How to Find the Best Protein Powder for Nursing Moms

📌 Overview and Key Takeaways

This is a Dietitian’s guide on how to find the best protein powder for nursing moms.

Discover how to safely supplement your protein intake while nursing.

Last Updated
Jan 24, 2026

Author and Medical Reviewer

Written by Jack, Founder

Jack is the Founder of Drink Wholesome.

Medically reviewed by Brittany, MS, RD and Jenn, PA-C

Kayla is a Registered Dietitian with a MS in Nutrition.

Jennifer is a Physician Assistant with a BA in Nutritional Sciences.

Protein Powder for Nursing Mothers

Should I Consume Protein Powder While Nursing?

Nursing moms need extra calories and nutrients to support postpartum recovery and milk production.

According to the American Pregnancy Association, most women should consume 70+ grams of protein per day while nursing.

This is about 30% more protein than what most women need!

Experts also suggest that breastfeeding women consume an additional 500-670 calories per day to keep up with the metabolic demands of breast milk production (Annu Rev Nutr, 1997).

Your individual caloric needs may vary based on your baby’s age and how often your nurse, but it is safe to say that eating a few extra calories cannot hurt.

It is worth adding that what you eat can impact the nutritional quality of your breast milk (Am J Clin Nutr, 2016).

In other words, your diet can affect the amount of proteins, carbohydrates, and fats in your breast milk.

Maternal diets high in protein, for example, have been associated with higher protein and energy contents in breast milk (Int Breastfeed J, 2020).

This means that the infant is getting more protein and more calories, both of which are essential for healthy growth and development.

Meeting these elevated protein needs while nursing can be hard.

And if you are unable to easily consume enough protein due to dietary or lifestyle restrictions, then adding a protein powder to your diet could be a great idea.

That said, protein powder should only be used to fill in gaps in your diet; it should not replace other forms of dietary protein like dairy, eggs, fish, legumes, meat, nuts, and seeds.

If this gives you pause, then consider whether or not you are:

• Simply not eating enough
• Not eating consistent meals
• Struggling with postpartum recovery
• Re-introducing physical activity and/or strength training
• Trying to increase your breast milk supply

If you identify with any of these, then you could probably benefit from supplementing with protein powder.

That said, not all protein powders are created equal.

What Is the Best Protein Powder for Nursing Mothers?

Many protein powders contain ingredients known to cause painful side effects and even long term gut health problems for both mothers and infants.

Among these ingredients are food additives, dairy-based proteins, protein concentrates and isolates.

🚫 Avoid Food Additives

Regularly eating emulsifiers, thickeners, and other additives can not only upset your stomach, but also alter the composition of your gut microbiome (North Clin Istanb, 2019).

This can lead to gut dysbiosis, or an imbalance in gut bacteria, which is associated with poor infant gut health (Microorganisms, 2022; Can J Infect Dis Med Microbiol, 2021).

Poor infant gut health, in turn, increases the risk of metabolic disorders such as obesity and diabetes (Diabetologia, 2016).

⚠️ Here is a list of the most common food additives in protein supplements:

• acacia fiber
• acacia gum
• acesulfame potassium
• artificial flavors
• ascorbic acid
• aspartame
• calcium carbonate
• carrageenan
• cellulose gum
• dextrin
• dicalcium phosphate
• dipotassium phosphate
• erythritol
• gellan gum
• guar gum
• gum arabic
• inulin
• locust bean gum
• maltitol
• maltodextrin
• mono- and diglycerides
• ‘natural’ flavors
• rice bran extract
• rice dextrin
• rice hulls
• rosemary extract
• silica
• silicon dioxide
• sodium alginate
• soluble corn fiber
• sorbitol
• soy lecithin
• sucralose
• sunflower lecithin
• tocopherols
• tricalcium phosphate
• xanthan gum
• xylitol
• zinc oxide

As a rule of thumb, if you cannot find it in nature or make it at home, it is probably a food additive.

🚫 Avoid Dairy-Based Proteins

Dairy-based proteins like whey and casein, although not an issue for everyone, can cause digestive issues too.

This is usually because they contain lactose, a sugar many individuals with sensitive stomachs cannot fully digest.

But you might be sensitive to dairy-based proteins even if you are not lactose intolerant.

This is particularly true for casein protein, which forms a gel-like substance in your stomach that slows down digestion.

🚫 Avoid Protein Concentrates and Isolates

You might also want to avoid ultra-processed protein concentrates and isolates.

Most protein supplements are made from one or both of these ultra-processed protein sources, which have been mechanically and/or chemically stripped of everything but the protein.

This includes the enzymes, fiber, and other natural digestive aids that help your gut break them down.

You therefore do not digest them in the same way that you do whole foods, which could affect your gut health.

Studies show that regularly eating protein concentrates and isolates might disrupt your gut microbiome and cause the formation of toxic byproducts in your gut (Nutrients, 2018; Mol Nutr Food Res, 2024).

You should thus look for protein supplements made from whole food protein sources like egg whites and almonds, which are easier to digest and absorb.

Order Samples to see for yourself.

Sources

1. Annual Review of Nutrition (Annu Rev Nutr). Energy and protein requirements during lactation.1997.
2. The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition (Am J Clin Nutr). Impact of maternal nutrition on breast-milk composition: a systematic review. 2016.
3. International Breastfeeding Journal (Int Breastfeed J). Dietary patterns and their association with breast milk macronutrient composition among lactating women. 2020.
4. Northern Clinics of Istanbul (North Clin Istanb). Food additives and microbiota. 2019.
5. Microorganisms (Microorganisms). Gut Microbiota Dysbiosis: Triggers, Consequences, Diagnostic and Therapeutic Options. 2022.
6. The Canadian Journal of Infectious Diseases & Medical Microbiology = Journal Canadien des Maladies Infectieuses et de la Microbiologie Médicale (Can J Infect Dis Med Microbiol). The Intestinal Dysbiosis of Mothers with Gestational Diabetes Mellitus (GDM) and Its Impact on the Gut Microbiota of Their Newborns. 2021.
7. Diabetologia (Diabetologia). Microbial transmission from mothers with obesity or diabetes to infants: an innovative opportunity to interrupt a vicious cycle. 2016.
8. Nutrients (Nutrients). Effect of a Protein Supplement on the Gut Microbiota of Endurance Athletes: A Randomized, Controlled, Double-Blind Pilot Study. 2018.
9. Molecular Nutrition & Food Research (Mol Nutr Food Res). In Vitro Fermentation of Animal and Plant Protein Isolates by the Human Gut Microbiota Under High and Low Carbohydrate Conditions. 2024.

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This article was written by a Registered Dietitian and reviewed by a Physician Assistant. We rely on peer-reviewed research and trusted medical sources, and regularly update our content to ensure accuracy and clarity.