Are you breastfeeding? These delicious snacks could boost your milk supply

Sive O'Brien

If you are breastfeeding or pregnant, you might be thinking about what foods can improve your milk supply.

Adding foods with lactation-promoting properties, along with frequent breastfeeding or pumping, can help boost your supply. Tried and tested by breastfeeding mums, here are three delicious snacks that are packed with lactogenic ingredients:

1. Green lactation smoothie

From The Detoxinista

Serves 1

Ingredients:

1 cup almond milk
1/2 cup fresh young Thai coconut meat OR half an avocado
2 tablespoons hemp protein powder
2-3 soft Medjool dates, pitted
1/2 teaspoon vanilla flavor
2 large handfuls of fresh spinach
1 cup frozen strawberries
Handful of ice

Directions:

Combine the almond milk, coconut meat, dates, spinach and vanilla in a blender, and blend until completely liquified.
Add the frozen strawberries and ice, and blend again until smooth.
Serve immediately.

2. Lactation-promoting banana chocolate chip muffins

From Yea Yea Pueblo

Serves 24

Ingredients:

4 ripe bananas
⅓ cup butter, softened
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 large egg
1½ cups whole wheat pastry flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
3 tablespoons Brewers Yeast
3 tablespoons Flax Seed meal
½ cup oats
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips (or dark chocolate chips)
Pinch of cinnamon (optional)

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350F. Line muffin pan with paper muffin cups.
In a large mixing bowl, mash ripe bananas. Mix in the softened butter until blended, then add the vanilla and egg. Mix until well incorporated.
In a separate, large mixing bowl, combine flour, salt, baking soda, Brewer’s Yeast and Flax Seed meal until blended.
Slowly add dry ingredients into banana mixture. Stir in oats and chocolate chips, then mix well.
Fill muffin cups with batter until ¾ full. Bake 25-30 minutes until toothpick inserted in the center of muffin comes out clean.
Allow to cool for 5 minutes.

3. No-bake lactation bars

From A is for Adelaide

Ingredients:

2 cup steel cut oats
1 cup granola ( the coconut and chia seed blend from BJs is awesome!
1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
1 tablespoon cinnamon
2 tablepoons flax seed meal (in its own mixture of 4T water)
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup raw honey
1/2 cup crunchy peanut butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup dark chocolate chips

Instructions:

Combine oats and granola in a large bowl.
Over medium heat in a sauce pan, heat sugar, cinnamon, salt, honey, peanut butter and vanilla- stir until well blended together.
Pour over the oats and granola mixture, add flax seed meal/water, and mix just to blend.
Cool, then add chocolate chips.
Press mixture into a greased 9×13 pan and slice into bars.