There’s nothing quite like pregnancy to motivate you to eat healthily. It’s a time when most mums-to-be do lots of research on superfoods as they try to consume as many nutrients as possible. Nutrients like folic acid, vitamin B12, and potassium are a must to help with muscle building, DNA synthesis, baby’s cell growth and supporting the overall well-being of your baby too. Now’s the time to eat a balanced diet packed with antioxidants, fibre, vitamins, minerals, protein, electrolytes and healthy fats – and not just for baby, they can make a big difference to your health in pregnancy too.
In actual fact research by Oxford University has found that unborn babies who don’t get proper nutrition go through permanent changes in their physiology and metabolism in the uterus which could trigger disease later in life. Not to mention the studies that prove mothers who eat too much junk food in pregnancy are more likely to have children who become addicted to a high-fat, high-sugar diet during their life.
We’ve recently written a blog listing some of the best pregnancy superfoods, with recipes to give you ideas on how to eat them. But if you’re time poor, or feeling too tired or nauseas to cook right now, we have just the solution for you! Smoothies! They’re a great way to get a lot of the daily nutrients you need and there’s nothing like making your own in a few short minutes at home. Not only are most smoothies good for you, but many help with morning sickness and they often fill you up when you have that insatiable pregnancy hunger that has you heading straight for the cookie jar!
If you’re wondering about the best pregnancy smoothies, then look no further. We have 10 simple recipes for you, all are pregnancy safe and will help keep you and baby healthy during the next few months. Whether you’re a smoothie newbie or have been around the blender block a few times, this list is exactly what you need to get the most out of all the glorious fruit and veg we are lucky enough to have access to in UK supermarkets and greengrocers.
1. Cardamom Peach Smoothie
https://greenblender.com/smoothies/recipes/cardamom-peach
Why it’s one of the best pregnancy smoothies:
Cardamom’s have a lemony taste which can make smoothies light and sweet. This magical spice helps with digestion and pregnancy nausea. It’s a great source of potassium, calcium and magnesium and is packed with antioxidants too. Make sure this smoothie is a treat, rather than everyday thirst quencher, whilst cardamom is a superfood, too much isn’t good for you in pregnancy. Chard on the other hand can become a regular in your smoothies – it’s a great source of vitamins A, C, K, iron and B vitamins which is beneficial for baby’s nervous system, brain development and the blood.
Blend the ingredients:
- 5oz chard
- 1 peach – pitted
- 1/2 cup cantaloupe
- 1 tbsp white mulberries
- 1/8 tsp cardamom
- 1 cup water
- 1 cup ice
2. Strawberry Blueberry Smoothie
https://www.wellplated.com/strawberry-blueberry-smoothie/
Why it’s one of the best pregnancy smoothies:
If you like your smoothies fruity and simple to make, then this berry smoothie is the one for you. Berries fight oxidative stress so can help you avoid pre-eclampsia. And they’re great for baby’s brain development too! Of course the fact that they’re delicious and yet contain less sugar than most other fruits makes then a clear winner in our books!
Blend the ingredients to your taste:
- almond milk (creamy and nutty but low in iodine, so you might want to try this with your usual milk instead)
- frozen strawberries and blueberries.
- vanilla Greek yogurt
- pinch of cinnamon.
3. Broccoli Smoothie
https://saltandbaker.com/broccoli-smoothie/
Why it’s one of the best pregnancy smoothies:
The best source of free-radical-scavenging antioxidant sulforaphane, broccoli has as much vitamin C as an orange. In fact broccoli is one of the most nutrient-dense foods in the world and including this nutrient-rich food it in your diet ensures good haemoglobin supply, strengthens bones, prevents skin ailments, birth defects, and boosts nutrient intake.
Between the broccoli, mango and banana in this broccoli smoothie recipe, you get over twice your recommended daily vitamin C intake and almost half of your daily dose of vitamin A. Better still, cinnamon taken in moderation, can keep a check on systolic blood pressure, which is good for preventing high blood pressure in pregnant women. This means it lowers the risk of pre-eclampsia during pregnancy, as this is caused by high blood pressure.
