If you are looking for a way to increase your milk supply naturally, this list of Lactation smoothies for breastfeeding mamas is just what you need!
Breastfeeding is like a Charles Dickens novel, the best of times and the worst of times.
When all goes well, it’s an easy way to feed baby on the go and provides for lots of bonding (and Netflix!) time!
However, when you spend your time wondering how to increase your milk supply or worrying about your baby’s weight gain, breastfeeding can become stressful.
Lots of people know about using lactation cookies to boost your supply but lactation smoothies have the added benefit of providing you with great nutrition without the possible weight gain from cookies.
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Even if you are not struggling with a low milk supply, you can incorporate one of these lactation smoothies for breastfeeding into your morning routine to boost your milk and give you a quick punch of energy and vitamins.
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What is a Lactation Smoothie?
Simply put, smoothies for breastfeeding (lactation smoothie) are regular old smoothies that have specific ingredients that can help boost your milk supply.
Lactation smoothies often include common galactagogues (milk boosters).
You can add these ingredients to your usual smoothie to turn it into a milk-boosting powerhouse.
What can I put in my smoothies for breastfeeding moms?
There are all different kinds of things you can put in your lactation smoothie but it is easy when you have a basic recipe that you can adapt.
In each milk-boosting smoothie, I try and include one food from each of the following sections:
- Healthy Fats
- Low Sugar Fruits
- Leafy Greens
- Liquid
- Breastfeeding superfoods
Let’s look at these in depth:
1. Healthy Fats
Healthy fats with omega 3s and 6s can really help your milk supply.
In fact, the World Health Organization actually recommends that breastfeeding women consume an average of 300 mg per day or more of DHA.
Healthy fats is very beneficial for your baby’s brain development, both during pregnancy and after they born.
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What Kinds Of Healthy Fats Should You Add Into Your Lactation Smoothie?
- Nuts such as walnuts, almonds and macadamia nuts
- Seeds such as pumpkin, sunflower and chia seas
- Avocado
- Coconut products – coconut cream, coconut oil and fresh coconut
- Nut Butters such as almond butter
2. Fruit
Fruit is a key ingredient to making your smoothie taste good.
The only issue is that many fruits are really high in sugar and can cause you to crash later in the day.
The best low sugar fruits to put in your smoothie are:
- Apples
- Berries including blueberries, strawberries, raspberries and blackberries
3. Greens
Your lactation smoothie is the perfect opportunity to sneak some greens into your diet.
Even if you are eating a huge salad everyday, it can be hard to get enough greens.
What kinds of greens should you be eating?
Dark leafy greens such as spinach, kale, arugula, and broccoli are high in folate and iron which are essential for a healthy baby and mama.
It can be a bit weird to add a bunch of leaves to your smoothie so you can steam them to make them easier to digest.
Greens To Include in Your Lactation Smoothies:
- Spinach
- Kale
- Broccoli
- Arugula (also know as Rocket)
- Cabbage
- Swiss Chard
- Okra
4. Liquid
You will need some kind of liquid in your smoothie to make sure that everything blends together easily.
Many people automatically choose juice or milk but there are actually a ton of healthier options you can try.
- Water
- Coconut milk
- Oat milk
- Cashew milk
- Almond milk
- Greek yoghurt
- Unsweetened cold tea
5. Breastfeeding Superfoods
Wondering what foods produce the most breastmilk?
Here are the top foods for breastfeeding smoothies to increase milk supply.
They are proven to help increase your milk production naturally and should be a must-have in your lactation smoothies.
Include one or all of these ingredients in your lactation smoothies for the ultimate breastmilk boosting powers.
Oats
Oats whether in the form of traditional oatmeal or blended into a lactogenic smoothie are one of the top milk-boosting foods.
Oatmeal is packed with iron in it which helps promote milk supply.
You can add oats to your lactation smoothies by using oat milk instead of dairy (also great if your baby is sensitive).
