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Protein packed smoothies are a great way for moms to fill us with good calories, a good way to lose baby weight and help boost milk supply. Protein powder is safe for breastfeeding and can serve several purposes at once for both baby and mom. Protein shakes are such a great way to take in a lot of nutrients, which if you are breastfeeding, you need!
Protein is so important for lactation and getting enough of it can be difficult for busy moms. Let’s talk about why protein powders are super helpful to breastfeeding moms.
Are protein powders safe for breastfeeding mothers? Yes, here’s why:
- Protein powders offer high concentrates of essential vitamins and minerals that are normally difficult to consume
- Protein powders are filling and versatile for use in various shakes and recipes
- Protein powders are derived from organic and clean ingredients, not chemicals.
- Protein powders can be sweetened with natural sweeteners like Stevia, Monk Fruit, Vanilla, Cane Juice or honey as ways to make it taste good with out chemicals.
- Protein powders are tested prior to hitting the market for any heavy metals or other toxins (some are not, but most are now, like Milkdust!)
- Many protein powders are vegan, plant-based and free of allergens like corn, soy and dairy
- Many protein powders are non-GMO, so they don’t have the chemical flavoring that a lot of processed foods in our daily diet have.
Protein is essential for breastfeeding mothers + baby
Protein offers essential amino acids to the body, which goes into muscle development, cell turn over, hair, skin, nails and organs. Both mama and baby need protein, and in today’s diet, it is easier to grab crackers, bread and rice rather than high-quality sources of protein. Also, many mamas just don’t have the time to prep and prepare protein for every meal, and many are sensitive to dairy.
Baby’s need protein from the consumption of the mother. Our bodies don’t create protein on their own, so we need to make sure we eat enough protein intake.
- Protein helps repair cells and baby grow
- Protein is involved with cell regeneration
- Protein helps breastfeeding mothers heal after birth
- Protein is important for skin, nails and hair
- Protein enters the breast milk for baby
Here are some tips for choosing a protein powder when you are breastfeeding:
Here are some questions to ask yourself when choosing a protein powder:
- Is the protein powder dairy or plant or meat based?
- How does your body react to various kinds of proteins?
- Is vegan important to you?
- Do you want a specific texture?
- Do you have any allergies?
Make sure to consider all of these things as I go through each protein powder, my thoughts, their taste and overall nutrient count!
Here is the list of protein powders for mamas!
Perfect Protein Powders For Breastfeeding Moms:
Milk Dust Lactation + Weight Loss Plant Based Protein Powder:
In my years of helping mamas lose weight while breastfeeding, there was a protein powder missing. One that was specifically designed for breastfeeding mamas to combat these sugar cravings and fully nourish mamas.
I am a firm believer in nutrition for milk supply, so I created Milk Dust. Milk Dust is literally your best friend for lactation and weight loss. It has a milk production boosting herb blend, plenty of protein, sugar-craving-busting herbs like Tumeric, Cinnamon Bark Root and minerals like Chromium which have all been used to balance blood sugar.
In addition to all these fabulous items. I hand-picked specific vitamins like Folate (L-Methylfolate) because folate is still important during lactation!
Almost just as important as in pregnancy. I also hand-picked vitamin B12 for energy, and super foods like Chlorella, Spirulina, Spinach, Blueberries and more. The protein powder is free of soy, gluten, dairy and corn. It is NON-GMO, Vegan and plant-based!!
I highly recommend you check it out if you are craving sugar. It is only sweetened with Stevia, Monk Fruit and Organic Cane Juice, which means there is very little sugar, but it is very sweet, so you still get to drink something like a milkshake!
There is no other clean, super nutrient-dense protein powders that are specifically made for postpartum healing, nourishment, lactation and weight loss.
Ora Organics:
Ora Organics is a hidden gem I’ve found and LOVE. This is an amazing choice for breastfeeding mamas because it is super clean, full of amazing phytonutrients, antioxidants and vitamins. You don’t want any additives, chemicals or artificial sweeteners getting passed over to baby, and there’s none of that here.
This powder is my TOP CHOICE for weight loss postpartum because it isn’t full of bulky calories, and it has the complete amino acid profile, which isn’t always found in plant-based protein powders.
This powder includes superfoods and greens, so you are getting more than protein, as well as digestive enzymes. Now, these are ESSENTIAL for health and digestion. Like super, super important because with the stress of our lives today, lack of sleep, over abundance of chemicals and processed food…our good enzymes die.
I’ve dealt with IBS, and digestive enzymes were, and still are, a big part of my healing process. What is even better, there is digestive enzymes to support digesting all these nutrients.
Digestive enzymes play a major role in my ability to eat healthy, and rather than having to purchase them separately, they are already in this powder! Take a look at their ingredients list, you will totally fall in love.
They give you a 10% off code for your first order, and if you go for the subscription option, the price drops, which makes it one of the most affordable, super clean protein powders on the market.
