Chocolate Lactation Smoothie

Mamas, you will love this chocolate banana lactation smoothie! It tastes amazing and has oats, flaxseed and brewer’s yeast to help boost your milk supply.

As a breastfeeding mama I’m always looking for ways to increase (or maintain) my milk supply. I’ve developed recipes for lactation cookies and lactation bites, which I love. They’re both super tasty and I definitely notice a difference in my supply when I eat them regularly, but there are plenty of days where I’ve run out of the cookies/bites and I need something fast… that’s where this lactation smoothie comes in.

Of course, you can literally make any smoothie a lactation smoothie just by adding ingredients to boost your milk supply, but haphazardly adding ingredients to a smoothie can often times result in a concoction that doesn’t taste so good. Especially when you’re working with a bitter ingredient like brewer’s yeast. Been there, done that!

This smoothie on the other hand, has three ingredients for boosting your milk supply (oats, brewer’s yeast and flaxseed) and it still tastes delicious. It’s so good, I would happily drink it daily. The combo of banana, chocolate and peanut butter totally masks the bitter taste of the brewer’s yeast and the frozen fruit combined with the oats and flaxseed give the smoothie a thick and creamy texture.

Sweetened With Medjool Dates

I purposely chose to sweeten this smoothie with medjool dates because I figured many mamas will have a few leftover from endlessly eating dates to help prep for labor. If you don’t have any dates on hand, you can use another natural sweetener like maple syrup or honey. I’d start with 1 teaspoon, taste the smoothie and add more if needed.

Foods That Help Increase Milk Supply

Since breastfeeding Olivia, I’ve done a bit of research about which foods are best to keep your milk supply up and help with milk production. Here’s a little list of the foods I found:

• Oats – One of the reasons for decreased milk supply is low iron levels. Oats are high in iron so some studies have shown that oats help with milk production. Adding a small amount of oats to a smoothie is great but I love having some sort of oat-based breakfast almost daily. I’m a big fan of overnight oats (these chocolate chip overnight oats are my go-to right now) and baked oatmeal (I love my strawberry banana baked oatmeal). I gravitate towards these options because I can prep them in advance.
• Barley – Whole barely is the richest dietary source of beta-glucan, a polysaccharide that has been shown to increase prolactin (aka the breastfeeding hormone). This barley salad is so delicious!
• Brewer’s yeast – It is packed with vitamin B, iron, zinc, magnesium and potassium. It has a lot of benefits, but you should check with your doctor before adding brewer’s yeast to your diet. It can interact with a variety of medications and can cause some unwanted side effects. You can learn more about brewer’s yeast in my lactation bites post.
• Flaxseed – Flaxseed is high in omega-3 fatty acids (which are great for baby) and it also contains phytoestrogens that can influence breast milk production.
• Fennel – Like flaxseed, fennel and its seeds contain phytoestrogens, which are known to help with milk production. If you’re looking for ways to include whole fennel in your diet, I love these recipes: crackling cauliflower, fennel salad and orange tofu with fennel.
• Fenugreek seeds – Both fenugreek seeds and fennel can be found in Mother’s Milk tea.

What is Brewer’s Yeast?

Of all the ingredients known to help boost a woman’s milk supply, the most interesting to me is brewer’s yeast. I had to do a little research to figure out exactly what it is, but brewer’s yeast is a fungus and gets its name because it is used in the production of beer and bread.

It is packed with vitamins and minerals – most notably, vitamin B, iron, zinc, magnesium and potassium. It’s also a good source of protein. One 1/4 cup serving offers 8 grams of protein. Because of this, brewer’s yeast has been touted as a plant-based superfood. While it has a lot of really great benefits, it’s important to note that you should talk to your doctor before adding brewer’s yeast to your diet as it can interact with a variety of medications.

I’ve been making this smoothie for breakfast or lunch. It’s filling enough to have on its own as a meal, but sometimes I’ll pair it with a little something extra like a hard boiled egg. I love the flavor and it’s been helpful for my milk supply as well. I hope you like it as much as I do.

Looking to Increase Your Milk Supply? Here Are More Lactation Recipes to Try:

• Lactation Cookies
• Lactation Bites
• Easy Overnight Oats
• Baked Oatmeal Cups
• Savory Oatmeal

If you make this lactation smoothie, be sure to leave a comment and star rating below letting us know how you like it. Your feedback is so helpful for the EBF team and our readers!

Chocolate Lactation Smoothie

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★★★★★

4.9 from 7 reviews

• Author: Brittany Mullins
• Prep Time: 5 minutes
• Total Time: 5 minutes
• Yield: 1
• Diet: Vegetarian

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Description

This chocolate banana lactation smoothie tastes amazing and has oats, flaxseed and brewer’s yeast to help boost your milk supply.

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Ingredients

• 1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk
• 1 frozen banana, chopped into chunks
• 1–2 medjool dates
• 1 Tablespoon brewer’s yeast
• 1 Tablespoon ground flaxseed
• 1 Tablespoon rolled oats
• 1/2 Tablespoon peanut butter
• 2 teaspoons cocoa powder
• pinch of ground cinnamon
• 1/4 cup frozen cauliflower rice (optional)

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Instructions

1. Add all of the ingredients to the blender in the order they’re listed. Start with 1 medjool date. You can add the the second if the smoothie isn’t sweet enough.
2. Cover and blend on high until smooth. Pour into a glass and enjoy.
3. I topped the smoothie with an extra drizzle of peanut butter, banana slices and cacao nibs, but toppings are optional and I only recommend adding them if you plan to eat the smoothie with a spoon.

Equipment

stainless steel straws

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vitamix blender

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Notes

• If you don’t have dates you can use maple syrup or honey as a sweetener. Start with 1-2 teaspoons and add more if needed.
• The frozen cauliflower rice is optional, but I like adding it to my smoothies to make them a bit thicker and to get some veggies in.

• Category: Smoothie
• Method: Blend
• Cuisine: American

Nutrition

• Serving Size: 1 smoothie
• Calories: 392
• Sugar: 35g
• Sodium: 325mg
• Fat: 11g
• Saturated Fat: 1g
• Unsaturated Fat: 3g
• Trans Fat: 0g
• Carbohydrates: 68g
• Fiber: 12g
• Protein: 14g
• Cholesterol: 0mg

Keywords: lactation smoothie

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