You can also add a handful of oats to your blender.
Another delicious way to incorporate oats to your postpartum diet is to make some tasty lactation cookies with oatmeal.
Brewer’s Yeast
Here is one of the most common ingredients for boosting your milk supply when making lactation cookies.
I’ll be honest, this amazing galactagogue does not taste very good.
That’s why it is great for smoothies as you can mask the taste with other ingredients like berries.
You can find Brewer’s Yeast at health food stores and bulk food stores.
Flaxseeds
Flaxseed has phytoestrogens that can influence breast milk production.
Flaxseed also contains essential fatty acids which are great for helping boost your milk production.
You can use either flaxseed oil in your smoothies or add a teaspoon of ground flax seeds to every smoothie you make for a nice boost.
Protein powder
This is another great addition to the mix that is easy to use in your lactation smoothies.
Milk Dust Breastfeeding powder is my favorite protein powder for new moms.
It is a breastfeeding safe powder that formulated to increase healing and allows moms to recover from delivery faster.
It is often recommended for weight loss smoothies for breastfeeding moms.
If you want to shift the baby weight without risking your milk supply, it might be worth trying.
If you would like a ready-to-go option in the cupboard for those days when you don’t even have the energy to make a smoothie, try ready-made lactation smoothie mix like this chai latte flavored version.
Just add water for a quick lactation smoothie.
You can also add it to your smoothies, yogurt, cookies and more for an extra bolt of milk-boosting powers.
Sunflower Lecithin
This powerhouse is another great powder that you can add into your lactation smoothies for a quick burst of milk-boosting goodness.
You can get sunflower lecithin in both liquid and powder form.
I prefer to use a good quality organic powder in my breastfeeding smoothies.
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Below you will find 21 original recipes for lactation smoothies.
Click the link for the recipe for each of these amazing smoothies that can help to boost your milk supply.
1.Oatmeal and Banana Lactation Smoothie
Let’s start off with a complete powerhouse breastfeeding smoothie for moms.
Milk- boosting ingredients in this simple to make drink include oatmeal, flax seeds and brewer’s yeast.
Get the full recipe at What MJ Loves
2. Gluten-Free Lactation Smoothie
If you want to avoid allergens but still boost your milk supply, you’ll love this easy to make gluten-free smoothie for boosting your milk supply.
Get the full recipe at A Girl Worth Saving.
3. Peanut Butter Apple Pie Lactation Smoothie
Start your morning off with a nice fall-inspired treat with this delicious peanut butter lactation smoothie.
Get the full recipe and all the details at We’re Parents
4. Unicorn Lactation Smoothie
This fun looking smoothie is almost a milkshake! Packed with milk-boosting ingredients, it can also help you with your postpartum weight loss.
Get the full recipe at Joyful Messes
5. Green Monkey Lactation Smoothie
It can be hard to eat right when you are looking after a newborn so this Green Monkey smoothie is a nice way to get your nutrients first thing in the morning.
Including greens in your breastfeeding smoothie is a great way to start your day off right.
Get the full recipe at Bloom and Nourish
6. Coconut, Banana and Oat Lactation Smoothie
This great tasting smoothie contains 3 top milk boosting ingredients – oats, brewer’s yeast and flaxseed.
Get the full recipe and all the details at The Healthy Mummy
7. Green Lactation Smoothie
Here’s another delicious green breastfeeding smoothie for moms who want to get their greens and galactagogues at the same time.
Fresh coconut meat is the secret ingredient that makes this smoothie tasty and packed with healthy fats.
Get the full recipe at Detoxinista
8. Strawberry Banana Lactation Smoothie
This tasty and easy to make breastfeeding smoothie has three milk-boosting superfoods – oats, brewer’s yeast, and flaxseed plus it tastes amazing.
Get the full recipe and all the details at Exclusive Pumping
9. Papaya Lactation Smoothie
I love this smoothie because it has exotic fruits such as papaya which is an amazing lactogenic.
