Katie here, the founder and creator of Milk Dust. I am also a mama of 4, Pre/Post Natal Fitness Specialist and Precision Nutrition Certified coach. I won't go into the many details on why I created Milk Dust, but I will let you know you can watch my video and learn more here.
I want to talk about foods that will help you burn belly fat while breastfeeding. Most newly postpartum mamas (and many mamas in general!), struggle with some extra belly fat that tends to linger after pregnancy. Its okay, it is normal! But, there are also some healthy ways we can burn that belly fat through proper nutrition. Proper nutrition while breastfeeding is key to maintain your milk supply and lose weight. There are a lot of resources here on the Milk Dust website to help guide you on your diet while breastfeeding, and I will refer you to some posts if you want to read those next.
Why do we have belly fat after pregnancy?
Belly fat seems to show up after pregnancy mainly because of the extra weight gained during pregnancy. The extra belly fat is harder to notice because of our growing bellies with baby. After birth, and weeks later, the belly fat is often a surprise that we didn't know was there. Belly fat is really no different than any fat anywhere else, it is just often surprising and more noticeable. Our bodies go through so many changes during preganncy and after. I never feel like my body is close to normal until about 9 months or so. There are a lot of benefits to reducing the belly fat on your abs.
- Reducing belly fat puts less pressure on your abdominal muscles, making it easier for them to heal after birth
- Reducing belly fat is better for your health overall
- Reducing belly fat can help balance hormones and blood sugar (think better lactation and more energy!)
Now that we generally understand why we have belly fat after pregnancy, let's get into some foods we can eat to help burn it off!
Are there foods that help burn belly fat?
Short answer is yes! Many moms may think that less eating will help burn the belly fat, but when breastfeeding, that's not what we want to focus on at all. While breastfeeding, we want to be strategic with our food choices, so we can keep up our supply and burn fat. There are a lot of foods that can be considered "fat burning." These are the foods that I believe are best for breastfeeding and burning fat at the same time!
5 Foods that burn belly fat while breastfeeding:
Lean Protein:
Lean protein is essential for burning fat. Protein helps maintain muscle mass while also requiring more energy to break down. This means your body will have to work a little harder to break down the protein. The benefit here is that your metabolism speeds up a bit. Many breastfeeding mamas don't like to eat protein as much as carbohydrates. Turkey, eggs or lean chicken does not always sound good, or is easy to prepare. That's why I created
Milk Dust. It is such a quick and efficient way to get in your protein, while also adding in other milk-boosting ingredietns. Milk Dust is unique to in that it offers plant-based protein, so it is a great source if you are vegan, or have other allergies. I love it too because it is friendly on tummies for babies! It also is the perfect dessert, so you can burn belly fat while you feel like you are eating dessert - win!
Spinach:
Think of spinach as a negative calorie food - basically. Spinach is pure nutrients. You can add it to your Milk Dust smoothies, eat it as a salad and cook it for a side. I personally LOVE a spinach smoothie as a complete, belly-fat burning meal that tastes amazing. I am not a fan of raw spinach in a salad, but I do like it cooked. I often satuee it as a side with some ground turkey and mashed cauliflower. Because spinach is purely nutrients and fiber, there isn't really a calorie count to it. This means you are giving your body something that actually can help it burn more calories! Spinach also has many nutrients that are awesome for breastfeeding. Vitamin C for healing, vitamin K and some iron and B vitamins too! (
Milk Dust also has spinach in it if you don't like to eat it!!).
Apples:
I LOVE apples for helping to burn fat while breastfeeding. Apples are easy to grab and offer a lot of fiber (soluble and insoluble) along with vitamin C and healthy glucose. There is actually a complete book written on the power of apples and diets, which is where I gathered a lot of my information. In that book you can find all the amazing nutrients and studies on apples. I've found a great, super filling snack is an apple and
Milk Dust bar. I get the protein and lactation-boosting nutrients from the bar, as well as the filling and fat-burning affects of the apple too. I am so satisfied too!
Quinoa:
Quinoa is a special, fat-burning food for breastfeeding mamas in particular. Quinoa offers some milk-boosting nutrients like magnesium and protien (quinoa is also in
Milk Dust!). Quinoa is also very satisfying, easy to cook, and usually a great replacement for rice. If you love carbs, and want to switch to one that actually helps to burn belly fat, than this is an awesome option. Because Quinoa is higher in protein and a seed, rather than a rice or carbohydrate, your blood sugar will remain more stable! Blood sugar and carbohydrates do have an affect on belly fat, so this is a great food to choose to help with the fat burn!
Berries:
I am a huge fan of all berries for burning belly fat while breastfeeding. Berries are high in antioxidants, fiber, vitamin C and other nutrients that can help boost milk supply. They are also low in calories, yet offer amazing flavor. Berries help curb those sugar cravings, and they can be eaten as dessert or blended in a smoothie. Berries are particularly great for giving you a sweet fix, while not spiking your blood sugar (yes,
Milk Dust has raspberries and blueberries too!).
Focusing on these 5 foods for burning belly fat can really help you make progress on your goals. And, these foods won't impact your milk supply at all! The great thing is you can eat and still burn belly fat.
How does burning belly fat affect milk supply?
Like I mentioned, if you eat the right foods, your milk supply will not be affected when burning fat while breastfeeding. If you do start exercising a lot and eating less, your milk supply can transition. If you reduce calories without keeping up on nutrients, then sometimes milk supply can be affected.
That's where Milk Dust is an amazing supplement to help keep your supply up as you transition and change your diet. Milk Dust offers a unique lactation blend of herbs that will support your supply, no matter what diet you follow! That's why I created Milk Dust. I wanted moms to have a supply booster they can count on while they work on eating healthy and losing weight.
Can you tell I really want you to try it? We have an awesome
sample pack bundle now where you save $5 by getting a sample of our Sweet Vanilla and Fudge Brownie!
