I've breastfed all four of my babies, and I found that lactation shakes really helped me to keep my milk supply up and lose the baby weight. I can't tell you how much easier weight loss after my 4th baby was with the help of Milk Dust, vs with my previous three babies. Lactation smoothies and shakes are convenient, affordable, and ultimately easy to make one-handed! I love having a quick shake or smoothie because I can blend everything together while holding a little one! I've found that many breastfeeding mamas struggle with having the time and energy to put together healthy meals (I know I did!).
In all of my programs and diet plans, I suggest smoothies and shakes for breakfast because it is such an easy and simple way to get the nutrients in that you need, with minimal prep and clean up. I also found that getting all the nutrients in that I need right away, through a quick breastfeeding protein shake kept my milk supply soaring, while I still lost weight. While there are several factors that can influence milk production, incorporating breastfeeding shakes into your diet can be a beneficial way to naturally boost your milk supply. I'm going to go over my absolute favorite breastfeeding shakes and smoothies that boosted my supply and helped me lose weight. These are the smoothies and shakes that I drank over and over again. They helped me lose the baby weight by 6 weeks postpartum, all while keeping my supply up for my fourth baby. These shakes are packed with essential nutrients, galactagogues (substances that promote milk production), and other ingredients that support lactation. I want you to have the success that I had with weight loss and milk supply!
If you want to know more about me, my credentials, and how I started Milk Dust, read this. I also have a lot of resources, recipe books and workout plans to help you get fit again after baby.
My exact lactation smoothie and shake routine to lose weight and keep my milk supply:
Before I give you the recipes, I want to let you know exactly what I did, and how I ate with these shakes, so you can do it too! To start, I replaced my first meal with some sort of Milk Dust shake or smoothie. I didn't deviate from this at all. I just made that my morning or first meal ritual. In doing this, you are setting yourself up for success, giving your body the milk-boosting super foods it needs for the day, and getting your essential protein, vitamins and minerals in that target the nutrient gaps that cause low milk supply and stalled weight loss.
If you want to learn more about exactly how Milk Dust is formulated to help you lose weight, stop sugar cravings and increase milk supply read this post.
From there, I did my best to eat clean and nutrient dense for all other meals and snacks. I didn't count calories or macros in the beginning. When I wanted to lose an extra couple of pounds, I developed a macro plan that worked really well with Milk Dust, and you can grab that plan here.
But overall, I staed on a clean-eating plan, and I had a Milk Dust Lactation Bar every day for a snack. I either had it as a dessert of mid-day sweet fix. These are AMAZING!! I still eat them 2 years after breastfeeding.
My typical day looked like this:
Wake up: Coffee with almond milk and stevia
Late morning: Milk Dust Lactation Shake or Smoothie
Lunch: Sweet Potatoes, ground turkey with peppers and an apple (I focused on veggies, fruit and protein at every meal!)
Snack: Milk Dust Lactation Bar
Dinner: Trader Joe's Southwest Cauliflower Rice with ground turkey, tomatoes and 1/4 avocado.
In addition to this type of eating plan, (which you can grab my exact clean-eating plan or a high-protein recipe pack if you need recipes and ideas), I did abdominal work to heal my core, which I put together in a simple 8-week program for you, and added in cardio and strength training more and more. Most important is your diet, which is why I wanted to walk you through that in more detail. Second is healing your core. You will lose weight and flatten your tummy without having to workout every day, which is so hard as a new mom anyway!
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Why are breastfeeding shakes and smoothies so powerful for lactation and weight loss?
Quickly, I think it is so important to note exactly why lactation smoothies are so important and helpful to breastfeeding mamas! Seriously, you can't go wrong with a shake or a smoothie, and because you get so much nutrition for less calories, you can achieve your weight loss goals without losing your milk supply! Here are the reasons you need to add a lactation shake to your life right now:
- You get a lot of nutrients in one meal
- Easy to digest with extra blending
- You can add powerful nutrients to blend in that you wouldn't normally eat
- Delicious way to get in more protein
- Little prep and clean up
- You can drink one-handed
- So many recipe options, so you won't get bored!
If you want a challenge, check out my FREE 10-day smoothie transformation! You can transform your milk supply and lose weight in just 10 days!
Cinnamon Oatmeal and Banana Shake:
Cinnamon oatmeal and banana with Milk Dust Sweet Vanilla is so good! I loved this in the fall for some reason, and the added oatmeal really kept my supply up in the beginning!