Blend the ingredients to your taste:
- Broccoli – raw or pre-cooked leftovers will do
- Mango – fresh ripe, or frozen
- Frozen banana
- Strawberries – fresh or frozen.
- Fresh spinach
- Pineapple juice – masks bitter taste of broccoli
4. Citrus minted broccoli smoothie
https://mindovermunch.com/recipes/broccoli-smoothie-recipe/
This is another of our favourite broccoli superfood smoothies. Between the broccoli, grapefruit, and banana you get over twice your recommended daily vitamin C intake and almost half of your daily dose of vitamin A with just one glass of this little beauty!
And as an added bonus the mint can ease digestion and soothe an irritable stomach..
Blend the ingredients:
- 1 frozen banana
- 1 cup steamed broccoli, cooled
- ½ red grapefruit, peeled
- ½ lime, juice & zest
- 3 sprigs mint
- ⅓ cup water
Optional Toppings:
- chopped broccoli
- mint leaves
- lime zest
- grapefruit wedges
5. Tropical breakfast smoothie
https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/tropical-breakfast-smoothie
Why it’s one of the best pregnancy smoothies:
This tropical smoothie is simply a blend of banana, passion fruit, mango and orange juice. The ingredients below will make a couple of servings so you and your partner can enjoy this one together. A glass of this yummy smoothie provides one of your five a day and is packed with vitamins. In fact oranges are nearly 90 percent water so they'll also help you meet your daily fluid needs (it’s more important than ever to keep up your fluid intake in pregnancy, apart from anything else it will leave you feeling less tired). Ripe mangoes stimulate appetite, help in digestion, and can help improve complexion. And as an added bonus they contain vitamins that fight acidity and morning sickness. Bananas are a good source of folate, which is necessary for the development of the baby's brain and spinal cord. But, believe it or not, it’s the tiny, unassuming passion fruit that’s the all-out winner of this smoothie combo – it boosts your immunity, is good for baby’s bone health and improves blood circulation, to name just a few of its many health benefits. Find out more about this amazing little fruit here.
Blend the ingredients:
- 3 passion fruits – pulp only
- 1 chopped banana
- 1 small mango, peeled, stoned and chopped
- 300ml orange juice
- ice cubes
6. Fig Smoothie
Why it’s one of the best pregnancy smoothies:
There's a whopping 5 grams of fibre in just one cup of dried figs. Plus, figs are a great non-dairy source of calcium, with just one serving containing about a quarter of your daily needs (1,000 milligrams). They’re also a good source of iron and vitamin K, and the potassium, phosphorus and magnesium in figs are essential to the 32 teeth forming below the gums in your growing baby's mouth.
This recipe is another one for two and couldn’t be easier to make – even if you’re having a rough morning!
Blend the ingredients:
Serves: 2
- 2 frozen bananas, peeled and chopped
- 6 fresh figs, halved
- 180ml milk
- 180ml orange juice
7. Apple Cinnamon Smoothie
https://reciperunner.com/apple-cinnamon-smoothie/
Why it’s one of the best pregnancy smoothies:
We couldn’t leave the trusty apple from our smoothie list could we? Apples are high in fibre and a good source of vitamin A, vitamin C, and potassium. They’re not just good for baby and you now, but can have surprising benefits in childhood. A recent study published in the journal ThoraxTrusted found that the children of mothers who ate apples during pregnancy were less likely to have childhood asthma and allergies.
The touch of cinnamon in this smoothie will add a bit of spice and extra sweetness that will really make it zing, whilst the added benefit of lowering blood glucose levels and cholesterol mean this spice is found in most smoothie lovers’ cupboards. Cinnamon is safe in pregnancy if taken moderation (and not as a supplement) but steer clear of it if you have pregnancy complications such as gestational diabetes. Consult your doctor or midwife if you’re worried. You should only use a pinch of nutmeg too – or maybe if you like the smoothie just as much without it, give this spice a miss. Too much nutmeg (quantities greater than 7.5g) can cause miscarriage or inhibit prostaglandin production (involved in child birth process).
