconut oil
1 scoop of breastfeeding protein powder
1 teaspoon ground moringa
3 or 4 ice cubes
Directions
Combine all the ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. Enjoy!
Super Green Keto Shake
This green smoothie is packed with key vitamins from healthy fats like coconut oil and chia seeds. The fresh ginger also gives it a refreshing taste.
If you’re looking for a shake that you can use while doing keto and breastfeeding or eating low carb while breastfeeding, this is a great option.
Ingredients
1 scoop of breastfeeding protein powder or collagen powder (vanilla or unflavored)
1 tablespoon of coconut oil
Handful of fresh spinach
1 stalk celery
1/4 inch thick slice fresh ginger
1/4 avocado (or 1/2 small avocado)
1 teaspoon of chia seeds or ground flax seeds
8 ounces of water (or almond/coconut milk if you’re not worried about carb count)
3 or 4 ice cubes
Directions
Combine all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. Enjoy!
Breastfeeding smoothies are a healthy and delicious option to help lose weight while breastfeeding.
Breastfeeding smoothies and green smoothies are one of my favorite options for a nutritious and delicious breakfast, dessert, or quick and easy meal. If you have some of these key ingredients on hand like oat milk, almond milk, or coconut milk, moringa powder, protein powder, brewer’s yeast, and frozen fruit, you can usually make a yummy smoothie in minutes.
Why Am I Gaining Weight While Breastfeeding?
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