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1/4 cup of instant oats
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1 ripe banana
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1 cup almond milk (or any milk of your choice)
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A couple pinches of cinnamon
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1 scoop Milk Dust Sweet Vanilla
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1 cup ice
Blend everything together and enjoy right away!
Lactation Powerhouse Shake:
This is the lactation shake I drank when I really needed a larger meal, rather than a quick shake, and I wanted a big boost in milk supply. It has a little bit of everything, which makes it full of so many great nutrients!
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1 cup frozen strawberries
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1 frozen banana
- 2 huge handfulls of spinach
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1 cup almond milk (or any milk of your choice)
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1 tablespoon chia seeds
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1 scoop Milk Dust Sweet Vanilla
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1 cup of ice
Blend everything together and enjoy!! This is a bigger smoothie that will help you feel more full, and give your milk supply a big boost! The chia seeds also give a nice texture and added omegas to really help get in a ton of nutrients!
Chocolate Berry Blast Lactation Shake:
I actually really like chocolate and berries combination! There is something really good when you mix the Milk Dust Fudge Brownie with frozen berries! It's like a chocolate covered berry!
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1 cup frozen mixed berries (strawberries, blueberries, raspberries)
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1 ripe banana
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1 cup almond milk (or any milk of your choice)
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1 Scoop Milk Dust Fudge Brownie
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1 cup ice
Instructions: Blend all the ingredients until smooth. Add more milk if needed to achieve the desired consistency. Enjoy!
Chocolate Peanut Butter Lactation Shake:
Okay, you can't go wrong with chocolate and peanut butter! I LOVED this shake and I used PB2 powder to lighten it up a bit, but still achieve that reeses taste!
- 1 cup unsweetened chocolate almond milk (or any milk of your choice. You may need more depending on the size of your ice cubes)
- 1 ripe banana
- 1 tablespoon peanut butter
- 2 tablespoons PB2 powder
- 1 scoop Milk Dust Fudge Brownie
- 1 tablespoon cocoa powder
- 1 cup of ice
Blend all the ingredients until smooth and creamy. Adjust the consistency with more milk if desired. Savor the chocolatey goodness! I LOVED this shake!
Green Coconut Lactation Shake:
Okay this one is SOOO simple, BUT I drank it a lot! This is a lighter shake, with less ingredients, but becasue it is mainly spinach!
- 2 cups spinach
- 1 cup coconut milk unsweetened (or any liquid of your choice)
- 1 scoop Milk Dust Sweet Vanilla
- 1 cup ice cubes
Mango Coconut Lactation Shake:
This shake is so good! It is sweet and the mango makes it super creamy!
- 1 cup frozen mangos
- 1 frozen banana
- 1 cup coconut milk unsweetened (or any milk of your choice)
- 1 scoop Milk Dust Sweet Vanilla
- 1 cup ice cubes
This tastes like such a dream! I love it, and I had it a lot in the summer!
Oatmeal Cookie Lactation Shake:
This one is really similar to the cinnamon oatmeal shake, with a little twist. That's because I loved the cinnamon oatmeal shake, but sometimes I wanted something a little different, and the added almond extract with almond butter just changes it just enough!
- ½ cup rolled oats
- 1 ripe banana
- 1 cup almond milk (or any milk of your choice)
- 1 tablespoon almond butter
- 1 scoop Milk Dust Sweet Vanilla
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
This was such a good treat in the morning! I was tempted to try and bake it as a really cookie it was soo good! If you find a light icing option, you could drizzle that on top too, and it would be soo good!
Starbucks Chocolate Frapp Copycat
I LOVED making coffee protein frapps! Seriously this was on my list at least 3 morning a week! I could blend coffee with my Milk Dust Fudge Brownie and it was so easy and delicious! I have to admit I would even make it twice in one day if I really wanted it!
- 1 cup cold brew coffee
- 1 scoop MIlk Dust Fudge Brownie
- 1/2 cup unsweetened chocolate almond milk (more or less depending on ice cube size)
- 1/2 tbsp cocoa powder
- 1 cup ice cubes
Blend everything together and you will fall in love with this one! It STILL is one of my favorites today.
If you are struggling to keep your supply up, or just wanting some great lactation smoothie recipes now you have them!
I have a lot more resources for you, including recipe books, and products that can help you achieve your goals without sacraficing your milk supply at all!
If you want more help to lose weight, I have a great Breastfeeding Weight Loss + Fitness Pack that has EVERYTHING you need to lose the baby weight safely.
I give you $100 back if you lose 10lbs, so you have nothing to lose!