Majka Nourishing Lactation Protein Powder:
This is a new lactation protein powder I just discovered! I am super happy with their ingredient list, and I think this is an AWESOME product for breastfeeding mamas. First, it has a special lactation blend with fennel and fenugreek, which I have found to increase my milk supply the best! Now, you have all of that in a protein powder!
This is pretty awesome and innovative right now, and I can’t wait to taste test it! I have some coming, so I will soon be able to testify to the taste. You’ve also got probiotics, digestive enzymes, a fruit blend and a greens blend, so it really is a nutritional piece of art. I am super impressed with what they’ve put together!
I love what their site has to say: “Our exceptional blend of vitamins, minerals, protein, fiber, and lactation support are there to help fill in those nutritional gaps your body needs to heal.
Free from heavily processed whey protein, synthetics, and artificial sweeteners, our Nourishing Lactation Protein Powder is non-gmo, dairy and soy free, and alkaline. So you can feel good from the inside out.”
Be Well By Kelly Low Carb Protein Powder:
This is a new discovery for me, and a very clean protein powder option for breastfeeding mamas. Be Well By Kelly Low Carb Protein Powder is unique in the fact that it is sourced from grass-fed Swedish cows, which means you aren’t consuming a protein from grain-fed cows. Grass-fed means high quality and natural.
This protein powder is from Kelly LeVeque, a wellness expert and celebrity health coach! I have followed Kelly for a while now and love her tips and recipes, including her Fab Four smoothies. She’s a recent mother to two boys and has been through pregnancy and breastfeeding which has been fun to watch. For those with allergies, this one is dairy free!
Check out my eggnog protein shake recipe that is light, low-carb, and so yummy!!
Shakeology:
Shakeology:
I know, I’m sure you’ve heard of this one, but this is more than just a protein shake, and wonderful for breastfeeding moms. It has a boat load of amazing ingredients that are milk-boosting and so healthy.
There is protein obviously, but then a whole list of fabulous phytonutrients, super greens, super fruits, digestive enzymes, prebiotics, probiotics and more. This is a premium nutritional shake with protein and amino acids.
It comes in whey or vegan formulas, and it is ultimately a meal-replacement. It also helps curb hunger not because of weird chemicals, but because your body is getting the nutrients it needs to function optimally.
As a breastfeeding mama, you don’t necessarily need a lot more calories, but rather nutrients to push over into baby. Such a big difference!! With the right nutrients, your body can produce a lot of milk, while still letting go of fat because it is satiated. That is the ultimate goal of food, and Shakeology makes it so easy to accomplish this!
Technically I am a coach, but that is so I get the discount. You can purchase it just like any other protein shake and add it to your postpartum fitness routine. You can also sign up to be a coach just to get discounts on the products, without having to really be a coach. If you want help doing that ,or are interested let me know, and I will guide you there!
Naturade Vegansmart:
I like this one for all the vegan mamas out there because it offers a really well-rounded blend of all sorts of nutrients. It has all-natural sweeteners, rather than the Sucralose and a pre-biotic blend including Aloe Vera.
In addition to that, you have a whole-foods compound blend added, which is stocked with broccoli, pineapple, carrot root, beat root, spinach leaf and more. The protein is based off of plant proteins like pea, rather than whey, so its a different type of protein which is perfect if you are vegan, or if you don’t do well with whey powders.
Naked Whey:
This is about a pure as it gets. This is 100 % grass-fed, whey protein powder. There are no other additives. Not a whole lot of flavor, but it does blend well and you can add sweeteners you like. 25 grams of protein at only 120 calories, you aren’t looking to add much bulk either.
There’s also the benefit of the 5.9 g of BCAAs, which are amino acids, or building blocks for muscle development. The Naked Whey is cold processed, which ensures there isn’t any contamination from chemicals, additives and heavy metals. Sometimes keeping to the basics is the best way to go, and this ensures you are getting exactly what you want, pure protein.
There you have my list of the best protein powders. It is important to think about the chemicals you put in your body when you are nursing. I’ll be honest and say that I am not perfect in what I consume, nor do I try to be.
In this world of crazy toxic everything, I just don’t have the time and energy to worry about it. What I can do is put the best foods in my body, this was particularly the case when I was breastfeeding in order to supply my baby with the best milk.
Protein powders help mamas supplement their diet and provide the best for their baby, as busy mom life gets so fast and messy. I find it hard to make something for the kids, get that cleaned up, then have the energy to make something for myself.
I still rely on a nice smoothie, I can get a lot of nutrients in, with a little bit of mess and prep. In the stage with multiple small humans, I think that’s doing pretty well!
Check Out some of these other posts:
The 5 Best Foods To Lose The Baby Weight and Pump Up Your Milk Supply
The 4 Ultimate Foods For Your Breastfeeding Diet
3 Tricks I Use To Lose The Baby Weight That Worked Three Times Now