In fact green papaya has been used in Asia for centuries for its milk boosting properties.
Get the full recipe and all the details at Jillian Harris
10. Carrot Cake Breastfeeding Smoothie
My favorite kind of cake is carrot cake so when I found this recipe for a carrot cake inspired breastfeeding smoothie, I got so excited!
The reviews are amazing and it tastes just sweet enough.
Add some walnuts on the side like I did for some healthy fats too.
Get the full recipe and all the details at Abbey’s Kitchen
11. Chocolate and Banana Lactation Smoothie
If you are a fan of chocolate, then you will love this creamy smoothie that contains flax and oats for some easy milk boosting.
Get the full recipe at Stay at Home Mum
12. Strawberry Lactation Smoothie
If you love strawberries, you will love this easy lactation smoothie that you can make in minutes.
Get the full recipe and all the details at The Mommy My Way
13. Pumpkin Spice Milk Boosting Smoothie
If you want some fall inspired recipes, the site with this pumpkin spice lactation smoothie has lots of fantastic ideas.
Get the full recipe and all the details at Mama Thrive Wellness Co
14. Chocolate Lactation Smoothie
I added cashews to the top of this smoothie for some healthy fats (plus I love cashews).
Brewer’s yeast, flax and oats are what makes this smoothie pack a milk-boosting punch.
Get the full recipe at Harry Hoot
15. Superfood Lactation Smoothie
This recipe is vegan, gluten free, dairy free and packed with superfoods like spinach and Kiwi.
Get all the details and recipe at My Pure Plants
16. Blueberry Lactation Smoothie
Blueberries are great in smoothies because you can use frozen ones if they are out of season.
Get the full recipe and all the details at Love Our Littles
17. Very Berry Lactation Smoothie Recipe
The lactation smoothie recipe is packed with milk-supply boosting ingredients such as Brewer’s yeast, oats and flaxseed.
Get the full recipe at Fresh Milk Mama
18. Minty Green Lactation Smoothie
Avocados and cashews add a bunch of healthy fats and omegas to this tasty breastfeeding smoothie.
Get the full recipe and all the details at Joyful Messes
19. Gluten Free Lactation Smoothie
This smoothie contains fenugreek seeds which are a known milk boosting supplement.
Get the full recipe and all the details at Laptops and Naptimes
20. Banana Chai Lactation Smoothie
This comforting smoothie contains fenugreek tincture to help boost your milk supply.
Get the full recipe at Oat Mama
21. Mango Lactation Smoothie
If you love the taste of mangos, you will love this tropical breastfeeding smoothie.
Get the full recipe at Vigor It Out
Breastfeeding Smoothies For Moms – FAQS
How often should you drink a lactation smoothie?
You can drink the lactation smoothie of your choice 1-2 times a day for maximum benefit.
It’s often recommended to start off once a day and then increase to twice a day if needed as brewer’s yeast can sometimes be hard on the stomach at first.
How Do Lactation Smoothies Work?
Smoothies that contain galactagogues can promote or increase the flow of a mother’s milk.
They can be useful to boost your milk supply if it is low or if you are exclusive pumping and trying to build up a freezer stash.
Science is kind of mixed on how much galactagogues really work if your milk supply is drying up completely.
If you believe this is happening to you, best to see your doctor or a lactation consultant ASAP for advice on how to get your supply back.
How long does it take for lactation smoothies to work?
You should see an increase in milk supply after 2-3 days of consistently drinking lactation smoothies that include breastfeeding superfoods such as brewer’s yeast and oats.
If you don’t see any improvement in your supply after a week, it might be worth speaking to your doctor or naturopath to see if it is worth incorporating some breastfeeding supplements into your diet.
Personally I took fenugreek and Brewer’s yeast in tablet form to help my milk supply as I was exclusively pumping and found it really hard to make enough milk.
Read my list of the top 10 Supplements To Increase Milk Supply for more information and tips.
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