Everything You Need to Know About Smoothies for Pregnancy
You may be wondering are smoothies good or bad to drink during pregnancy? There are great smoothies for pregnancy that are very healthy, help to grow a more healthy baby, and even some that can help morning sickness. Conversely, there are smoothies that are loaded with sugar and other additives that would best be avoided during pregnancy. Learn everything you could ever want to know about how to make the most healthy smoothies for pregnancy.
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Smoothies for Pregnancy: What’s Good and What’s Not?
Smoothies are an ideal way to get in a huge amount of the required prenatal nutrition for optimal gene expression every day fast and easily. But by using the term smoothie I don’t want to imagine drinking those store-bought “smoothies” or even smoothies that you would get in a restaurant or smoothie shop.
Most, if not all smoothies that you can purchase premade are absolutely loaded with sugar. Store-bought smoothies contain more grams of sugar than ice cream!
Some have added sugar and some only have the sugar from the fruits in them. However, even fruit sugars spike your blood sugar and when that happens frequently enough it has been shown to have negative repercussions on the fetus.
During pregnancy you need to be aware of all the sugar you consume. That isn’t to say you should avoid fruits at all, but they do need to be eaten in moderation. You can also substitute high-sugar fruits for those with less sugar and carbohydrates, like nutrient-rich berries and ultra-satisfying avocado.
If this info is taking you by surprise at all don’t feel bad. Most prenatal nutrition info (even that you will be given from your doctor) is exceptionally out of date. Surprisingly there has been a ton of research on prenatal nutrition done over the past decade with outstanding findings that can literally help you eat for better genetic expression in your growing baby.
The only place to learn all the most up-to-date details of prenatal nutrition (without reading a bunch of scientific studies of course) is through The Perfect Pregnancy Plan. That is absolutely the most in depth and up-to-date prenatal nutrition program around.
RELATED: 6 Pregnancy Breakfast Ideas for on the Go
How To Make a Perfect Smoothie for Pregnancy
A perfect pregnancy smoothie doesn’t come in only one flavor. In fact, there are almost endless combinations of smoothie ingredients that are perfect to enhance your nutrition during your gestation.
Instead, a “perfect” pregnancy smoothie refers to certain ingredients that you add into any smoothie you make!
That is what makes smoothies such a vital aspect of your prenatal diet. You can get a lot of your nutrition every day in a very simple way. During your pregnancy you need to find as many whole food, low calorie, nutrient dense foods to include in your diet as often as possible, but you can learn all about that and the exact nutrients you need to grow the healthiest baby possible and how to source them in The Perfect Pregnancy Plan.
But what if pregnancy smoothies taste horrible to you right now?
Most women find smoothies to be a really easy way to keep down their nutrients even during morning sickness. But that doesn’t hold true for all smoothies. Some women may be sensitive to either smoothies that are:
- Too sweet
- Too creamy
- Too green
- Too thick
If you are having trouble keeping smoothies down, or the taste is absolutely horrendous to you, I would give a few different recipes a try before throwing in the towel altogether. But if they just don’t fit into your pregnancy diet, that’s ok. You can get the same nutrients elsewhere!
You can be sure to include the same suggested ingredients of the “perfect” pregnancy smoothie in other recipes! And you might still enjoy plain pregnancy-safe protein powder mixed with milk to load up on nutrition. Your baby and your own health and pregnancy weight are not doomed if smoothies aren’t for you. But I do highly suggest them.
Secret Ingredients to Make the Most Healthy Smoothies for Your Pregnancy
- First, choose your milk base
- Next, add in a scoop of your high-quality pregnancy-safe protein powder
- Add in fruits and vegetables of your choice
- Then add in these secret ingredients to make every smoothie contain the optimal amount of nutrition for your growing baby.
Add in 1 tablespoon Chia Seeds.
Chia seeds are great to add into pregnancy drinks and are also a healthy fat that you can add to your smoothies.
Chia seeds are one superfood you want to add into your diet as much as possible while pregnant. Chia seeds are loaded with healthy fats that baby needs and are rich in:
- calcium
- phosphorus
- soluble fiber
- insoluble fiber
- magnesium
- potassium
- and iron as well!
- In addition to being nutritionally dense, chia seeds are also good for digestion. Something that you really need to focus on during pregnancy and in the postpartum period also. As your hormones rage and all of your organs are squished around, many women deal with constipation during pregnancy and a daily dose of chia seeds can help. Chia seeds are unique because they contain an equal amount of soluble and insoluble fibers; making them beneficial at easing both diarrhea and constipation.
Add in 1 tablespoon of kefir.
Nothing contains more probiotics than kefir. Except for sauerkraut brine which contains equal amounts and you can actually drink as well!
Plain kefir without added sugar or flavors will add up to 150 billion CFU of probiotics to your drink every day. This will help to balance your gut biome and strengthen your immune system.
Keeping your gut healthy and your immune system strong is critical during pregnancy, which naturally weakens your immune system. Up to 80% of your immune system is in your gut, and this will help keep you healthy during your gestation.
In addition, keeping a balanced gut biome is vital for proper nutrient synthesis. This simple addition to your daily smoothies will ensure that you are properly able to break down and absorb all these nutrients you are consuming for baby.
Try adding in 1 ice cube of spinach.
Spinach is the easiest vegetable to hide the flavor of in your smoothie. It will add a green color (or sometimes brown color depending on what you are mixing it with) but is virtually tasteless when added in moderation!
You want to try to eat spinach every day during your pregnancy because it is abundant in vitamin A, folate (aka B9), vitamin C, vitamin K1, beta-carotene, and calcium.
While you can just throw a handful of fresh spinach into your smoothie as well, the calcium is quite difficult to absorb unless the spinach has been lightly steamed.
To prepare your daily smoothie, steam a bunch of spinach and pack it into ice cube trays and freeze. Store them in a large freezer bag or tupperware and each day just pop one into your smoothie!
Smoothies are more palatable when chilled and this way you are able to absorb all the nutrients this powerful plant provides! As if that wasn’t enough, spinach is also rich in prebiotic fiber. This feeds the probiotics from the kefir and truly makes the perfect pregnancy smoothie.
What if I can’t stomach spinach?
Full disclosure? EVEN knowing how good this was for my baby I just couldn’t stomach the spinach in my smoothie for most of my pregnancy.
I normally can’t taste it at all but man those pregnancy hormones! I couldn’t handle it. And I was sure to get in my spinach in other ways. So if you can’t manage this tip, that is a-ok too.
The Best Pregnnacy Smoothie Recipes
There are so many delicious pregnancy smoothies and now that you know what to include in your pregnancy smoothies to make them a perfect meal for your gestation, you can adapt pretty much any prenatal smoothie recipe to make it even more healthy!
- These are some of the best pregnancy smoothies I’ve found and the most delicious. I really loved the morning sickness smoothie!
- Here are a ton more smoothies for pregnancy that are super healthy and delicious.
Wrapping Up Smoothies for Pregnancy
I hope you loved all these tips for making the most healthy pregnancy smoothie possible. Plus I hope you find a handful of prenatal smoothies that you really love too.
I can’t wait to hear which smoothie recipe is your favorite! Let me know in the comments below.
