drink wholesome can help breastfeeding women.

Adding a protein or meal replacement shake to your diet can help you and your baby stay strong and healthy while breastfeeding. Keep reading to learn why.

★★★★★

easy to digest

“This is my second breastfeeding journey using drink wholesome. It’s so easy for me to make a quick smoothie and it tastes delicious! I also love know exactly what I’m putting into my body.” – Katelyn

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Why protein? 

First of all, research shows that the mother’s diet can impact breast milk macronutrient composition. In other words, what the mother eats while breastfeeding can make a difference in terms of the nutritional content of the breast milk. Maternal diets high in protein, for example, have been associated with higher protein and energy contents in breast milk. This means that the infant is getting more protein and more calories, both of which are essential for healthy growth and development.

Moreover, breastfeeding mothers need more calories and protein than most women. It is recommended that breastfeeding mothers eat an extra 500-670 calories and 15-20 grams of protein per day. Although most mothers should be able to get all the calories and protein they need from a balanced diet, some mothers may need a little help. This is where protein supplements and high protein meal replacements come in. Adding a high protein shake to your diet is an easy way to boost your calorie and protein intake because:

• It is easier to drink your food than it is to chew it.

• It is easier to make a shake than it is to cook a meal.

• It is easier to digest a shake than it is to digest most solid food.

Many breastfeeding women are also looking to lose some of the weight they gained during pregnancy. Replacing a meal or part of a meal with a protein shake or high protein meal replacement shake can help with weight loss too. Protein keeps you feeling full for longer than nutrients like fats and carbohydrates, so increasing the percentage of your calories that come from high protein foods will prevent cravings, snacking, and overeating.

All that said, not all protein supplements and meal replacements are created equal, and many are NOT safe for breastfeeding. This is largely because protein supplements and meal replacements often contain heavily-processed ingredients that can alter the composition of your gut microbiome – the community of microorganisms living in your gut.

An imbalanced gut microbiome while breastfeeding has been linked to poor outcomes for both mothers and infants. For this reason, breastfeeding women need to be careful about what they eat. Here are some of the top ingredients to avoid: 

acacia gum, acesulfame potassium, artificial flavors, aspartame, carrageenan, cellulose gum, dextrin, dextrose, erythritol, gellan gum, guar gum, gum arabic, inulin, locust bean gum, “natural” flavors, maltodextrin, rice syrup solids, soy lecithin, silica, sucralose, sunflower lecithin, xanthan gum, xylitol

Avoiding added ingredients like these is a great place to start, but if you really want to be safe, you should also avoid protein concentrates or isolates. Most protein supplements and meal replacements are made with one or both of these protein sources, which are heavily-processed ingredients stripped of everything but the protein. Basically, they look  nothing like real foods, which is not good for your gut health.  

Why drink wholesome?

Our protein powders and meal replacement powders are made with a short list of simple ingredients. They are perfect for breastfeeding women looking to boost their protein intake without the extra processing and added junk. Order samples to see if they are right for you.