December 28, 2019
It’s a well-known fact that breastfeeding is the absolute best nourishment for a new baby.
Benefits of Breastfeeding
Breastmilk nutrition is perfectly designed for each baby. It’s full of antibodies that protect babies from viruses and bacteria with an ideal mix of vitamins, fats, protein to support their growing needs.
Breastfeeding is also super beneficial for mums too. It can help prevent many of the female hormone-related cancers. It helps reduced bleeding in the days after the baby’s birth. It also helps women return to their prepregnant weight faster!
Breastfeeding and Weight Loss
A baby requires approximately 2-3oz of milk per lb of weight. So a newborn baby of 7lbs needs about 18oz of milk. Each oz of milk provides the baby with about 20 calories. All coming from mum! This means that about 300-400 of mums calories a day are being used to feed the baby and this increases as baby’s milk needs increase.
Eating a healthy balanced diet while breastfeeding will allow for a natural weight loss without dieting.
Lactation Boosting Smoothie
This smoothie is ideal to get some milk boosting, healthy ingredients to support breastfeeding. Oats are widely reported to increase milk production (although there’s no scientific evidence to back this up). They are an excellent source of complex carbs and vitamins and minerals. Along with some fruit, protein and healthy fats, this smoothie can be the perfect breakfast on the go for busy mums.
Water is also super important for milk production. After all, all those fluid oz of milk being made is water being taken from mum too. It’s a good idea to drink a large glass of water each time baby breastfeeds.
Ingredients
Serves 1
- 150mls milk of choice (plant milk work well too)
- 40g oats
- 70g strawberries (fresh or frozen)
- 80g plain yogurt (non-dairy if preferred)
- 30g nut butter
- a dash of vanilla essence to taste
- handful of ice
Instructions
Blend until smooth and enjoy straight away!
