The Best Green Smoothies For Pregnancy And Postpartum

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We’ve been told time and again to make leafy greens a part of our diet. There’s a good reason why we’ve been told to do this — leafy greens are an excellent source of minerals and vitamins and provide a considerable amount of nutrition to our bodies. A fun, delicious way to do this is by having green smoothies. The best part about green smoothies is that you’ll be consuming these lovely greens raw, making them all the more beneficial. If you thought healthy doesn’t equate to tasty, you thought wrong! Let’s look at what these delicious, healthy green smoothies can bring to the table:

Green Smoothies For Pregnancy And Postpartum: The Benefits

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Having green smoothies for pregnancy and postpartum comes with a lot of benefits such as:

1. Great For Your Digestive Health

Leafy greens present in green smoothies are rich in insoluble fiber, which helps digestion and the easy movement of food through your digestive tract. Green smoothies also help with digestive issues such as constipation, bloating, and diarrhea (1). Many pregnant women complain of constipation from time to time. If you are having stunted food cravings and feeling averse to certain foods, all you gotta do is whip yourself a green smoothie for a smooth stool flow.

2. Keeps You Hydrated

Green smoothies have a good amount of water content, which means they can help you reach your hydration goals with ease. It is imperative to stay hydrated at all times, whether you are pregnant or not. The best part about the water content in veggies is that apart from being full of nutrition, you don’t have to worry about external contaminators.

3. Natural Immunity Boost

If you thought that only lemon, orange, and other citrus foods are the only sources of vitamin C, think again. Green smoothies have a high content of Vitamin C. All that Vitamin C can boost your immune system. It can help ward off infection and help with the maintenance of cellular function. This nutrient is very important to take care of if you are pregnant. For better health of you and your baby, it helps form collagen and is great for your bone health for strength. It helps post-pregnancy too, since it aids in the process of healing wounds.

4. Makes Your Bones Stronger

You can keep bone disorders such as osteoporosis, decreased bone density, and bone fractures at bay with the help of leafy greens. They’re a rich source of vitamin K1, which can help with the same. Vitamin K1 is found in abundance in spinach and kale. Pregnant women need extra nutrition including more calcium, protein, carbohydrates, and essential vitamins. You will tend to be safe and more sturdy if your bones are strong enough to carry your body weight during pregnancy.

5. Helps Lower Cholesterol Levels

Leafy greens contain something known as bile acid sequestrants. This is a compound that can help lower cholesterol levels. It is essential to maintain an optimal cholesterol level, as too much cholesterol can lead to heart ailments (2). It is a known fact that cholesterol in women who are pregnant is always on an all-time high. The reason why that happens is because you have a growing baby in your body who needs to share all the energy that you are consuming. That’s why you need to keep your body healthy with proper diet intake. Therefore a green smoothie is a perfect one to reduce increased cholesterol in your body because it may sometimes lead to heart problems or fatty liver.

What’s Going Into Your Smoothies?

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Green smoothies contain several ingredients, including fruits and berries, but the important ones are as follows:

Spinach

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Popeye wasn’t exaggerating when he swore by spinach. Spinach is a superfood that is especially great during pregnancy. High in vitamins A, B6, C, E, K, magnesium, zinc, niacin, calcium, iron, potassium, copper, manganese, phosphorus, fiber, and protein, the list seems to be endless!

Kale

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Kale is one of the best prenatal foods, and it’s excellent for postpartum as well. It is a rich source of fiber too. One cup of kale can give you your regular daily intake of calcium. It’s an excellent source of Vitamins C and A as well.

Chia Seeds

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These seeds look tiny, but they’re chock full of nutrients. They contain omega-3 fatty acids, protein, and enough fiber. They are also rich in several other micronutrients. It is equivalent to the nutri-bars that contain all the essential balance of nutrients that are required while following a set workout session at the gym.

The Best Green Smoothies You’ll Ever Make

We’ve got two recipes in store for you, and they’re going to be delicious. Get your share of nutrients the fun way!

Superfood Leafy Green Smoothie

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All you need for this is kale, pineapple, avocado, banana, chia seeds, and water. You’ll first have to throw in the kale and some water into the blender. Blend it for a bit, and then add the frozen pineapple, banana, avocado, chia seeds and continue blending it. Make sure you’ve soaked the chia seeds in water before adding them. You can add more water if you want it to be lighter. Your superfood leafy green smoothie is ready. Side note – Milk is the last thing that you should put into a smoothie as it will add fat to your diet and that is totally unnecessary. Remember, it is a smoothie, not a milkshake.

Green Smoothie With Berries

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If you’re in the mood for some berries, this one’s your best bet. You’ll need spinach, coconut water, frozen pineapple, and berries of your choice, such as strawberries and blueberries. First, blend the spinach with the coconut water; then add the rest of your ingredients. Your smoothie is ready!

It’s so important to incorporate leafy greens and other nutritious foods such as fruits and berries into your diet, especially when you’re pregnant, or you’ve just given birth. Your body is going through drastic changes, and it needs all the vitamins and minerals it can get. These smoothies are a great way to do just that. Do you have a recipe you’d like to share with us? Let us know in the comments below!

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