Smoothies for Pregnancy - Save these recipes!
Raise your glass to a drink that: 1) nourishes mom, 2) helps baby’s development, and 3) helps with uncomfortable pregnancy symptoms. This blog compiles a handful of smoothies for pregnancy with both you and your baby's needs in mind.
Surely you’ve had a smoothie and already understand why they’re awesome.
So, we’ll cut right to the chase: smoothies are arguably extra awesome for pregnant women because they are a helpful way to overcome prenatal gastrointestinal symptoms and meet the nutrition needs that come with growing a healthy new human.
We’ll break it down by trimester (starting with preconception), highlighting what each of these smoothie recipes offers. The only tools you need are a blender and tall glass for your finished product.
Postpartum moms - these are for you, too, because with parenting, anything you can eat or drink one-handed is a win, right? Smoothie recipes are also great for kids (and may be a way for your picky eater to get in a few extra veggies).
Not pregnant yet, but trying: Super-Folate Green Smoothie
Blend together:
1 1/2 cups pineapple (diced)
1 cucumber (diced)
1 cup parsley
4 cups baby spinach
1 tbsp ginger (peeled)
1 lemon (juiced)
10 ice cubes
Why this is your jam:
Folate is perhaps the most “famous” vitamin during pregnancy because it helps prevent birth defects in the baby’s brain and spine (1). This development happens very early on in the pregnancy - so ideally, you’re getting plenty of folate or folic acid (400 mcg per day) before you even conceive.
Thanks to spinach, avocado, parsley, this smoothie has exactly 401 mcg of folate - which meets your full folate needs for an entire day, all in one glass.
Folate continues to be important throughout the first trimester! If you can stomach green smoothies during that phase, this smoothie is a rockstar. This smoothie also has ginger, which may ease said stomach troubles - but more about that in our next smoothie!
First trimester: Stomach Soother Smoothie to ease morning sickness
Blend together:
1 banana (frozen, cut into chunks)
1/8 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp ginger (peeled)
1 1/2 tsp ground Flax Seed
1/3 cup milk of choice*
1 orange (peeled and sectioned)
1 1/2 tsp maple syrup
Why this is your jam:
For many mamas, the first trimester means nausea, vomiting, and a significant change in appetite or food preferences. Smoothies in general can be a great thing to sip on at this point because cold foods tend to be easier to tolerate when you are nauseous.
This particular Stomach Soother Smoothie contains ginger, which is clinically proven to help reduce nausea and vomiting (2, 3, 4). One study of 500 moms found that taking 1 gram of ginger for 4 days reduced nausea/vomiting in early pregnancy by 5-fold (2). This recipe contains about 1 ½ g of ginger per serving!
This recipe is based on bananas, which have been prescribed as part of the “BRAT” (bananas, rice, apples, toast) diet for decades to help ease GI upset. While it’s questionable how well the BRAT diet works, bananas are an easy-to-digest food for most people.
If you’ve got an aversion to oranges or orange juice, feel free to sub that ingredient for another fruit: peaches, strawberries, or mango all work great.
Second trimester: Strawberry Protein Smoothie to fuel your baby’s growth
Blend together:
1 1/2 cups strawberries (frozen)
1 banana (small, frozen)
1/4 cup vanilla protein powder - no protein powder? sub greek yogurt
1 1/2 tbsps almond butter - or sub peanut butter
1 tbsp ground flax seed
1 1/4 cups milk of choice*
Why this is your jam:
When the second trimester arrives, people tend to feel better! Less nausea, more energy, and a bigger appetite are common. Your baby has developed most of her organ systems by this point, so now it’s time to really GROW (5). As Baby gets longer and heavier, Mom’s protein needs go up to help the baby grow muscles. Calcium, vitamin D, and magnesium all help build new bones (6).
The Strawberry Protein Smoothie has 30 grams of protein (that’s more protein than 3 oz of beef!). It’s also an excellent source of calcium, vitamin D, and magnesium. Plus, the ground flax seeds offer an extra boost of omega-3 fatty acids to promote baby's brain development.
Third trimester: Chocolatey Cacao for helping you stay satisfied
Blend together
1 cup water
3 leaves romaine (roughly chopped)
½ zucchini (chopped, frozen)
½ avocado (frozen)
½ banana (frozen)
1/4 cup chocolate protein powder - no protein powder? sub greek yogurt or chia seeds
1 tbsp cacao or cocoa powder
1 tbsp peanut butter
Why this is your jam:
Now that the baby is really getting big, it can be hard for mom to eat a lot at once because her stomach doesn’t have the real estate to expand. Mom’s protein and calorie intake are still higher as the baby continues to gain in size and weight (7).
This Chocolately Cacao smoothie is nutrient and energy dense - perfect for pregnancy. It packs protein (30 g), fats, and all kinds of vitamins and minerals without taking up too much space in your stomach. Bonus: it efficiently sneaks in some veggies.
Throughout all of pregnancy: Pear Blackberry Smoothie to “keep things moving”
Blend together:
1 pear (fresh for a juicier smoothie; frozen for a creamier one)
1 cup blackberries
1 tbsp ground flax seed
1 tbsp chia seeds
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 cup baby spinach
1 cup water
6 ice cubes
Why this is your jam:
Feeling a bit backed up? The pregnancy hormone progesterone slows down how quickly food moves through your intestines. Prenatal vitamins and iron supplements can contribute to constipation, as well.
Constipation can start in the first trimester but tends to worsen as your pregnancy continues since your growing uterus can push against your colon, making it harder to have a bowel movement (8).
To the rescue: the Pear Blackberry smoothie. Pears have a laxative effect thanks to the certain types of carbohydrates they contain (9). Chia seeds and flax seeds can also help you go because they can both bulk up and soften your stool (9). Water is yet another helpful tool for combatting constipation, and this smoothie adds 8 oz.
*A Note on Choosing a Milk in Smoothies for Pregnancy:
In any of these pregnancy smoothie recipes, use whichever milk you love most: almond milk, cashew milk, soy milk, oat milk, coconut milk, cow’s milk, you name it.
If you’re choosing a non-dairy milk, use a fortified version - the added calcium, vitamin D, and vitamin A are important during pregnancy, especially if you don’t eat much dairy in general.
To know if a non-dairy milk is fortified, just check the nutrition panel for % daily values: look for at least 25% Vitamin D and calcium, and at least 15% vitamin A