Blend the ingredients to your taste:
- skimmed milk
- non-fat plain Greek yogurt
- 1 apple
- 1 frozen banana
- oats
- maple syrup
- vanilla
- cinnamon
- nutmeg
- ice.
8. Cucumber and green apple smoothie
https://www.skinnytaste.com/green-apple-lemon-cucumber-ginger-smoothie/
Why it’s one of the best pregnancy smoothies:
This smoothie is packed to the rafters with goodness. Not only does it have the nutrients from fresh green apples, but it benefits from all the goodness, and crisp refreshing flavour and texture of cucumbers. They’re a good source of vitamin C, B1, B2, B3, and also contain vitamin A (as beta-carotene), molybdenum, folate, manganese, silica, zinc, potassium, iron and magnesium, all of which help with foetal development and the prevention of abnormalities.
This smoothie also comes with ginger, which is well known for decreasing nausea in pregnancy, and lemon, which is good for boosting your immunity and adding vitamin C into your diet.
Blend the ingredients:
- 3/4cup coconut water, or water
- 2green apples, cored and quartered
- 1/4English cucumber, chopped
- 1/2bunch flat leaf parsley, leaves only, chopped
- 1slice piece ginger, 1 inch thick
- 1medium lemon, peeled and seeded
- 1cup ice cubes
9. Ultimate Superfood Pregnancy Smoothie
https://www.tasteslovely.com/ultimate-superfood-pregnancy-smoothie/
Why it’s one of the best pregnancy smoothies:
This smoothie is nutrient dense and works whatever trimester you’re in. Made from berries, greens, flax hemp meal and almond milk, it will prevent nausea in trimester 1 and fill you up in those hungrier moments during trimesters 2&3.
The berries (we recommend blueberries, blackberries and strawberries) are packed with antioxidants to boost heart health and lower blood pressure. Bananas provide the potassium you need to maintain your own and baby’s health and the coconut oil helps build your immunity. Most greens are great for skin hair and bone health - we love this recipe with kale and chard. But it’s the flax hemp blend that makes this smoothie stand out from the crowd. Hemp is the world’s most nutritious seed. It’s the only plant-based food that is considered a complete protein. Mixed with hemp seeds, which contain all 8 amino acids that your body is unable to generate on its own, as well as vitamins, minerals and fibre, this blend has many advantages, including aiding central nervous system development in your baby. Again, as with many spices and seeds, don’t take too much of this blend and it would be wise to seek medical advice before consuming!
Blend the ingredients:
- 1–1/2 cups frozen organic berries (blueberry, blackberry, strawberry)
- 1 organic banana
- 2 tablespoons organic flax hemp blend
- 2 tablespoon organic virgin coconut oil
- big handful of organic greens (baby kale, spinach and chard blend)
- 6–8 ounces unsweetened vanilla almond milk
10. Date smoothie for labour
https://hurrythefoodup.com/date-smoothie/
Why it’s one of the best pregnancy smoothies:
Dates are a good source of folate, which prevents congenital defects related to the brain and spinal cord, making them a good smoothie ingredient from early pregnancy.
However, they’re better known for their benefits during the last few weeks of pregnancy, as studies have shown they can have positive effects on labour and delivery. Evidence from randomised control trials has shown that consuming date fruit could help in the ripening of the cervix, which may reduce time spent in labour.
Blend the ingredients:
- 1banana (ideally frozen)
- 1 ¼cups oat milk (or your fav plant-based milk)
- 4dates – soak for 15-30 mins before use
- 1tbsp flax seeds
- 1tsp cinnamon
We hope you’ve enjoyed our recommendations for best pregnancy smoothies. Have fun making them. If you have any others that you’d be happy to share, please drop them into the comment box below.
